alternet--2020-12-01--We'll be learning about Donald Trump's abuses for years to come

The media may not have to quit their addiction to President Donald Trump anytime soon .
The nature of presidential record-keeping , and Trump 's habit of ripping up documents and making enemies of his staffers , should ensure a steady flow of shocking news about the Trump administration long after he finally leaves the White House , wrote journalist Timothy Noah for The Atlantic .
`` The mountain of documents produced by the White House ( not to mention the other executive agencies ) is so great that they ca n't all be doctored or ripped up , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that at least some people working in the White House take their legal duties seriously , or are angry at Trump for not protecting them against exposure to COVID-19 , or just do n't like the guy , because he treats them like scullery maids . ''
Voice-recognition software has made highly accurate transcripts of presidential telephone conversations easier than ever to create and maintain , and those will eventually be released after national-security claims are resolved .
`` Trump , for all his talk about loyalty , has never commanded much from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Noah wrote .
`` No visible bonds of affection or respect bind Trump to his employees , leaving fear the sole motivation for keeping the troops in line .
( See Cohen , Michael . )
'' `` Most of that fear will evaporate by January 20 , by which time trade publishers may be turning away proposals for tell-all books lest they create a market glut , '' he added .
`` Unlike the previous two administrations , which were somewhat difficult for reporters to penetrate , the Trump White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , le déluge . ''

The media may not have to quit their addiction to President Donald Trump anytime soon.
The nature of presidential record-keeping, and Trump's habit of ripping up documents and making enemies of his staffers, should ensure a steady flow of shocking news about the Trump administration long after he finally leaves the White House, wrote journalist Timothy Noah for The Atlantic.
"The mountain of documents produced by the White House (not to mention the other executive agencies) is so great that they can't all be doctored or ripped up," Noah wrote. "Keep in mind that at least some people working in the White House take their legal duties seriously, or are angry at Trump for not protecting them against exposure to COVID-19, or just don't like the guy, because he treats them like scullery maids."
Voice-recognition software has made highly accurate transcripts of presidential telephone conversations easier than ever to create and maintain, and those will eventually be released after national-security claims are resolved.
"Trump, for all his talk about loyalty, has never commanded much from the people who work for him," Noah wrote. "No visible bonds of affection or respect bind Trump to his employees, leaving fear the sole motivation for keeping the troops in line. (See Cohen, Michael.)"
"Most of that fear will evaporate by January 20, by which time trade publishers may be turning away proposals for tell-all books lest they create a market glut," he added. "Unlike the previous two administrations, which were somewhat difficult for reporters to penetrate, the Trump White House leaked like a sieve. Après lui, le déluge."


alternet--2020-12-01--Pandemic-downplaying GOP governor’s grandmother dies in COVID-plagued nursing home

South Dakota Gov .
Kristi Noem , who has constantly downplayed the novel coronavirus pandemic while refusing to even implement face mask mandates , lost her 98-year-old grandmother who was staying in a nursing home plagued by the deadly disease last month .
The Daily Beast reports that Noem 's grandmother , Aldys Arnold , was `` among 13 to die over a two-week period at a top-rated nursing home swept by COVID-19 . ''
Noem 's office insists that Arnold tested negative for the novel coronavirus before her death , although her cause of death has not been publicly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Noem has continued to focus on encouraging people to go shopping instead of following public health guidelines even after her grandmother 's death .
And while Noem did pay tribute to her late grandmother last month , she did not mention the dozen of her fellow nursing home residents who died .
`` For Noem to have mentioned the dozen other dead would have raised the specter of the virus that killed them even as she was continuing to claim that she had brought it under control by invoking personal responsibility rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask — that is as simple and unimposing as wearing a seatbelt , '' The Daily Beast writes .

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who has constantly downplayed the novel coronavirus pandemic while refusing to even implement face mask mandates, lost her 98-year-old grandmother who was staying in a nursing home plagued by the deadly disease last month.
The Daily Beast reports that Noem's grandmother, Aldys Arnold, was "among 13 to die over a two-week period at a top-rated nursing home swept by COVID-19."
Noem's office insists that Arnold tested negative for the novel coronavirus before her death, although her cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
The Daily Beast notes that Noem has continued to focus on encouraging people to go shopping instead of following public health guidelines even after her grandmother's death.
And while Noem did pay tribute to her late grandmother last month, she did not mention the dozen of her fellow nursing home residents who died.
"For Noem to have mentioned the dozen other dead would have raised the specter of the virus that killed them even as she was continuing to claim that she had brought it under control by invoking personal responsibility rather than mandating a vital precaution — a face mask — that is as simple and unimposing as wearing a seatbelt," The Daily Beast writes.


alternet--2020-12-01--'Call off election!' In untethered rant, Trump falsely claims Georgia's January runoff 'won’t be nee

'Call off election!' In untethered rant, Trump falsely claims Georgia's January runoff 'won’t be needed'

The President of the United States is demanding a governor break the law in an effort to illegally award him that state 's Electoral College votes .
President Donald Trump on Tuesday insisted Republican Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia `` call off '' the January runoff election , because his state was `` scammed . ''
Americans can now add President Trump 's name to the list of Republicans who are working to depress voter turnout from members of their their own party at next month 's critical election that will determine who will win both U.S. Senate seats for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is claiming not only was there election fraud in Georgia , but that the fraud in the Peach state was so massive that incumbent GOP Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue actually won their races .
That 's false .
In reality , both obtained less than 50 percent of the vote , and are facing their Democratic challengers in a January 5 runoff .
Trump 's tweet is of course a lie , one of countless lies about the election Trump has made for months now .
Trump 's lie is so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on it .
So critical are those two races , not only for the people of Georgia , but for control of the entire U.S. Senate .
Should both Democrats – Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock – win , Democrats will control the U.S. Senate .

The President of the United States is demanding a governor break the law in an effort to illegally award him that state's Electoral College votes.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday insisted Republican Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia "call off" the January runoff election, because his state was "scammed."
Americans can now add President Trump's name to the list of Republicans who are working to depress voter turnout from members of their their own party at next month's critical election that will determine who will win both U.S. Senate seats for the state of Georgia.
The President is claiming not only was there election fraud in Georgia, but that the fraud in the Peach state was so massive that incumbent GOP Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue actually won their races. That's false. In reality, both obtained less than 50 percent of the vote, and are facing their Democratic challengers in a January 5 runoff.
Trump's tweet is of course a lie, one of countless lies about the election Trump has made for months now.
Trump's lie is so provocative Twitter quickly slapped a warning label on it.
So critical are those two races, not only for the people of Georgia, but for control of the entire U.S. Senate. Should both Democrats – Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock – win, Democrats will control the U.S. Senate.


alternet--2020-12-01--Fox News host gives Lara Trump a reality-check live on-air when she claims president won 'four more

Fox News host gives Lara Trump a reality-check live on-air when she claims president won 'four more years'

On Monday , November 30 , the results for the 2020 presidential election were certified in more battleground states , including Arizona and Wisconsin — and this follows the certifications in Pennsylvania , Michigan and Nevada .
Regardless , President Donald Trump 's daughter-in-law , Lara Trump , continues to deny that former Vice President Joe Biden is now president-elect .
And when Lara Trump appeared on right-wing Fox News on November 30 , she got a dose of reality from host Martha MacCallum .
Lara Trump , who is married to President Trump 's son Eric Trump , told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president will get four more years in office .
I think it will be the next four years because this thing is far from over . ''
MacCallum responded , `` Why ?
You just had certifications today in Arizona , in Georgia , in Wisconsin .
You heard Geraldo ( Rivera ) moments ago say that it 's time to accept the outcome of this .
What are you seeing or hearing out there that he is not ? ''
Lara Trump argued , `` Well , those certifications are just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Electoral College does not vote in their states until December 14 .
Congress does n't actually certify anything until the beginning of January .
So , we 've got plenty of time . ''
President Trump 's campaign , making baseless claims of widespread voter fraud , has been filing lawsuits in Pennsylvania , Michigan , Georgia , Wisconsin and other battleground states that Biden won .
But that has n't stopped the votes from being certified in those states .
Biden has been making picks for his incoming administration , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President-elect Kamala Harris began receiving the highly classified President 's Daily Briefing .
Here are some Twitter responses to Lara Trump 's claim that Trump will be living in the White House after January 20 , 2021 :

On Monday, November 30, the results for the 2020 presidential election were certified in more battleground states, including Arizona and Wisconsin — and this follows the certifications in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada. Regardless, President Donald Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, continues to deny that former Vice President Joe Biden is now president-elect. And when Lara Trump appeared on right-wing Fox News on November 30, she got a dose of reality from host Martha MacCallum.
Lara Trump, who is married to President Trump's son Eric Trump, told MacCallum, "I still think that the president will get four more years in office. I think it will be the next four years because this thing is far from over."
MacCallum responded, "Why? You just had certifications today in Arizona, in Georgia, in Wisconsin. You heard Geraldo (Rivera) moments ago say that it's time to accept the outcome of this. What are you seeing or hearing out there that he is not?"
Lara Trump argued, "Well, those certifications are just procedural steps, and the reality is the Electoral College does not vote in their states until December 14. Congress doesn't actually certify anything until the beginning of January. So, we've got plenty of time."
President Trump's campaign, making baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, has been filing lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin and other battleground states that Biden won. But that hasn't stopped the votes from being certified in those states. Biden has been making picks for his incoming administration, and on November 30, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris began receiving the highly classified President's Daily Briefing.
Here are some Twitter responses to Lara Trump's claim that Trump will be living in the White House after January 20, 2021:


alternet--2020-12-01--Watch: Arizona GOP governor 'ignored' call from White House while election results — now Trump is la

