He's caught, he knows it, and will throw every hail Mary he's got: 1. Fire Mueller....

[tableturner]

2. Fire the new AG, the Deputy AG, and the new FBI director (two of whom may have to go in order to fire Mueller).

3. Repeatedly lie.

4. Intimidate witnesses.

5. Increase the ferocity and the rate of attacks on the press....so his followers won't believe the present and future factual news about his offenses.

6. Whip up his die hard followers and be the catalyst for their violent acts against society, because in the end, that will be all that he's got.

7. Anything else he can dream up that he thinks either delays (in his mind, anything can happen if there are more delays) or gives him even a bare glimmer of hope (because in reality, all of the weapons he will surely use will offer him AT BEST a "bare glimmer of hope&quot .

Sure.....many of those options would help to show a clear pattern of obstruction, and would make that case an easy one for prosecutors, but he'll commit those acts anyway, because he knows they've got him with a multitude of far more serious charges. There's no reason for him to avoid doing the only things that might possibly allow him to wiggle out of horribly serious charges in an effort to avoid the much less serious charge of obstruction. In his mind, he has no choice.

He may as well go ahead and fire Mueller.....because he knows that Mueller will surely bring him down if he doesn't fire him. Deep down he knows that such a firing would have a less than slim chance of working (just like all the other acts listed above), but if he doesn't throw every hail Mary he's got, he may as well just march himself down to a federal prison.

Strap yourself in. It will be a rough, maybe even violent, journey. Trump is a caged animal who will NOT "just march himself down to a federal prison". NOTHING will be more important to him than avoiding prison. Think about it.....he'd rather have a violent civil war in this country than go to prison, and if he thinks that could work, and if that's all he's got, then he will try to make that happen.

Pundits keep asking why Trump continues to do all these things that make him look guilty. Occam will give them the obvious answer, if they'll just look: He's acting like he's guilty because he IS guilty. Most of the pundits with a semblance of sense know that, but they won't say it, for obvious reasons. But you and I can.

[Orrex]

1. What's the point of a Special Prosecutor who can be fired by the suspect?

Why wouldn't he simply fire every prosecutor who gets assigned to the investigation?

[tableturner]

4. I believe that he would do that or anything else if he thought it would keep him out of prison.

So yeah.....if it comes to it, I think he WILL do that.

[tazkcmo]

6. He will.

I have no doubt he'll burn down his own Presidency in his usual inept, bumbling and narcissistic ways.

[iluvtennis]

24. Agree. That's why in hearing with Rod Rosenstein last week, Kamala Harris tried to get him...

..to put it in writing that Mueller would be completely independent and not subject to firing.

Link to tweet

[briv1016]

28. He'll just fire Rosenstein too.

[Volaris]

45. Well then we can call that the bowling green massacre,

And at least kellyanne cryptkeeper can have been right about something for her time in the white house...

[sharedvalues]

61. Lawfare has a good podcast on the special prosecutor law

Talks about evolution of law after the independent prosecutor law was left to lapse after Starr damaged America with his partisanship.

[tazkcmo]

2. I agree 100%. n/t

[klook]

3. 0. Rely on the spineless Republicans in Congress to keep him in power.

As long as he's got that, he doesn't need #1-7.

[tableturner]

10. I know many don't want to get their hopes up, but there will be a point when enough of the GOP

has seen more than they can stomach. It doesn't take a huge number of defections to get the ball rolling, and once it starts rolling, Republicans in Congress who are not complicit or overly attached to Russia will start a stampede. The majority of the public will be totally outraged, and they will force things to happen.

[USALiberal]

14. I am not sure of that. If it has not happened yet I am not sure it ever will. n/t

[tableturner]

20. More and more will come out....very serious charges will be shown to be true...it will happen.

[USALiberal]

32. I sure hope you are right! n/t

[CentralMass]

19. Not this bunch.

[tableturner]

21. Don't forget, it doesn't take a huge number of GOP defections.

[WinkyDink]

49. They have traitors in their midst. Who will be the honest men?

[Hortensis]

66. Might remember that Rump has NO power base in congress.

None. No one is loyal to him or really needs him. He's a huge liability for most, threatening to bring down their tent. Pub leaders are trying to work with him for two reasons.

One, he has so far appointed Koch- and Pierce-type choices to positions of power and has mostly gone along with their agendas to dismantle government. Having him in office is working for them so far, especially as continued faith that he will keep his promises keeps his base from rebelling now even as he betrays them.

Second, they have to worry about 2018, coming up fast already. Their ability to toss him out at any point is hampered by those who elected him, who would be very, very angry.

