TWGB: The Hope Hiccup

 

The funny thing about Hope Hicks being the person whose testimony thus far has most atomized Trump's defense is that her job used to be helping defend Trump--even telling "white lies" to do so. "White lies" are a TrumpWorld problem--they add up, and after a while, they stop being quite so white, because there is a lot of dirt underneath. Like snow that has been trampled--it all mixes with the mud eventually. 

We are told she broke down on the stand at the start of cross examination, and some folks have speculated as to why--why, then? 

I have a notion--secrecy is prized far more highly than honesty in TrumpWorld, and the penalty for honesty can be high. For a long time, Hicks was able to tell white lies and stay in the good graces of "the family", but even though Trump had nothing to say on leaving the courtroom (being a bit more sandbagged with reporters over Merchan's unceremonious dumping of Trump's "I can't testify because of the gag order boo hoo" whinge) to properly articulate (to the best of his current abilities) his displeasure, it will be felt. 

TWGB: This Situation is not Hypothetical

 

In today's SCOTUS hearing, Samuel Alito argued that immunity for former presidents is good, actually, because without it, ex-presidents might refuse to leave office peacefully if they lose reelection...

Make it make sense. https://t.co/HepJVcgN2Q

— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) April 25, 2024

If I were to take Justice Alito as a good-faith interrogator adhering to the actual facts of the Trump presidency--the actual president this case is about, and not some future generic president we're just having a classroom thought-experiment about, are we supposed to play along and imagine a path where 1/6 does not happen because Trump can rest safe in his bed at Mar-a-Lago certain that no ill shall befall him, because he had immunity. So, he just gracefully turns over the keys to the established firm:

And maybe that even means he is just fine keeping those documents from the White House that he doubtless acquired during his presidency--several boxes of, in fact--and selling them, because we are just going to assume a president does official things officially, and not shady-ass criminal stuff because one has always been a shady-ass criminal? 

On a day where Justice Brown-Jackson noted that immunity (or should we rather call it, impunity?) would turn the Oval Office into a center of criminal activity, we received testimony that Hope Hicks and Sarah Huckabee Sanders were in contact--via their White House offices, with David Pecker regarding the election interference/hush money cover-up scheme. 

We All Tell Little White Lies

I'm sure any White House Communications Director might say out loud where the people can hear that telling "white lies" is part of her job, while clamming up about most everything else.

When I hear people aren't talking to Congress, I tend to think they will be more forthcoming with Mueller, now.


UPDATE: Aaaannd Hope Hicks has resigned from her position at the White House, stating that she would like to pursue opportunities outside of the White House. There seems to be some question about whether she really had been thinking about resigning for some times (if not months, then, at least, weeks) or whether this resignation was prompted by her performance at the hearing in dropping the confession that occasionally, she had to lie. I feel like it would be very strange if she did want to stay in an increasingly hostile and stressful environment and probably did have leaving planned. I also wouldn't think it had nothing whatsoever to do with the Russia investigation--but not the House intelligence probe part, because that's bollocks and no one faces any repercussions, and I don't think anyone would necessarily be shocked about an admission of just a wee bit of lying by this particular White House's standards. Other administrations--yes. This one, no.

What made me pretty sure she already had her mental desk cleared was the pictures in which she has what I guess I'd call a "Mona Lisa smile". And I am somewhat more persuaded that the conversation with the Mueller probe is coming, especially because of her part in crafting the statement to cover up Don Jr's Russian contacts during the campaign, and her regular statements that she didn't know of any contacts between campaign personnel and Russia, which almost certainly has to be...at least gray lies, wouldn't you think?

(Responsibly photo-crediting Leah Mills/Reuters for an absolutely stunning shot, silly book additions are me.)