Watch: Arizona GOP governor 'ignored' call from White House while election results — now Trump is lashing out

On Monday , November 30 , Republican Arizona Gov .
Doug Ducey certified the November 3 election results in his state — acknowledging that former Vice President Joe Biden is president-elect of the United States and that Democrat Mark Kelly defeated Republican Sen. Martha McSally in Arizona 's 2020 U.S. Senate race .
President Donald Trump and some of his supporters have been raging against Ducey on Twitter , but Ducey did n't certify Arizona 's election results to stab Trump or McSally in the back — he was merely doing his job .
And the political reality is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and is no longer the deep red Goldwater Republican stronghold it was for so long .
When Ducey was signing Arizona 's election results , he received a phone call from the White House — and he let it go to voicemail .
MSNBC 's Rachel Maddow noted , on her show , how pro-Trump Ducey has been .
Ducey , on July 9 , even bragged that he had a special `` Hail to the Chief '' ringtone on his cell phone for calls from the White House .
When Ducey was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 , his cell phone rang .
But despite hearing `` Hail to the Chief , '' he did n't pick up .
Instead , Ducey kept signing the certification .
Maddow is n't the only one at MSNBC who has pointed out that Ducey let the White House 's call go to voicemail .
On Tuesday morning , December 1 , `` Morning Joe '' hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski had a good laugh over the fact that certifying Arizona 's election results was a higher priority for Ducey than a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump and his supporters , meanwhile , are furious with Ducey for doing his job , and the Arizona Republican has been the target of many venomous tweets from Trumpworld : But the reality is that Ducey is not the governor of a deep red state — even though Arizona certainly fit that description in the past .
And in 2021 , Arizona will have two Democratic U.S. senators : Kelly and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema , who defeated McSally in the 2018 midterms .
McSally lost not one , but two , U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McSally lost to Sinema two years ago , Ducey appointed her to the Senate seat once held by Sen. Barry Goldwater and after that , Sen. John McCain — only to watch McSally lose to another Democrat this year .
Following three major statewide Democratic victories in Arizona — Sinema in 2018 , Biden and Kelly in 2020 — the state 's evolution from deep red state to swing state is undeniable .
For decades , Republicans considered Arizona the gold standard when it came to right-wing politics in the southern United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ran against President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 's presidential election — a fact that can be attributed , in part , to the Johnson campaign 's infamous `` daisy ad , '' which painted Goldwater as a warmongering extremist who would get the U.S. into a nuclear war : '' Daisy '' Ad ( 1964 ) : Preserved from 35mm in the Tony Schwartz Collection In Arizona , however , Goldwater continued to be quite popular long after 1964 — and over the years , Democrats in Congress developed a certain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his willingness to put his country over his party when he encouraged President Richard Nixon to resign because of the Watergate scandal in 1974 .
Then , during the 1980s , Democrats — for all their policy differences with Goldwater — admired his willingness to slam the Christian right and say that far-right evangelicals like Pat Robertson and the late Rev .
Jerry Falwell , Sr. were terrible for the GOP .
After Goldwater resigned from the Senate and McCain was elected to his seat during the 1980s , McCain proudly called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a `` Goldwater conservative . ''
In Arizona , being a `` Goldwater Republican '' was a badge of honor — and now , when Sinema praises McCain as her role model , she is , in essence , calling herself a Goldwater Democrat .
Cindy McCain , Sen. McCain 's widow , endorsed Biden over Trump this year — which is n't surprising in light of how vehemently her late husband despised Trump and how well Biden got along with John McCain when they served in the Senate together .
There is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sinema , Kelly and Biden in Arizona : all of them are quite centrist .
Many of the more progressive and left-of-center Democrats have been frustrated by Sinema 's decidedly middle-of-the-road and mildly conservative voting record .
But there has clearly been a shift in Arizona politics .
And Ducey was , in essence , acknowledging that when , on November 30 , he certified the victories of Biden and Kelly — much to Trump 's chagrin .

On Monday, November 30, Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey certified the November 3 election results in his state — acknowledging that former Vice President Joe Biden is president-elect of the United States and that Democrat Mark Kelly defeated Republican Sen. Martha McSally in Arizona's 2020 U.S. Senate race. President Donald Trump and some of his supporters have been raging against Ducey on Twitter, but Ducey didn't certify Arizona's election results to stab Trump or McSally in the back — he was merely doing his job. And the political reality is that Arizona has evolved into a swing state and is no longer the deep red Goldwater Republican stronghold it was for so long.
When Ducey was signing Arizona's election results, he received a phone call from the White House — and he let it go to voicemail.
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow noted, on her show, how pro-Trump Ducey has been. Ducey, on July 9, even bragged that he had a special "Hail to the Chief" ringtone on his cell phone for calls from the White House.
When Ducey was signing Arizona's election results on November 30, his cell phone rang. But despite hearing "Hail to the Chief," he didn't pick up. Instead, Ducey kept signing the certification.
Doug Ducey youtu.be
Maddow isn't the only one at MSNBC who has pointed out that Ducey let the White House's call go to voicemail. On Tuesday morning, December 1, "Morning Joe" hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski had a good laugh over the fact that certifying Arizona's election results was a higher priority for Ducey than a call from the Trump White House.
Trump and his supporters, meanwhile, are furious with Ducey for doing his job, and the Arizona Republican has been the target of many venomous tweets from Trumpworld:
But the reality is that Ducey is not the governor of a deep red state — even though Arizona certainly fit that description in the past. And in 2021, Arizona will have two Democratic U.S. senators: Kelly and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who defeated McSally in the 2018 midterms. McSally lost not one, but two, U.S. Senate races in her state. After McSally lost to Sinema two years ago, Ducey appointed her to the Senate seat once held by Sen. Barry Goldwater and after that, Sen. John McCain — only to watch McSally lose to another Democrat this year. Following three major statewide Democratic victories in Arizona — Sinema in 2018, Biden and Kelly in 2020 — the state's evolution from deep red state to swing state is undeniable.
For decades, Republicans considered Arizona the gold standard when it came to right-wing politics in the southern United States. Goldwater suffered a landslide defeat when he ran against President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964's presidential election — a fact that can be attributed, in part, to the Johnson campaign's infamous "daisy ad," which painted Goldwater as a warmongering extremist who would get the U.S. into a nuclear war:
"Daisy" Ad (1964): Preserved from 35mm in the Tony Schwartz Collection www.youtube.com
In Arizona, however, Goldwater continued to be quite popular long after 1964 — and over the years, Democrats in Congress developed a certain respect for him. Democrats applauded Goldwater for his willingness to put his country over his party when he encouraged President Richard Nixon to resign because of the Watergate scandal in 1974. Then, during the 1980s, Democrats — for all their policy differences with Goldwater — admired his willingness to slam the Christian right and say that far-right evangelicals like Pat Robertson and the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, Sr. were terrible for the GOP.
After Goldwater resigned from the Senate and McCain was elected to his seat during the 1980s, McCain proudly called himself a "Goldwater Republican" and a "Goldwater conservative." In Arizona, being a "Goldwater Republican" was a badge of honor — and now, when Sinema praises McCain as her role model, she is, in essence, calling herself a Goldwater Democrat. Cindy McCain, Sen. McCain's widow, endorsed Biden over Trump this year — which isn't surprising in light of how vehemently her late husband despised Trump and how well Biden got along with John McCain when they served in the Senate together.
There is a major caveat to the victories of Sinema, Kelly and Biden in Arizona: all of them are quite centrist. Many of the more progressive and left-of-center Democrats have been frustrated by Sinema's decidedly middle-of-the-road and mildly conservative voting record.
But there has clearly been a shift in Arizona politics. And Ducey was, in essence, acknowledging that when, on November 30, he certified the victories of Biden and Kelly — much to Trump's chagrin.


alternet--2020-12-02--Trump, Kushner and White House hit with lawsuit to prevent them from destroying records

President Donald Trump , his son-in-law White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner , and the White House were hit with a lawsuit on Tuesday to prevent the Trump administration from destroying documents during the last days of their time in office .
According to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia , the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington ( CREW ) and multiple other groups allege that the president and his administration are already `` violating the Presidential Records Act by failing to properly preserve records of official government business , '' reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House abrogate an official policy requiring staffers to `` preserve screenshots of information sent on non-official messaging platforms as official presidential records . ''
In a statement released on Tuesday , CREW and other plaintiffs including National Security Archive , the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and the American Historical Association , explained the importance of the White House adopting a policy that promotes more transparency .
Due to the high possibility that Trump will be embroiled in a criminal investigation surrounding his personal and professional finances , there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documents from his presidency .
`` With the President facing potential legal and financial exposure once he leaves office , there is a growing risk that he will destroy records of his presidency before leaving . ''
CREW and other platforms are arguing that screenshots do not capture metadata for each message which means there would only be incomplete copies of what is preserved .
`` As guidance from the National Archives and Records Administration makes clear , screenshots that do not capture a message 's metadata are not 'complete copies ' as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kushner has reportedly `` admitted using non-official messaging accounts like WhatsApp to conduct official White House business , relying on screenshots alone to satisfy his record-keeping obligations . ''
The statement indicates , `` This is part of a larger pattern of the President and the White House ignoring , if not flouting , their obligation to create and preserve records memorializing official actions and decisions . ''

