And he knows it too.

We know that it was.

Or did you think that the Saudi royal family was just paying kushner 2 billion for an excellent blowjob?

The people who stormed the capital were able to do so because intelligence was WILLFULLY ignored. Trump and his appointees downplayed the risk of violence and denied reinforcing the capital.

Without those loyal to Trump ignoring refusing to increase security for the capital, the storming of Congress would not have been successful.

Don't rule Saudi Arabia out either there.

I wouldn't say anything was strengthened.

The attack on the capitol was just a small piece of the coup. It was a delay/scare/chaos tactic to use the alternative electoral certificates. There is no doubt or subjective interpretation here, this was a coup attempt, and there is a long trail of evidence due to the many layers of government they had to go through to make it happen.

It is past time caring how the members of this hostile faction are calling and interpreting it. They've been denying their intentions, crimes, and reality for a god-damned long time. They're even denying the weather of the day. You're right, and don't dignify their rebranding with a response, just call it what it is.

None of what you said is true. I know what you mean, and it’s a good worry, but juries are not purely “random”.

They are heavily scrutinized and thoroughly checked from both sides. A large group of potentials are brought together (randomly) and a selection process takes place. Both sides form written questions of the potential jurors to ensure they aren’t a shoe in for the other side. Those questions are provided to a judge who validates that they are not bad. Then the questions are provided to the individuals to answer with the judges guidance. Then they are selected to serve or be alternates by all three parties. Yes trumps lawyers will be there and have a say but it can be countermanded by the other side and the judge focuses on the meat of the items.

In trump’s case the pool will be very large and the judge will be spending a very long time talking to each to ensure they will be impartial and fair. Above and beyond the simple questionnaire. They also have the capacity to double check for obvious issues like lying about their belief structure and the judge sets out the requirements for the case.

The judge 100% talks to the jurors directly and in general tries to engender a level of trust between themselves and the potential jurors. They will ensure neutrality.

Yes it could go sideways, but it is unlikely. The politics are so unbelievably polarizing it would be hard to imagine a juror lying through their teeth to get into there with the risk of being found to have lied through the process. And seriously lying on the juror question forms is.. bad. Really bad.

Btw lawsuits end in a settlement because the cost of the lawsuit is higher than the cost of settling and getting money now. Nothing more or less. You are conflating very different processes.

Be angry about the right things with the right information. It’s way more healthy and will help you energize others.

There is a difference between not heard of it and willing to weigh the evidence laid in front of them. Both sides will axe all who have strong opinions.

It will be difficult, but not impossible. Even in the dc area.

Existential crisis is putting it mildly. A win means total validation for him, his cronies, and all the people who supported/participated in his coup. He'll ride the "I told you I was innocent! They stole the last one! They can't steal this one!" train through his entire campaign. The morons who drank the kool-aid last time will be out for blood.

I'm terrified to think of what comes next if he manages to worm his way back into power, but I really don't want to spend my days in another country as a refugee...

He needs to be made an example of and silenced for good. Him and everyone else involved. This can't happen again.

There have been a lot of people saying that prosecuting Trump for crimes only helps him and never hurts him. I'm not sure that's true.

At this point, Trump has about 4 ways to avoid prison, not all of them likely:

First, he could beat all the charges outright. While Judge Cannon might throw the case in Florida, I don't think he could beat every charge and avoid all punishments. One of the problems he's facing with the multiple indictments is that it only takes one sticking to land him in prison for years, if not decades.

Secondly, he could plea out. Like the last option, this is unlikely. Maybe he could reach a deal in one case (though I doubt it without an admission of guilt and prison time), but all 4 (including Georgia)? Highly unlikely.

Third, he could get reelected and pardon himself. This might work for the federal cases, but won't work in the upcoming Georgia case.

Finally, the most realistic option, Trump could be convicted and sentenced, but the reality of security concerns over a former President being in prison keeps him out of an actual cell. Instead, he's stuck in a "cell" on some military base or in Mar-A-Lago which gets taken over and converted into a "prison for one."

For the latter, it would involve nobody else allowed on property who isn't part of security or supporting the "prison." Trump's room would be stripped to the bare walls and a prison cot tossed in the room. He'd spend most of his time in the bare room without TV, a phone, or anything else - only allowed out for meals (prison food, not his usual Mar-A-Lago fare) and maybe an hour of "outside time." So while he technically wouldn't be in prison, he'd be effectively locked up.

At this point I wouldn't be surprised if Biden pardoned him, not because it would make any sense at all, but because we live in bizarro-world now and that makes sense there.