Capitol Hill Blue Forums Like Post

One of the most impressive aspects of the January 6 committee hearings earlier this summer was the use of Republican members of Trump’s inner circle to tell the story of his attempts to overturn the election and obstruct the peaceful transfer of power. To Trump’s adversaries and opponents, these people were a mixed bag that included former Trump loyalists who were compelled to tell the truth about the corrupt boss they had loyally served. And I think it was assumed that for some Trump supporters these people might be seen as trusted voices because of their previous devotion to the Dear Leader. There were staffers and former Cabinet members, some of whom were quite well known as faithful Trump agents, such as former Attorney General William Barr, who could not be portrayed as Democratic dupes, giving evidence that Trump simply refused to accept the truth and went to bizarre lengths to deny it. Surely, people would have to realize that this steadfast coterie must be telling the truth. But they don’t. They believe that every last one of them is a liar. No amount of previous fidelity to the party or the cause counts for anything.

Sure, he’s gleefully collecting money from the small donors who love to give the billionaire their hard-earned cash. And he’s pursuing his usual strategy of flooding the zone with nonsense and staying in the news which he believes is a key to his success. But Trump knows what he has done and he knows that his closest associates from the White House and now at Mar-a-Lago are cooperating with both his political adversaries and the law. In the latter case, he has no idea who they are so everyone must be a suspect, even his own family. The only voice he can trust is the one in his head telling him to keep dancing as fast as he can. It must be exhausting.

Trump doesn’t exactly have a history of following FEC guidelines, and there hasn’t been much enforcement despite dozens of campaign finance complaints.

Since 2016, there have been upward of 40 complaints against the former president — the FEC hasn’t acted on any of them, including the case of Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen paying off Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. It’s bringing up questions on whether Trump could be held accountable for any potential violations in the future.