President Donald Trump, his son-in-law White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner, and the White House were hit with a lawsuit on Tuesday to prevent the Trump administration from destroying documents during the last days of their time in office.
According to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and multiple other groups allege that the president and his administration are already "violating the Presidential Records Act by failing to properly preserve records of official government business," reports Axios.
The lawsuit is suggesting the White House abrogate an official policy requiring staffers to "preserve screenshots of information sent on non-official messaging platforms as official presidential records."
In a statement released on Tuesday, CREW and other plaintiffs including National Security Archive, the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and the American Historical Association, explained the importance of the White House adopting a policy that promotes more transparency. Due to the high possibility that Trump will be embroiled in a criminal investigation surrounding his personal and professional finances, there is an increased likelihood that Trump would destroy documents from his presidency.
"With the President facing potential legal and financial exposure once he leaves office, there is a growing risk that he will destroy records of his presidency before leaving."
CREW and other platforms are arguing that screenshots do not capture metadata for each message which means there would only be incomplete copies of what is preserved.
"As guidance from the National Archives and Records Administration makes clear, screenshots that do not capture a message's metadata are not 'complete copies' as the Presidential Records Act requires."
Kushner has reportedly "admitted using non-official messaging accounts like WhatsApp to conduct official White House business, relying on screenshots alone to satisfy his record-keeping obligations."
The statement indicates, "This is part of a larger pattern of the President and the White House ignoring, if not flouting, their obligation to create and preserve records memorializing official actions and decisions."


alternet--2020-12-02--Fascism expert: Donald Trump’s coup is not over — and his enablers aren’t done