But, as someone put it on O'Donnell the other day, the JD workings and investigations are like a duck on water, nothing seeming to happen up top, but lots of activity where it can't be seen.
If the investigation were to turn up something that simply required removal from office, or if he did something that required it, the support would mostly fold and rump would be left standing there bare naked.

[klook]

31. I look forward to the day when the steady drip-drip-drip becomes a flood. (nt)

[MFM008]

5. I do fully expect

The creature to fire Mueller.
Especially after his latest hires he's showing that he's dead serious about this. Mueller wants answers and he's not going to get those, so maggot figures he's got till at least until the 18 elections to do whatever the hell he wants.
I expect him to fire
Spicer, and Rancid and Beauregard any day now ...

[stephensolomita]

7. The Brownshirts Are Coming

This pretty much says it all. It's useful to remember that Trump has twice threatened the country with violence, just before the Republican Convention and just before the election. Right now, well-armed groups like Oath Keepers are keeping their distance. But we can be sure that Trump will call them out if the threat to his administration is great enough.

[kimbutgar]

11. They hookuped and networked yesterday at their stupid Sharia march

[VOX]

57. "III Percenters" are a spin-off of OathKeepers...

Another paramilitary, let's-all-dress-up-in-camouflage-and-look-surly "militia" anti-government (but very pro-Trump) group.

From their statement video:
"We will rise up against any assault on the unalienable rights granted by our creator."

Their newest t-shirt design? "Throat Punch Donor."

Read everything you can about the Brownshirts' role in the formation of Nazi Germany in the 1920s-30s. It sadly applies to much of what we're seeing right now.

[gopiscrap]

62. welcome to DU

[Hortensis]

65. Keeping their distance from WHAT, though? DC?

I really don't think we should worry about a POTUS, even this one, calling out a bunch of squirrely right-wingers scattered throughout the nation who mistakenly imagine they could out-fight their local SWAT teams, much less the rest of what their states might throw at them.

Those little private groups would have to go up against professional municipal PDs, county sheriff's departments, the state militias and national guard units (the REAL ones with armories), all the federal response units of various types coordinated under DHS and perhaps not (I really don't know what they all are), but for example ATF and ICE, both with anti-terrorism training and ordinance.

You might say the federal units wouldn't act, but the states would be putting in requests if they needed help of any kind, and any president who called for insurrection against legal authorities by a bunch of armed dingalings would be in a holding cell in short order. He has no personal friends, you know, no support base in congress. The support of his base voters is all that protects him from congress just tossing him out.

Our system of checks and balances is holding at the federal level so far, but if it didn't, the state governments all have their own systems of checks and balances and various levels of law enforcement lead by people who typically take challenges to their authority very poorly.

Besides, I think this guy's a coward. He's always been timid face to face, falling back before challenges to his buffoonery, only turning and tweeting loudly once he was far away, as he put it, "I made their heads spin." Uhuh.

[TEB]

8. True but very scary especially his followers

[mchill]

9. He can do any damn thing he wants

because Ryan and the rest of the GOP House members will never impeach him. Our democracy has finally failed.

Under item 7 - he will interfere with 2018 Congressional elections to keep his majority.

[tableturner]

12. See # 10 above.....

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=9189494

[bdamomma]

60. just my two cents

no one is above the law.

[USALiberal]

13. We are months or years away from anything really happening. Took 2 years for Nixon. n/t

[Kentonio]

48. Nixon wasn't this dumb though.

[Pluvious]

55. But unlike Dolt45, Nixon had an exit plan... n/t

[USALiberal]

56. True, but he had tapes that we do not have. n/t

[RKP5637]

15. It has to be clear now to all but the most absolutely dumb and clueless in the country there is

something definitely going on with this guy and his cohorts. He's mentally unstable, it's hard to tell where he will stop.

[tableturner]

16. And here we go....the trashing of Mueller by Gingrich....it's coming.....

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/gingrich-special-counsel-mueller-isnt-neutral-hes-bringing-in-dangerous-people/

Edited to correct link.

[LOL Lib]

25. I can't stand "no-neck Newt."

I hope he drops dead from complications of his obesity very soon. I hope it is painful too. I loath that vile swamp creature.

[greymattermom]

17. His underlings won't all go down with the ship

at least one, probably many of them will rat on him soon.

[tableturner]

63. I agree....there will be a race to garner one of a few opportunities to flip.

First, the prosecutors may not need much after they have had enough time to do a thorough investigation. Second, the flips they accept will have to be able to address the gaps in the investigatory trove of knowledge. There may be multiple possible flippers able to supply the same set of facts, so the ones who wait too long will be very sorry.