Dismiss Donald Trump and the GOP 's attacks on the 2020 election at your peril , warns Ruth Ben-Ghiat , historian and author of the new book , `` Strongmen : Mussolini to the Present . ''
In our recent interview for Salon Talks , Ben-Ghiat — a professor of history and Italian studies at NYU — observes that Trump probably has n't actually studied other leaders in history who transformed functioning democracies into authoritarian regimes .
Nonetheless , his actions line up almost perfectly with many who have done just that , from Benito Mussolini in fascist Italy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For the strongman , politics is always personal , '' Ben-Ghiat explains which may sound ironic given that `` strongmen '' are all about displaying virility .
As she explained in our conversation , they tend to take every slight personally , and that 's certainly the case with President Trump , who constantly complains that he 's a victim who has been treated unfairly , which for some reason has endeared him even further to his supporters .
Even with Trump on his way out in January , Ben-Ghiat makes clear the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over .
She explains that the Republican Party is increasingly embracing undemocratic methods to acquire and retain power , from voter ID laws to blocking Barack Obama 's nomination of Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 .
Some GOP elected officials — thankfully , not all — even enabled Trump 's efforts to overturn or delegitimize the 2020 election results .
Ben-Ghiat 's book it serves as a wake-up call for any who believe what we are seeing is nothing more than an extra dose of our `` normal '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation do n't attempt to rein in the use of undemocratic or anti-democratic tactics , the U.S. may end up featured in future history books as a former democracy that slid into authoritarianism .
Watch my Salon Talks with Ruth Ben-Ghiat below or read the following transcript of our conversation , lightly edited for clarity and length .
Your new book on authoritarianism , `` Strongmen : From Mussolini to the Present '' is a scary must-read .
Not because of the past , but because of the present .
Let me first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what we have seen recently in the headlines , with Donald Trump literally trying to overturn the results of this election .
I turned in the book in the summer of 2020 , and I was just reading over the ending chapter .
I found a sentence that said that Trump might try to stay in office to avoid prosecution and to keep his grifting going .
I said it in a more elegant manner , but what we 're seeing is not at all surprising , because today authoritarians come to power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stay there .
Some journalists are hesitant to use the word `` coup '' because to them , that conjures up tanks in the street .
But would it be fair to say what Trump is trying to do is an electoral coup or political coup , where he clearly lost the election , but he 's spreading misinformation to overturn it and keep himself in power ?
Yeah , I 'm very glad that a third of the book is about the age of military coups .
And then what happens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 're coming in through elections .
This qualifies as what 's called an `` auto-coup '' or a self-coup , where somebody who 's already in power tries to manipulate elections and uses propaganda and threats to stay there .
For a classic coup , you need law enforcement and the military .
And that 's why , I was quite heartened that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , Gen. Mark Milley , went out of his way and made a pointed declaration , saying that the armed forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not an individual .
We all know who that individual is .
I do n't think he 's going to succeed by traditional military-coup means , because that 's not what you do anymore .
It 's more like law-warfare , where you use lawyers and bureaucracy .
Paperwork can kill democracy today , basically .
Clearly Joe Biden and many leading Democrats have made the strategic decision not to join this battle , to stay above it .
Maybe on Twitter , you see some members of Congress , but they certainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out .
It concerns me that it almost feels like an unintentional appeasement of Donald Trump , letting him say what he 's going to say because democracy is going to win out at the end of the day .
Does history tell us that 's a good or bad strategy ?
I 'm really glad you made that point , because I think one of the hard truths we have to face is that the GOP is an authoritarian party .
The other day they issued a very aggressive declaration , saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country from tyranny , which is this old right-wing line that democracy is tyranny and authoritarian government is freedom .
So they went out in a new aggressive way , saying they 're going to back [ Trump ] all the way to the end .
We 're in a situation where Erdogan in Turkey and Modi in India , who are not liberal rulers , have called Biden to congratulate him on the election , but the GOP will not concede .
In this situation , it 's very important that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because the history of authoritarian shows that Trump is a bully and if you do n't push back against him , he will take more advantage and consider you to be a lesser opponent .
I think they 're going to have to change their messaging , because things are getting very , very frightening , very , very serious .
Being above it all is not going to work .
I get the sense from Democrats in power that if they join this battle , then it makes it partisan and maybe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board .
A little over 50 percent of Republicans think Trump is the rightful winner , and about 30 percent think Joe Biden is .
The Democrats actually almost seem happy with that 30 percent .
I fear that each day this goes by and you do n't see Democrats on Fox News or on Newsmax making the counter-argument , it gets more and more traction .
This is the same framework that has hampered the media from adequately responding to Trump .
Here 's the issue .
Very early on , before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CNN op-ed saying that Trump was following the authoritarian playbook .
Now , it makes sense that Americans would only have a democratic frame of reference , because we 've never had a dictatorship .
We 've never had a foreign occupation .
But seeing Trump in anything less than an authoritarian frame allows you to make a lot of strategic mistakes .
He 's never been in office for democratic means or goals .
He 's been in office to make money for the Trump Organization , to build a personality cult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prolong his power .
Staying in office to avoid prosecution , etc.
, becomes an end in itself .
So if we see it that way , this is why the media needed to call this out immediately and not do the both-sides thing .
In a parallel way , the Democrats thinking that they may look partisan is futile at this point .
They have to really think about what role they want to have in history .
Being silent , to kind of be above it all , there 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was pushing , he had n't declared dictatorship yet , but it was very clear he was actually fixing an election .
The opposition in the Italian parliament did a noble thing .
They left .
It was called the `` Aventine secession , '' because they went and met on the Aventine Hill in Rome .
They did n't want to engage with these thugs .
They were trying to be above it all .
You know what Mussolini did ?
He said , `` Good , they 're not here .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ into parliament when they wanted to return , and he declared a dictatorship .
So it does n't work to be above it all when you have somebody like Trump .
I think you make a great point that our media , and even the Democrats , are not well equipped to deal with a person like this .
It took almost two years for many in the media to use the word `` liar '' to describe Donald Trump .
I was writing it in articles and I would get editors crossing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they 're like , `` OK. '' I feel like the same thing now is happening now in mainstream media where they ca n't say there 's a coup happening in the United States because there are n't tanks .
The book goes through a hundred years of history and there are these recurring patterns .
One of them is that people have been in denial .
They do n't want to take the leader seriously .
Even now you have people saying , `` Trump 's not so bad , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They 're already saying , `` Well , what we need to worry about is someone who 's going to be much more competent in the future . ''
But we are now in an emergency .
I 've been making videos every day about the transition , and I 'm making it very clear that we are in a crisis state .
The minute that Biden won and Trump and the GOP did n't recognize the results , this opened a window for a kind of state of exception .
So the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authoritarian , not in 2024 .
But it 's very upsetting for some people to recognize what 's in front of them , because then they think , `` Well , maybe I have to do something about it . ''
This is a pattern that 's been repeated over a hundred years .
If Trump were somehow able to stay in power for four more years , setting aside that we have a 22nd Amendment that says he ca n't serve another term after that , do you think the GOP would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beyond four more years ?
I do .
It 's a great question , because the reason the GOP is going along with this is that there are many people who have invested a lot to put America on this path .
And let 's be very clear , it 's a project of taking America out of the realm of democracy , including all the world alliances , and putting it into what I called in 2016 , Axis 2.0 .
Look at who Trump is dealing with .
Erdogan and Putin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Viktor Orbán in Hungary .
So people like William Barr and Mike Pompeo , we 're not talking about hacks on Fox News .
We 're talking about the apex of power .
They have invested a lot , and each one may have his own agenda .
Like for Barr and Pence it 's white Christian hegemony , but they do n't want to give it up because they 're coming very close to being able to consolidate it in ways that are very frightening for liberal democracy .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just because you see Trump going to play golf or he does n't have any public events on his schedule , it does n't mean people are not digging in for this desperate endgame .
My fiancée , who 's originally from the Middle East , was reading some of Trump 's recent tweets and she goes , `` He 's not leaving .
You understand that ? ''
I go , `` He 's leaving . ''
And she goes , `` He 's not leaving .
He really is tweeting like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't look at it through the American lens .
Bassem Youssef , who 's the Jon Stewart of the Middle East , he 's saying , `` This does n't end well . ''
I think a lot of Americans are uncomfortable with that talk , but I think people like that are being blunt because they 're looking at this through what they 've seen in the Middle East .
Yes , and I think one of my strengths as an analyst has been that I grew up here in America , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother 's from Scotland , my father was born in Jerusalem and my grandfather was from Yemen .
So I also work on global history .
I started with Italian fascism , studied empire , and I turned that global lens — and also my whole family culture , where there 's no relatives in the States — onto America .
I 've been able to see things very clearly .
And I 'm also getting lots of messages from people in the Middle East , family or not , people I do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you just said .
There are countries that you go through in your book , where it 's not like 1930s authoritarianism or even like Gen. Pinochet in Chile , with people disappearing .
It 's more almost like an oligarchy .
If Trump were able to stay , I do n't even think it 'd be like Putin .
For instance , I could still do my comedy .
I could still bad-mouth Trump and they might lash out at me a little bit .
It would have the trappings of democracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where Donald Trump and the oligarchs have an inordinate amount of control over the power of this nation .
We 're still searching for a language .
I talk about this in the introduction of the book , to describe this new form of autocracy .
Some people call it electoral autocracy , where you do n't totally get rid of the opposition , you do n't need a one-party state .
We have that only in North Korea and in China .
But if you 're not communist , you keep the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fixed .
The game is fixed .
Sadly , during the years I wrote the book , several people on the world leadership scene have consolidated their power .
Many people think we would drift toward an Orbán scenario , although I think it would be much more violent .
Orbán has domesticated the judiciary and the media without much physical violence .
Orbán rules by decree now .
Putin amended the Russian constitution — here we go with the law-fare , right ?
Death of democracy by paperwork .
He amended it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2036 if he wants .
So in each case it 's going to look different in every way and it 's not going to look like the old fascist dictatorships .
That 's why I do n't use the word `` fascist '' for Trump , although he uses a ton of fascist tactics , including a personality cult .
In your book , you had a line about it always being personal for the strongman in politics .
And I can only think of Trump .
Why is it that politics are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's embrace of victimhood part of that as well , where he 's constantly complaining about how unfairly he is treated ?
Yeah , it 's all about him , right ?
And he always has to be the biggest victim .
So unfortunately , this too is out of the playbook .
Mussolini was the victim , Hitler was too .
And what it is , is that they do n't represent the nation like democratic leaders , they embody the nation .
So they become the embodiment of the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When he first came in in 2016 , Trump said that the world system was rigged against America and he was going to save it .
He was going to be the voice .
Now , he also said that the election system was rigged .
He started saying this in 2016 in case he lost , but he did n't lose .
This is very old rhetoric , and even if he leaves office , this victim cult will only grow among his followers .
And the thing about it is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a whole chapter on virility because on the one hand they 're supposed to be alpha males , right ?
Trump is retweeting his face on the body of Sylvester Stallone .
We can laugh at that stuff , but it 's deadly serious .
On the other hand , they 're victims , whining all the time about being persecuted .
And this actually makes people feel tenderly toward them , it 's even endearing .
So you go to Trump rallies and journalists will get these quotes , like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wade through a sea of COVID to save Trump . ''
Stuff like that .
All of them have done this over a hundred years , and this is why women are a big fan base for these men who are definitely not working toward women 's rights .
You have a whole chapter on endings , and it 's not surprising that most authoritarians leave office involuntarily and for different reasons .
Berlusconi finally lost an election in Italy .
Others die from natural causes or unnatural causes .
If America is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jan. 20 , is it in our best interests to try to create legal impediments to prevent another Trump ?
You ca n't pass laws and say , `` No one named Donald Trump can run for office . ''
We ca n't do that .
It 's unconstitutional .
It 's not democratic .
Or any other Trump .
[ Laughter . ]
But should Congress , pass laws that might keep someone like Trump off the ballot , or at least limit his powers if he gets in ?
Oh , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big protagonist in the book , and he is quite similar .
Trump is much more dangerous , but Berlusconi was so corrupt that he had laws passed that were tailored to his individual situation — talking about the personal is political .
If he was accused of bribery , he had a law passed that made bribery a lesser offense .
He was finally voted out in 2006 after five years .
But the center-left that came in , the reformist left , they did n't do enough about corruption and about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against ruining democracy and creating accountability .
People got very angry and this was the birth of right-wing populism in Italy .
He was voted back in , in 2008 , and then he was worse than ever .
So the lesson is , if we can get rid of Trump and we do n't use this window that opens up with the Biden administration to be very vehement in our pushback and have much more rigorous vetting of candidates and address all the things Trump has exposed , we 're doing ourselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corruption with other leaders , were their children corrupt as well ?
Because we 've seen Ivanka Trump , who literally got trademarks registered on the very day her dad was meeting with the leader of China .
She got countless trademarks from China , and even in Japan when Mike Pence was over there .
The list goes on .
I ca n't speak to Donald Trump Jr. , he 's not in the administration , so that 's a little different .
But is that a typical sign of these authoritarian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reasons they are the last to know that they should be leaving , is that they make these — I call them cocoons , their inner sanctums .
They have flatterers and family around them , and this is also because family can be trusted to be part of the corruption .
And usually , it 's a family game .
The same was true with Pinochet and so many rulers .
I have a paragraph in the book on the special role of sons-in-law , from Mussolini 's son-in-law , who he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had executed — up to Orbán and Putin 's sons-in-law .
Wilbur Ross , the commerce secretary was in business with Putin 's son-in-law .
And up to our own Jared Kushner .
So what we 're living through , what we 've been living through for four years , almost everything is part of a historical pattern .
How does Trump stack up in terms of the other strongmen ?
I do n't mean in terms of the atrocities that they committed , because it 's a different time .
So not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but just how they acted and their signature moves , where does Trump fit in ?
Unfortunately for us , his personality , the impulsiveness , the need to humiliate others , even those who work for him , his grandiosity , his anxieties , his fears of his insecurities , all of it matches up 100 percent to all the other rulers .
The outcomes are different , as you say .
We 're not in a one-party state fascist era .
He did n't come to power through a military coup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leads to these dynamics of government from the inner sanctums to not wanting to leave to humiliating others , is the same .
In 1931 , Mussolini 's head of the fascist party learned he was fired by reading it in the newspaper .
And Mobutu in the Congo used to have , I call them `` sadistic dictator games . ''
He used to have rallies and everybody had to be assembled , with his officials in the first row .
Then he would announce , live on television , which ones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was scrolling through Twitter while on the toilet and that 's how he found out he was fired .
So again , the dynamics are the same , even if the outcome — like what happens to the people who get fired — changes .
We have less than two months until Jan. 20. is there anything in history that we should be on the watch for , even more than we are ?
Anything we can do to make sure we end this authoritarian regime ?
It 's a time right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your energies .
Of course we have a pandemic and we 're all extra tired , people have children at home , schools were just closed again in some places .
So this is very difficult .
But there may be a moment when mass nonviolent protest needs to be activated .
That has been extremely effective at pushing back , because it not only tells the leader of the depth of hostility — and we did this in the summer with the Black Lives Matter protests — it also does so to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's going to move the needle with the GOP , I do n't know .
We 'll have to see what happens .
It 's a very unpredictable time , which is the nature of these states of exception .

Dismiss Donald Trump and the GOP's attacks on the 2020 election at your peril, warns Ruth Ben-Ghiat, historian and author of the new book, "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present." In our recent interview for Salon Talks, Ben-Ghiat — a professor of history and Italian studies at NYU — observes that Trump probably hasn't actually studied other leaders in history who transformed functioning democracies into authoritarian regimes. Nonetheless, his actions line up almost perfectly with many who have done just that, from Benito Mussolini in fascist Italy to Vladimir Putin in contemporary Russia.
"For the strongman, politics is always personal," Ben-Ghiat explains which may sound ironic given that "strongmen" are all about displaying virility. As she explained in our conversation, they tend to take every slight personally, and that's certainly the case with President Trump, who constantly complains that he's a victim who has been treated unfairly, which for some reason has endeared him even further to his supporters.
Even with Trump on his way out in January, Ben-Ghiat makes clear the threat of authoritarianism in America is not over. She explains that the Republican Party is increasingly embracing undemocratic methods to acquire and retain power, from voter ID laws to blocking Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016. Some GOP elected officials — thankfully, not all — even enabled Trump's efforts to overturn or delegitimize the 2020 election results.
Ben-Ghiat's book it serves as a wake-up call for any who believe what we are seeing is nothing more than an extra dose of our "normal" hyper-partisan politics. If we as a nation don't attempt to rein in the use of undemocratic or anti-democratic tactics, the U.S. may end up featured in future history books as a former democracy that slid into authoritarianism. Watch my Salon Talks with Ruth Ben-Ghiat below or read the following transcript of our conversation, lightly edited for clarity and length.
Your new book on authoritarianism, "Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present" is a scary must-read. Not because of the past, but because of the present. Let me first get your reaction as an expert to what we have seen recently in the headlines, with Donald Trump literally trying to overturn the results of this election.
I turned in the book in the summer of 2020, and I was just reading over the ending chapter. I found a sentence that said that Trump might try to stay in office to avoid prosecution and to keep his grifting going. I said it in a more elegant manner, but what we're seeing is not at all surprising, because today authoritarians come to power through elections and then they manipulate elections to stay there.
Some journalists are hesitant to use the word "coup" because to them, that conjures up tanks in the street. But would it be fair to say what Trump is trying to do is an electoral coup or political coup, where he clearly lost the election, but he's spreading misinformation to overturn it and keep himself in power?
Yeah, I'm very glad that a third of the book is about the age of military coups. And then what happens where we get to the age where they're coming in through elections. This qualifies as what's called an "auto-coup" or a self-coup, where somebody who's already in power tries to manipulate elections and uses propaganda and threats to stay there.
For a classic coup, you need law enforcement and the military. And that's why, I was quite heartened that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, went out of his way and made a pointed declaration, saying that the armed forces are going to obey the Constitution and not an individual. We all know who that individual is. I don't think he's going to succeed by traditional military-coup means, because that's not what you do anymore. It's more like law-warfare, where you use lawyers and bureaucracy. Paperwork can kill democracy today, basically.
Clearly Joe Biden and many leading Democrats have made the strategic decision not to join this battle, to stay above it. Maybe on Twitter, you see some members of Congress, but they certainly have not flooded the zone calling this out. It concerns me that it almost feels like an unintentional appeasement of Donald Trump, letting him say what he's going to say because democracy is going to win out at the end of the day. Does history tell us that's a good or bad strategy?
I'm really glad you made that point, because I think one of the hard truths we have to face is that the GOP is an authoritarian party. The other day they issued a very aggressive declaration, saying they're going to fight to liberate the country from tyranny, which is this old right-wing line that democracy is tyranny and authoritarian government is freedom. So they went out in a new aggressive way, saying they're going to back [Trump] all the way to the end.
We're in a situation where Erdogan in Turkey and Modi in India, who are not liberal rulers, have called Biden to congratulate him on the election, but the GOP will not concede. In this situation, it's very important that the Democrats come out very strongly, because the history of authoritarian shows that Trump is a bully and if you don't push back against him, he will take more advantage and consider you to be a lesser opponent. I think they're going to have to change their messaging, because things are getting very, very frightening, very, very serious. Being above it all is not going to work.
I get the sense from Democrats in power that if they join this battle, then it makes it partisan and maybe antagonizes the Republicans who are not on board. A little over 50 percent of Republicans think Trump is the rightful winner, and about 30 percent think Joe Biden is. The Democrats actually almost seem happy with that 30 percent. I fear that each day this goes by and you don't see Democrats on Fox News or on Newsmax making the counter-argument, it gets more and more traction.
This is the same framework that has hampered the media from adequately responding to Trump. Here's the issue. Very early on, before Trump was inaugurated, I published a CNN op-ed saying that Trump was following the authoritarian playbook. Now, it makes sense that Americans would only have a democratic frame of reference, because we've never had a dictatorship. We've never had a foreign occupation.
But seeing Trump in anything less than an authoritarian frame allows you to make a lot of strategic mistakes. He's never been in office for democratic means or goals. He's been in office to make money for the Trump Organization, to build a personality cult to keep people loyal to him and to prolong his power. Staying in office to avoid prosecution, etc., becomes an end in itself. So if we see it that way, this is why the media needed to call this out immediately and not do the both-sides thing.
In a parallel way, the Democrats thinking that they may look partisan is futile at this point. They have to really think about what role they want to have in history. Being silent, to kind of be above it all, there's a lesson from history. When Mussolini was pushing, he hadn't declared dictatorship yet, but it was very clear he was actually fixing an election. The opposition in the Italian parliament did a noble thing. They left. It was called the "Aventine secession," because they went and met on the Aventine Hill in Rome. They didn't want to engage with these thugs. They were trying to be above it all. You know what Mussolini did? He said, "Good, they're not here." They were unable to enter back into parliament when they wanted to return, and he declared a dictatorship. So it doesn't work to be above it all when you have somebody like Trump.
I think you make a great point that our media, and even the Democrats, are not well equipped to deal with a person like this. It took almost two years for many in the media to use the word "liar" to describe Donald Trump. I was writing it in articles and I would get editors crossing it out. Then after a while, they're like, "OK." I feel like the same thing now is happening now in mainstream media where they can't say there's a coup happening in the United States because there aren't tanks.
The book goes through a hundred years of history and there are these recurring patterns. One of them is that people have been in denial. They don't want to take the leader seriously. Even now you have people saying, "Trump's not so bad, he just golfs all the time." They're already saying, "Well, what we need to worry about is someone who's going to be much more competent in the future."
But we are now in an emergency. I've been making videos every day about the transition, and I'm making it very clear that we are in a crisis state. The minute that Biden won and Trump and the GOP didn't recognize the results, this opened a window for a kind of state of exception. So the time is now to worry about an authoritarian, not in 2024. But it's very upsetting for some people to recognize what's in front of them, because then they think, "Well, maybe I have to do something about it." This is a pattern that's been repeated over a hundred years.
If Trump were somehow able to stay in power for four more years, setting aside that we have a 22nd Amendment that says he can't serve another term after that, do you think the GOP would support his efforts to remain in power beyond four more years?
I do. It's a great question, because the reason the GOP is going along with this is that there are many people who have invested a lot to put America on this path. And let's be very clear, it's a project of taking America out of the realm of democracy, including all the world alliances, and putting it into what I called in 2016, Axis 2.0. Look at who Trump is dealing with. Erdogan and Putin, these are the people he admires, and Viktor Orbán in Hungary. So people like William Barr and Mike Pompeo, we're not talking about hacks on Fox News. We're talking about the apex of power.
They have invested a lot, and each one may have his own agenda. Like for Barr and Pence it's white Christian hegemony, but they don't want to give it up because they're coming very close to being able to consolidate it in ways that are very frightening for liberal democracy. So I would caution anybody to think that just because you see Trump going to play golf or he doesn't have any public events on his schedule, it doesn't mean people are not digging in for this desperate endgame.
My fiancée, who's originally from the Middle East, was reading some of Trump's recent tweets and she goes, "He's not leaving. You understand that?" I go, "He's leaving." And she goes, "He's not leaving. He really is tweeting like he has won." She doesn't look at it through the American lens. Bassem Youssef, who's the Jon Stewart of the Middle East, he's saying, "This doesn't end well." I think a lot of Americans are uncomfortable with that talk, but I think people like that are being blunt because they're looking at this through what they've seen in the Middle East.
Yes, and I think one of my strengths as an analyst has been that I grew up here in America, but my parents are immigrants. My mother's from Scotland, my father was born in Jerusalem and my grandfather was from Yemen. So I also work on global history. I started with Italian fascism, studied empire, and I turned that global lens — and also my whole family culture, where there's no relatives in the States — onto America. I've been able to see things very clearly. And I'm also getting lots of messages from people in the Middle East, family or not, people I don't know, saying the same thing you just said.
There are countries that you go through in your book, where it's not like 1930s authoritarianism or even like Gen. Pinochet in Chile, with people disappearing. It's more almost like an oligarchy. If Trump were able to stay, I don't even think it'd be like Putin. For instance, I could still do my comedy. I could still bad-mouth Trump and they might lash out at me a little bit. It would have the trappings of democracy, but we'd have backslid to where Donald Trump and the oligarchs have an inordinate amount of control over the power of this nation.
We're still searching for a language. I talk about this in the introduction of the book, to describe this new form of autocracy. Some people call it electoral autocracy, where you don't totally get rid of the opposition, you don't need a one-party state. We have that only in North Korea and in China. But if you're not communist, you keep the trappings of democracy, but it's fixed. The game is fixed.
Sadly, during the years I wrote the book, several people on the world leadership scene have consolidated their power. Many people think we would drift toward an Orbán scenario, although I think it would be much more violent. Orbán has domesticated the judiciary and the media without much physical violence. Orbán rules by decree now. Putin amended the Russian constitution — here we go with the law-fare, right? Death of democracy by paperwork. He amended it so he could stay in power till 2036 if he wants. So in each case it's going to look different in every way and it's not going to look like the old fascist dictatorships. That's why I don't use the word "fascist" for Trump, although he uses a ton of fascist tactics, including a personality cult.
In your book, you had a line about it always being personal for the strongman in politics. And I can only think of Trump. Why is it that politics are always personal for these people? Is Trump's embrace of victimhood part of that as well, where he's constantly complaining about how unfairly he is treated?
Yeah, it's all about him, right? And he always has to be the biggest victim. So unfortunately, this too is out of the playbook. Mussolini was the victim, Hitler was too. And what it is, is that they don't represent the nation like democratic leaders, they embody the nation. So they become the embodiment of the nation's sufferings and dreams and hopes. When he first came in in 2016, Trump said that the world system was rigged against America and he was going to save it. He was going to be the voice. Now, he also said that the election system was rigged. He started saying this in 2016 in case he lost, but he didn't lose. This is very old rhetoric, and even if he leaves office, this victim cult will only grow among his followers.
And the thing about it is, it connects to their masculinity. I have a whole chapter on virility because on the one hand they're supposed to be alpha males, right? Trump is retweeting his face on the body of Sylvester Stallone. We can laugh at that stuff, but it's deadly serious. On the other hand, they're victims, whining all the time about being persecuted. And this actually makes people feel tenderly toward them, it's even endearing. So you go to Trump rallies and journalists will get these quotes, like a woman will say, "I'd wade through a sea of COVID to save Trump." Stuff like that. All of them have done this over a hundred years, and this is why women are a big fan base for these men who are definitely not working toward women's rights.
You have a whole chapter on endings, and it's not surprising that most authoritarians leave office involuntarily and for different reasons. Berlusconi finally lost an election in Italy. Others die from natural causes or unnatural causes. If America is able to get rid of Trump on Jan. 20, is it in our best interests to try to create legal impediments to prevent another Trump? You can't pass laws and say, "No one named Donald Trump can run for office." We can't do that. It's unconstitutional. It's not democratic.
Or any other Trump. [Laughter.]
But should Congress, pass laws that might keep someone like Trump off the ballot, or at least limit his powers if he gets in?
Oh, absolutely. So Silvio Berlusconi is a big protagonist in the book, and he is quite similar. Trump is much more dangerous, but Berlusconi was so corrupt that he had laws passed that were tailored to his individual situation — talking about the personal is political. If he was accused of bribery, he had a law passed that made bribery a lesser offense. He was finally voted out in 2006 after five years. But the center-left that came in, the reformist left, they didn't do enough about corruption and about what you're talking about, safeguards against ruining democracy and creating accountability.
People got very angry and this was the birth of right-wing populism in Italy. He was voted back in, in 2008, and then he was worse than ever. So the lesson is, if we can get rid of Trump and we don't use this window that opens up with the Biden administration to be very vehement in our pushback and have much more rigorous vetting of candidates and address all the things Trump has exposed, we're doing ourselves a huge disservice.
When you mentioned corruption with other leaders, were their children corrupt as well? Because we've seen Ivanka Trump, who literally got trademarks registered on the very day her dad was meeting with the leader of China. She got countless trademarks from China, and even in Japan when Mike Pence was over there. The list goes on. I can't speak to Donald Trump Jr., he's not in the administration, so that's a little different. But is that a typical sign of these authoritarian leaders?
Yeah. One of the reasons they are the last to know that they should be leaving, is that they make these — I call them cocoons, their inner sanctums. They have flatterers and family around them, and this is also because family can be trusted to be part of the corruption. And usually, it's a family game. The same was true with Pinochet and so many rulers. I have a paragraph in the book on the special role of sons-in-law, from Mussolini's son-in-law, who he made foreign minister — and then later had executed — up to Orbán and Putin's sons-in-law. Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary was in business with Putin's son-in-law. And up to our own Jared Kushner. So what we're living through, what we've been living through for four years, almost everything is part of a historical pattern.
How does Trump stack up in terms of the other strongmen? I don't mean in terms of the atrocities that they committed, because it's a different time. So not in terms of actual outright violence, but just how they acted and their signature moves, where does Trump fit in?
Unfortunately for us, his personality, the impulsiveness, the need to humiliate others, even those who work for him, his grandiosity, his anxieties, his fears of his insecurities, all of it matches up 100 percent to all the other rulers. The outcomes are different, as you say. We're not in a one-party state fascist era. He didn't come to power through a military coup, but the personality type, which leads to these dynamics of government from the inner sanctums to not wanting to leave to humiliating others, is the same.
In 1931, Mussolini's head of the fascist party learned he was fired by reading it in the newspaper. And Mobutu in the Congo used to have, I call them "sadistic dictator games." He used to have rallies and everybody had to be assembled, with his officials in the first row. Then he would announce, live on television, which ones were fired. Rex Tillerson in 2018 was scrolling through Twitter while on the toilet and that's how he found out he was fired. So again, the dynamics are the same, even if the outcome — like what happens to the people who get fired — changes.
We have less than two months until Jan. 20. is there anything in history that we should be on the watch for, even more than we are? Anything we can do to make sure we end this authoritarian regime?
It's a time right now to be very watchful, to conserve your energies. Of course we have a pandemic and we're all extra tired, people have children at home, schools were just closed again in some places. So this is very difficult. But there may be a moment when mass nonviolent protest needs to be activated. That has been extremely effective at pushing back, because it not only tells the leader of the depth of hostility — and we did this in the summer with the Black Lives Matter protests — it also does so to his enablers. Now, whether that's going to move the needle with the GOP, I don't know. We'll have to see what happens. It's a very unpredictable time, which is the nature of these states of exception.