Trump's cronies all know what I wrote above, and you can bet that they are getting more and more nervous. The dam may break, and when it does, a slew of them will be in a race to see the prosecutors. In reality, the race may have already started. We will eventually see who wins.

[many a good man]

18. Republicans will do ANYTHING

to ensure the illegal Russian campaign money going to the GOP is not exposed

[tableturner]

22. Yes they will, but not all of them. The true believers will go wild, though.

[AlexSFCA]

23. absolutely

His #1 priority is to remove Mueller and republicans will play along. They'll do anything he asks them to.

[KT2000]

26. He has to win -

and his obsession with loyalty is all about helping him win.

[Eliot Rosewater]

27. Attention American People: "Vladimir Putin is in charge now, get used to it!"

Neither trump or Putin will allow justice to take place because justice puts them both in prison or in putin's case sanctioned and shamed into never leaving russia

When some of YOU decided holding your nose was necessary or that she was a WEAK candidate, you ended America.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

30. Wrong.

The American People are in charge. Republican President Trump is the Minority President of an ever diminishing minority. When that minority gets small enough, possibly very soon, the Republicon panic will become a stampede for the exit.

The majority who dislike and distrust Trump is growing daily. Within that, the distrust and dislike is intensifying.

Democrats must be ready to capitalize on it. One priority is to keep the Republican and Trump brands welded together, especially at House and Senate levels. Track voting records on 538 site. Record endorsements, equivocation, false equalizing, and parrots.

[Silver Gaia]

38. Yes. Thank you.

[defacto7]

29. I'm afraid so..

That's one of the worse possible case scenarios. I've seen this one coming since election night.

[LiberalArkie]

33. He may fire 1 more person, but his personality says that martial law will come pretty quick.

Remember he has his personal private security force besides the secret service.

[byronius]

34. One small point of disagreement.

I've been paying taxes all my life, since I was fourteen years old. Some large portion of that has gone to build the US intelligence community; probably most of it.

I find it hard to believe that an existential threat to the security of the nation, the exact reason the NSA and CIA were created, would be allowed to knock the game board over and declare victory. At some point, if desperate circumstances warrant, they'll just release what they have and encourage the other world intelligence agencies to do the same.

It's too late in history for his kind of politics to blossom. We're not an orderly culture, a machine to be seized and forced to labor. It won't work.

And as for his violent supporters --

They are the weakest among us. They are the cowardly, small, stupid and slow. They dream their feverish racist dreams, but should there ever come a time when push truly comes to shove, they have about as much chance of forcing their will on Us as ISIS does. Not going to happen.

I don't believe this attitude to be naive. The barely-suppressed rage I see in the faces of the FBI and intelligence professionals on the television tells me everything I need to know. They're not going to bow to this man. They're waiting for process as their training dictates; should the process be disrupted as a tactic, they'll simply act.

[tableturner]

35. I agree with you on the FBI/CIA rage, and the weakness of his supporters.....they won't win!

[WinkyDink]

50. All true, but there might be some real deaths in the battle. Civil Rights, Kent State,

all our slain leaders---we must acknowledge our violent past when Right fights Left.

[LuckyLib]

40. Yes. And they are amassing airtight, irrefutable evidence

that will nail Trump to the wall and take down a load of people with him. Let them play out their desperate games thinking they are in charge. The coup will not stand.

[Silver Gaia]

41. Agree wholeheartedly!

[Duppers]

44. Thank you!

That is my hope.

The rest of the Free World has nothing to gain by Our Country turning into a dictatorship. They will help in what ways they can (leaking).

[orangecrush]

52. + 1,000,000

[Charlotte Little]

59. I pretty much agree with every word of this and just want to add one thing.

At some point in the future, POC are going to realize that they are no longer the minority. The white men swinging their big guns around are in for a rude awakening. Personally, I hope it's a smack down of epic proportions. I abhor violence, but I can certainly rally behind those in our society who are being harmed the most standing up to protect themselves and their families. That dam is only going to hold for so long before it breaks. And when it does, racist rednecks in this country are going to have a ferocious flood to face.

[Amimnoch]

36. I fully expect a Reichstag fire before then.

We're going to be attacked in some strong way, and that will be the excuse they use to completely shut-down the investigations, and consolidate power into him.

The man displays all 14 of the 14 characteristics of a Fascist dictator. He leads a propaganda campaign the likes of which Goebbels would envy. They will manufacture a nasty disaster before they allow him to fall, and it will scapegoat one of the named "enemies" of Muslims, "illegal immigrants", GLBT's, or some liberal/progressive group.