alternet--2020-12-02--Here is the best argument yet for crushing Republicans in Georgia's Senate race

It 's been 199 days since the House passed the $ 3 trillion HEROES Act , and 63 days since the House passed its compromise $ 2.2 trillion bill .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , back in town after a week off for Thanksgiving , once again trolled Democrats and the nation , saying on the Senate floor , `` There is no reason why we should not deliver another major pandemic relief package to help the American people through what seems poised to be the last chapters of this battle . ''
But there is a reason : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shield for businesses that give them immunity from wrongful death lawsuits when they allow their workers to be exposed to a deadly virus .
Which has definitely happened .
McConnell seized on bad advice from one of former President Barack Obama 's economic advisers , Austen Goolsbee , that Democrats should `` should take half a loaf , and then let 's try to get another half of a loaf . ''
That 's of course what McConnell told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to do , leaving out the part where there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't allow President-elect Joe Biden to have that win when he takes office next January .
So here 's what Pelosi needs to do : come back with stimulus to state and local governments that incumbent GOP Sens .
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler ca n't resist .
Come back with $ 2,000 stimulus checks for everyone and restore the $ 600 enhanced unemployment insurance and do all the things for all the people that have already expired or will expire at the end of December and MAKE IT ABOUT GEORGIA .
Make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stimulus and on Republicans ' refusal to help the states .
Georgia has already had to slash its 2021 budget by 10 % , and cut almost $ 1 billion from public K-12 education .
That hurts the whole state , a state that clearly is embracing change .
Make the case for a unified Democratic government right now—in Georgia—by not backing down and taking McConnell 's crumbs , but by throwing everything we 've got into Georgia and making the nation 's survival the message .
Put the pressure on Loeffler and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his majority .
Ending that majority , and flipping it to the Democrats , is the only way to make sure Biden has the opportunity to push for and pass the big , necessary stimulus package the country has to have .

It's been 199 days since the House passed the $3 trillion HEROES Act, and 63 days since the House passed its compromise $2.2 trillion bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, back in town after a week off for Thanksgiving, once again trolled Democrats and the nation, saying on the Senate floor, "There is no reason why we should not deliver another major pandemic relief package to help the American people through what seems poised to be the last chapters of this battle."
But there is a reason: He is still insisting on a liability shield for businesses that give them immunity from wrongful death lawsuits when they allow their workers to be exposed to a deadly virus. Which has definitely happened. McConnell seized on bad advice from one of former President Barack Obama's economic advisers, Austen Goolsbee, that Democrats should "should take half a loaf, and then let's try to get another half of a loaf." That's of course what McConnell told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to do, leaving out the part where there is no second half, because he won't allow President-elect Joe Biden to have that win when he takes office next January.
So here's what Pelosi needs to do: come back with stimulus to state and local governments that incumbent GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler can't resist. Come back with $2,000 stimulus checks for everyone and restore the $600 enhanced unemployment insurance and do all the things for all the people that have already expired or will expire at the end of December and MAKE IT ABOUT GEORGIA. Make this runoff election a referendum on the stimulus and on Republicans' refusal to help the states. Georgia has already had to slash its 2021 budget by 10%, and cut almost $1 billion from public K-12 education. That hurts the whole state, a state that clearly is embracing change.
Make the case for a unified Democratic government right now—in Georgia—by not backing down and taking McConnell's crumbs, but by throwing everything we've got into Georgia and making the nation's survival the message. Put the pressure on Loeffler and Perdue, and by extension McConnell and his majority.
Ending that majority, and flipping it to the Democrats, is the only way to make sure Biden has the opportunity to push for and pass the big, necessary stimulus package the country has to have.


alternet--2020-12-02--Watch: Top Georgia GOP election official excoriates Senate GOP for abetting Trump in extraordinary v

Watch: Top Georgia GOP election official excoriates Senate GOP for abetting Trump in extraordinary video

A top Georgia election official issued a searing indictment Tuesday of his GOP colleagues in Washington for helping to fan the flames of Donald Trump 's baseless fraud claims .
Detailing a series of death threats made against elected officials and private citizens alike following Trump 's attack on the state 's election results , lifelong conservative Gabriel Sterling , a top aide to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , told reporters the whole situation had gotten out of hand and someone could end up dead because of it .
`` It has to stop ! ''
Sterling implored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his boss ' wife , and various other officials and private citizens caught in the crossfire .
`` Mr. President , you have not condemned these actions or this language .
Senators , you have not condemned this language or these actions .
This has to stop .
We need you to step up and , if you 're going to take a position of leadership , show some . ''
`` This is elections , '' Sterling continued , `` This is the backbone of democracy .
And all of you who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complicit in this .
… Someone 's going to get hurt , someone 's going to get shot , someone 's going to get killed .
And it 's not right . ''
Both of the state 's GOP senators facing runoffs in January—Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue—have fully backed Trump 's fraud claims .