[tableturner]

43. I agree re capitalizing on an "incident", but don't think it will work for reasons stated earlier.

If he really tries, there will be rioting in the streets! The demonstrations would dwarf any of the anti Viet Nam war demonstrations.

[kentuck]

37. Bingo!

That is his ace in the hole. He will not hesitate to use it if he begins to feel threatened by the investigation.

The challenge for the Democrats and the investigators is to not let him feel "threatened" by the investigation. Do not tell him that he is the subject of the investigation. Otherwise, he will shut it down immediately. He doesn't really care if it catches everyone around him, so long as he is not in the net.

Just as he was pressured by McConnell and Ryan to get rid of General Flynn, they will also pressure him to not fire Mueller until the midterm elections (2018) are over with. That could hurt their chances to maintain the House very dramatically. It would almost guarantee their loss of the House of Representatives and give the Democrats the power to bring impeachment charges against Donald Trump. This the game of survival they are now playing.

Thanks for making this very important post!

[Raster]

39. tRump* acts guilty because he knows no other way...

...he is GUILTY AS SIN, and does not have the acting skills, the commanding presence nor savior fair to do anything else except look guilty.

[zentrum]

42. He will go

....to war.

[tableturner]

46. By the way, I still think that if he feels doomed, there is a chance he will flee to Russia.

What I am saying is that if he knows he is absolutely doomed.....and feels that he is headed to prison with no chance of preventing that from happening, he may just choose fleeing to Russia if the only alternative is to rot in prison for the rest of his life. I cannot make myself believe that he would accept going to prison without making this final effort to avoid it, if that's all he's got.

[WinkyDink]

51. Why should Putin save a doomed fool who couldn't help him anymore?

[tableturner]

54. He could get a lot of intelligence that Trump at this point doesn't have the ability to pass on

without making his legal problems a whole lot worse. That would be a treasure chest for Russia!

[WinkyDink]

47. Plus, Junior's already called us "not even people." Easier to attack.

[mercuryblues]

53. The senate investigation

has been on a slow roll from the start. I originally though it would take about 9 months, now I think at least 14 months.

Yup trump will obstruct and delay on his way out the door. I don't get why, they know he is guilty and they also know Pence will sign all their bills. The longer this investigation takes, the more likely Pence will be pulled into it. So why won't the R's throw trump overboard? Oh, yeah The Russians have blackmail info and donate millions to them.

[lovemydogs]

58. As time goes on he will get more desperate

And he will take to uber crazy tweeting.
He may melt down

[robertpaulsen]

64. One other Hail Mary that scares the shit out of me...

Seeing the parallels between Trump and Nixon, there is certainly the possibility that Trump could become politically poisonous enough that if his approval drops to the 20s, Congressional Republicans may decide to jump on the impeachment boat. Picture this scene from the Oliver Stone movie Nixon between Nixon (Anthony Hopkins) and Alexander Haig (Powers Boothe) and replace them with Trump and, say, Reince Priebus.

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE - LINCOLN SITTING ROOM - NIGHT (1974)

NIXON sits in his chair in a suit and tie, listening to
"Victory at Sea" at top volume. In front of him is a
picture album -- 1922 portraits of the NIXON FAMILY.
HAROLD holding ARTHUR. RICHARD stares glumly at the camera
between HANNAH and FRANK.

GENERAL HAIG, with KISSINGER behind, approaches with some
papers held out in his hand. Nixon sees them, turns down
the hi-fi.

NIXON
"Victory at Sea," Al ... Henry. The
Pacific Theatre. Christ, you can
almost feel the waves breaking over
the decks.

HAIG
I'm afraid we have another problem,
Mr. President.

He hands him a paper. Nixon glances at it.

HAIG (CONT'D)
June twenty-third, '72, sir. The part
that's underlined. Your instructions
to Haldeman regarding the CIA and the
FBI.

NIXON
So?

HAIG
Your lawyers feel it's the ...
"smoking gun."

NIXON
It's totally out of context. I was
protecting the national security. I
never intended --

HAIG
Sir, the deadline is today.

NIXON
Can we get around this, Al?

HAIG
It's the Supreme Court, sir; you don't
get around it.

Nixon, silenced, looks down at the paper in his hands and
sighs.

HAIG (CONT'D)
If you resign, you can keep your tapes
as a private citizen ... You can fight
them for years.

NIXON
And if I stay?

A long moment.

HAIG
You have the army.

Nixon looks up at him, then over at Henry.

NIXON
The army?

HAIG
Lincoln used it.

NIXON
That was civil war.

HAIG
How do you see this?

Nixon, of course, had the discretion, dignity and sanity not to use the army. All personal characteristics which Trump sorely lacks.