A top Georgia election official issued a searing indictment Tuesday of his GOP colleagues in Washington for helping to fan the flames of Donald Trump's baseless fraud claims.
Detailing a series of death threats made against elected officials and private citizens alike following Trump's attack on the state's election results, lifelong conservative Gabriel Sterling, a top aide to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, told reporters the whole situation had gotten out of hand and someone could end up dead because of it.
"It has to stop!" Sterling implored of the threats to his boss, his boss' wife, and various other officials and private citizens caught in the crossfire. "Mr. President, you have not condemned these actions or this language. Senators, you have not condemned this language or these actions. This has to stop. We need you to step up and, if you're going to take a position of leadership, show some."
"This is elections," Sterling continued, "This is the backbone of democracy. And all of you who have not said a damn word are complicit in this. … Someone's going to get hurt, someone's going to get shot, someone's going to get killed. And it's not right."
Both of the state's GOP senators facing runoffs in January—Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue—have fully backed Trump's fraud claims.
Watch it:


alternet--2020-12-02--Legal expert: Trump's pardon of Flynn may be 'broader' than Ford's pardon of Nixon

The Department of Justice released President Donald Trump 's sweeping pardon of Michael Flynn , showing that he had absolved his former national security adviser of `` any and all possible '' crimes related to former special counsel Robert Mueller 's Russia probe .
The Justice Department included Flynn 's formal pardon in a court filing asking for his criminal case to be dismissed .
Though Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contacts with a Russian official during the 2016 presidential transition , he later tried to withdraw his plea .
The Justice Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ William Barr , also unsuccessfully intervened in attempt to get Flynn 's case dismissed .
Trump 's pardon gives Flynn immunity for `` any and all possible offenses '' connected to the Mueller investigation and any related grand jury proceedings .
The extraordinarily broad pardon absolves the former Trump adviser of any charges based on `` facts and circumstances , known to , identified by or in any manner related to the investigation of the special counsel . ''
Legal experts believe Flynn 's pardon may be the broadest since former President Gerald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1974 .
`` Pardons are typically directed at specific convictions or at a minimum at specific charges , '' Margy Love , the head of the Collateral Consequences Resource Center and a former pardon attorney for Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton , told Politico .
`` I can think of only one other pardon as broad as this one , extending as it does to conduct that has not yet been charged , and that is the one that President Ford granted to Richard Nixon . ''
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` even broader , '' Love argued .
`` In fact , you might say that this pardon is even broader than the Nixon pardon , which was strictly cabined by his time as president , '' she said .
`` In contrast , the pardon granted to Flynn appears to extend to conduct that took place prior to Trump 's election to the presidency , and to bear no relationship to his service to the president , before or after the election . ''
While Bush granted broad pardons in the Iran-Contra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conduct that took place in the service of the presidency , '' Love added .
The language in Flynn 's pardon means that he will avoid any other potential federal charges from his legal battle .
Though Flynn pleaded guilty only to lying to the FBI , some legal experts have argued that he could also be prosecuted for contradicting his statements to the court after he attempted to reverse his plea .
District Judge Emmett Sullivan has been weighing whether to dismiss the case for months .
The Justice Department , asking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said Trump 's pardon also included `` any possible future perjury or contempt charge in connection with General Flynn 's sworn statements and any other possible future charge that this court or the court-appointed amicus has suggested might somehow keep this criminal case alive over the government 's objection . ''
`` Accordingly , the president 's pardon , which General Flynn has accepted , moots this case , '' the filing said .
Flynn lied to the FBI about his contacts with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak .
Flynn contacted Kislyak to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanctions from the Obama administration .
He also faced an investigation for his work in Turkey , which allegedly included a plot to kidnap a Turkish dissident in Pennsylvania and deliver him to the country .
After pleading guilty to lying to the FBI about his calls to Kislyak , Flynn 's new lawyer Sidney Powell led an effort to reverse his plea .
She argued that the FBI had acted improperly by questioning him .
Powell is now waging a dubious legal effort parallel to Trump 's legal team , alleging a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ machines switched votes from Trump to President-elect Joe Biden in a plot linked to Venezuela , Cuba , China , the CIA and the Republican governor of Georgia .
Andrew Weissmann , one of Mueller 's former top lieutenants , slammed the Trump administration 's intervention into the case .
`` Trump issued the pardon only after Barr debased the Department of Justice by filing a disingenuous motion to dismiss , '' he told The New York Times .
`` Sullivan will have the opportunity to weigh in on his view of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismiss based on the full pardon . ''

The Department of Justice released President Donald Trump's sweeping pardon of Michael Flynn, showing that he had absolved his former national security adviser of "any and all possible" crimes related to former special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe.
The Justice Department included Flynn's formal pardon in a court filing asking for his criminal case to be dismissed. Though Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contacts with a Russian official during the 2016 presidential transition, he later tried to withdraw his plea. The Justice Department, at the behest of Attorney General William Barr, also unsuccessfully intervened in attempt to get Flynn's case dismissed.
Trump's pardon gives Flynn immunity for "any and all possible offenses" connected to the Mueller investigation and any related grand jury proceedings. The extraordinarily broad pardon absolves the former Trump adviser of any charges based on "facts and circumstances, known to, identified by or in any manner related to the investigation of the special counsel."
Legal experts believe Flynn's pardon may be the broadest since former President Gerald Ford preemptively pardoned former President Richard Nixon in 1974.
"Pardons are typically directed at specific convictions or at a minimum at specific charges," Margy Love, the head of the Collateral Consequences Resource Center and a former pardon attorney for Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, told Politico. "I can think of only one other pardon as broad as this one, extending as it does to conduct that has not yet been charged, and that is the one that President Ford granted to Richard Nixon."
But the pardon granted to Flynn might have been "even broader," Love argued.
"In fact, you might say that this pardon is even broader than the Nixon pardon, which was strictly cabined by his time as president," she said. "In contrast, the pardon granted to Flynn appears to extend to conduct that took place prior to Trump's election to the presidency, and to bear no relationship to his service to the president, before or after the election."
While Bush granted broad pardons in the Iran-Contra affair, those were "limited to conduct that took place in the service of the presidency," Love added.
The language in Flynn's pardon means that he will avoid any other potential federal charges from his legal battle. Though Flynn pleaded guilty only to lying to the FBI, some legal experts have argued that he could also be prosecuted for contradicting his statements to the court after he attempted to reverse his plea.
District Judge Emmett Sullivan has been weighing whether to dismiss the case for months. The Justice Department, asking Sullivan to dismiss the case on Monday, said Trump's pardon also included "any possible future perjury or contempt charge in connection with General Flynn's sworn statements and any other possible future charge that this court or the court-appointed amicus has suggested might somehow keep this criminal case alive over the government's objection."
"Accordingly, the president's pardon, which General Flynn has accepted, moots this case," the filing said.
Flynn lied to the FBI about his contacts with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Flynn contacted Kislyak to urge the Kremlin not to retaliate against sanctions from the Obama administration. He also faced an investigation for his work in Turkey, which allegedly included a plot to kidnap a Turkish dissident in Pennsylvania and deliver him to the country.
After pleading guilty to lying to the FBI about his calls to Kislyak, Flynn's new lawyer Sidney Powell led an effort to reverse his plea. She argued that the FBI had acted improperly by questioning him.
Powell is now waging a dubious legal effort parallel to Trump's legal team, alleging a baseless and bizarre conspiracy theory that voting machines switched votes from Trump to President-elect Joe Biden in a plot linked to Venezuela, Cuba, China, the CIA and the Republican governor of Georgia.
Andrew Weissmann, one of Mueller's former top lieutenants, slammed the Trump administration's intervention into the case.
"Trump issued the pardon only after Barr debased the Department of Justice by filing a disingenuous motion to dismiss," he told The New York Times. "Sullivan will have the opportunity to weigh in on his view of all this when he grants the motion to dismiss based on the full pardon."


alternet--2020-12-02--Bill Barr reveals he appointed a special counsel in secret — but he may have made a key mistake

Attorney General Bill Barr revealed on Tuesday that he has appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham as a special counsel in his ongoing probe into the origins of the Russia investigation .
But he may have made a critical error that could undermine the appointment order in the future .
Speaking to the Associated Press , Barr said that he has actually made Durham a special counsel in October but kept the news under wraps until now .
He made clear that his intention was to protect the investigation from a potential Joe Biden administration .
`` I decided the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them under the same regulation that covered Bob Mueller , to provide Durham and his team some assurance that they 'd be able to complete their work regardless of the outcome of the election , '' he said .
Robert Mueller became the special counsel after Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey in 2017 , who has been overseeing the investigation .
Many feared Trump would corruptly block the investigation from moving forward , so Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein picked Mueller to run it .
There is no such justification now for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue under President Joe Biden , and there 's a particularly rich irony in the tactic : Barr 's obsession with the Russia investigation , and his decision to task Durham with reviewing it , stemmed from his misguided belief that it was a duplicitous effort by the Obama administration to undermine Trump .
But Barr 's action looks much more like the accusations he has baselessly lobbed at his predecessors than anything carried out under Obama .
Special counsels have added protection that normal U.S. attorneys lack .
Under the DOJ regulations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fired for cause , while U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president .
The regulations also require the special counsel to report to the attorney general , who will soon be a Biden appointee .
But Congress is to be notified if the attorney general ever overrules any step the special counsel would like to take in the probe .
As many pointed out , there seems to be a big problem with Barr 's decision to set Durham up as a special counsel : The regulations do n't seem to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within the government when he was appointed , apparently making him ineligible for the position Barr wants him to hold .
It 's not clear how or if this mistake could be used against Durham , though it 's possible any target of his investigation could claim he 's unauthorized to act in the role .
And this mistake could potentially be exploited by a future attorney general if they sought to remove Durham from the position .
The order naming Durham as a special counsel assigns him to What 's not clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any factual predicate to justify this investigation .
No serious justification has ever been put forward , though the president and his allies have hyped various bogus conspiracy fictions surrounding the probe that have been repeatedly debunked ; Barr has been clearly sympathetic to these false narratives .
One FBI lawyer , Kevin Clinesmith , was caught having created a minor alteration to a document used in an application to surveil Carter Page , a one-time associate of the Trump campaign .
Clinesmith has pleaded guilty for this crime , though it likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr not on a mission of vengeance .
The Clinesmith revelation is noteworthy , though , because it was actually discovered in a review of the Russia investigation conducted by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz , who referred the case to prosecutors .
But precisely because Horowitz had so closely reviewed the origins of the Russia investigation — finding that it was launched with sufficient predication , and finding no other crimes apart from Clinesmith 's case — the natural question was : Why is Durham investigating at all ?
Horowitz has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so is n't any further investigation unnecessary and duplicative ?
Does n't Barr 's move , after all that , reek of a witch hunt ?
One justification Barr gave for Durham 's appointment was that he had a wider scope than Horowitz , who was limited to reviewing DOJ conduct .
Barr has indicated that Durham 's probe encompassed the activity of the intelligence agencies , such as the CIA , suggesting to many that he was pursuing wild conspiracy theories floated by Trump supporters who believed there was an international plot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr was even reported to have flown to foreign countries such as Italy to probe their own officials about potential involvement in the plot .
But according to Barr 's interview with the AP , these avenues have dried up .
The attorney general `` said Durham 's investigation has been narrowing to focus more on the conduct of FBI agents who worked on the Russia investigation , known as Crossfire Hurricane , '' according to the report .
It added : `` The focus on the FBI , rather than the CIA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Durham may have moved past some of the more incendiary claims that Trump supporters had hoped would yield allegations of misconduct , or even crimes — namely , the question of how intelligence agencies reached their conclusion that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election . ''
This raises the question , once again : If Durham is just focused on the FBI , why was the Horowitz probe insufficient ?
Barr 's announcement of the probe also seemed to have come at a convenient time .
He also told the AP on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the kind of wide-ranging election fraud conspiracies that Trump and his allies have been alleging .
Trump has , in fact , been claiming he won the election in a landslide , despite having lost decisively to Joe Biden .
Barr 's admission that there 's no evidence for this is a devastating blow for the president who has relied on the attorney general as a faithful defender .
To soften the blow , then , Barr might have thought it was prudent to release the news of a new special counsel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump may appreciate the move as an apparent effort to undermine Biden and further his own conspiratorial claims .
Perhaps Barr thought bringing the good news with the bad to the president was the best way of keeping his job through Jan. 20 and avoid a humiliating termination .
Barr was also seen visiting the White House for several hours on Tuesday , for undisclosed reasons .

Attorney General Bill Barr revealed on Tuesday that he has appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham as a special counsel in his ongoing probe into the origins of the Russia investigation. But he may have made a critical error that could undermine the appointment order in the future.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Barr said that he has actually made Durham a special counsel in October but kept the news under wraps until now. He made clear that his intention was to protect the investigation from a potential Joe Biden administration.
"I decided the best thing to do would be to appoint them under the same regulation that covered Bob Mueller, to provide Durham and his team some assurance that they'd be able to complete their work regardless of the outcome of the election," he said.
Robert Mueller became the special counsel after Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey in 2017, who has been overseeing the investigation. Many feared Trump would corruptly block the investigation from moving forward, so Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein picked Mueller to run it. There is no such justification now for setting up a new special counsel to continue under President Joe Biden, and there's a particularly rich irony in the tactic: Barr's obsession with the Russia investigation, and his decision to task Durham with reviewing it, stemmed from his misguided belief that it was a duplicitous effort by the Obama administration to undermine Trump. But Barr's action looks much more like the accusations he has baselessly lobbed at his predecessors than anything carried out under Obama.
Special counsels have added protection that normal U.S. attorneys lack. Under the DOJ regulations, a special counsel can only be fired for cause, while U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president. The regulations also require the special counsel to report to the attorney general, who will soon be a Biden appointee. But Congress is to be notified if the attorney general ever overrules any step the special counsel would like to take in the probe.
As many pointed out, there seems to be a big problem with Barr's decision to set Durham up as a special counsel: The regulations don't seem to allow it:
An individual named as Special Counsel shall be a lawyer with a reputation for integrity and impartial decisionmaking, and with appropriate experience to ensure both that the investigation will be conducted ably, expeditiously and thoroughly, and that investigative and prosecutorial decisions will be supported by an informed understanding of the criminal law and Department of Justice policies. The Special Counsel shall be selected from outside the United States Government. [emphasis added]
Durham was already working within the government when he was appointed, apparently making him ineligible for the position Barr wants him to hold. It's not clear how or if this mistake could be used against Durham, though it's possible any target of his investigation could claim he's unauthorized to act in the role. And this mistake could potentially be exploited by a future attorney general if they sought to remove Durham from the position.
The order naming Durham as a special counsel assigns him to
investigate whether any federal official, employee, or any other person or entity violated the law in connection with the intelligence, counter-intelligence, or law-enforcement activities directed at the 2016 presidential campaigns, individuals associated with those campaigns, and individuals associated with the administration of President Donald J. Trump, including but not limited to Crossfire Hurricane and the investigation of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller, III.
What's not clear about this is whether there's actually any factual predicate to justify this investigation. No serious justification has ever been put forward, though the president and his allies have hyped various bogus conspiracy fictions surrounding the probe that have been repeatedly debunked; Barr has been clearly sympathetic to these false narratives. One FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, was caught having created a minor alteration to a document used in an application to surveil Carter Page, a one-time associate of the Trump campaign. Clinesmith has pleaded guilty for this crime, though it likely would have only resulted in termination were Barr not on a mission of vengeance.
The Clinesmith revelation is noteworthy, though, because it was actually discovered in a review of the Russia investigation conducted by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who referred the case to prosecutors. But precisely because Horowitz had so closely reviewed the origins of the Russia investigation — finding that it was launched with sufficient predication, and finding no other crimes apart from Clinesmith's case — the natural question was: Why is Durham investigating at all? Horowitz has reviewed the conduct surrounding the probe, so isn't any further investigation unnecessary and duplicative? Doesn't Barr's move, after all that, reek of a witch hunt?
One justification Barr gave for Durham's appointment was that he had a wider scope than Horowitz, who was limited to reviewing DOJ conduct. Barr has indicated that Durham's probe encompassed the activity of the intelligence agencies, such as the CIA, suggesting to many that he was pursuing wild conspiracy theories floated by Trump supporters who believed there was an international plot against the incoming president in 2016. Barr was even reported to have flown to foreign countries such as Italy to probe their own officials about potential involvement in the plot.
But according to Barr's interview with the AP, these avenues have dried up. The attorney general "said Durham's investigation has been narrowing to focus more on the conduct of FBI agents who worked on the Russia investigation, known as Crossfire Hurricane," according to the report.
It added: "The focus on the FBI, rather than the CIA and the intelligence community, suggests that Durham may have moved past some of the more incendiary claims that Trump supporters had hoped would yield allegations of misconduct, or even crimes — namely, the question of how intelligence agencies reached their conclusion that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election."
This raises the question, once again: If Durham is just focused on the FBI, why was the Horowitz probe insufficient?
Barr's announcement of the probe also seemed to have come at a convenient time. He also told the AP on Tuesday that he has seen no evidence of the kind of wide-ranging election fraud conspiracies that Trump and his allies have been alleging. Trump has, in fact, been claiming he won the election in a landslide, despite having lost decisively to Joe Biden. Barr's admission that there's no evidence for this is a devastating blow for the president who has relied on the attorney general as a faithful defender.
To soften the blow, then, Barr might have thought it was prudent to release the news of a new special counsel that is looking into Trump's grievances. Trump may appreciate the move as an apparent effort to undermine Biden and further his own conspiratorial claims. Perhaps Barr thought bringing the good news with the bad to the president was the best way of keeping his job through Jan. 20 and avoid a humiliating termination.
Barr was also seen visiting the White House for several hours on Tuesday, for undisclosed reasons.