Might Trump’s base eventually realize their emperor has no clothes?

On day three of the Jan. 6 select committee’s hearings into former president Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, the committee continued inflicting heavy damage on Trump’s credibility. With three hearings down and about four to go, it’s now becoming easier to imagine that, at the end of these hearings, Trump might be reduced to a mere laughingstock, the emperor’s clothes having totally vanished.

We are beginning to see why it’s not a good idea to mess with a 500-pound gorilla made up of 14 former federal prosecutors and nine lawmakers with a singular purpose and a united mission.

After Thursday’s hearing, a clearer picture is developing about the flimsiness of the false election fraud scheme. No longer is it plausible that Trump might have believed that he won the election, nor that the “election fraud” claim was legitimate. The combination of evidence and sworn testimony from the last two hearings has sharply helped develop that picture.

The most damning testimony has all come from inside the Trump campaign and the Trump White House: Trump’s own people. It makes a difference when people are under oath.

During the second hearing, evidence showed the motive behind Trump’s perpetuating “The Big Lie” was to perpetuate “The Big Grift.” Testimony revealed that Trump and his allies raised about a quarter of a billion dollars from likely unsuspecting donors, large and small — including $100 million in the week following the election — under the pretext of fighting electoral fraud in the courts. Testimony revealed the purported “Election Defense Fund” did not exist and that little if any of the money went for the intended purpose, being siphoned instead to support other candidates, organizations that now employ former Trump administration officials — and to organize the Jan. 6 rally. Some of it — according to testimony — may have personally enriched Trump’s inner circle and those helping to amplify the Big Lie.

During that hearing, a mountain of evidence and testimony showed Trump being told ad nauseam by his own professional campaign and administration staffs that significant election fraud was bogus. However, he was being given countervailing advice from a collection of outside lawyers and others, described by some in the administration as “Team Crazy,” who were leeching onto Trump’s Big Grift for their own self-aggrandizement. No matter how blue-in-the-face the professionals of “Team Normal” would get advising Trump that he didn’t win, they were out-advised by “Team Grift” — apparently because that’s what Trump wanted to hear.

It is not a question of whether or not Trump believed the election fraud claims. He chose The Big Grift. If he had listened to his professionals and the evidence, The Big Grift would have evaporated. Not only would Trump then be a big loser on the field, he’d be a big loser off the field.

During the third hearing, another mountain of evidence and testimony eviscerated the architect of Trump’s illegal attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s win — John Eastman. The key witness, former Vice President Mike Pence’s legal counsel, Greg Jacob, told the committee that Eastman privately admitted his plan was legally flawed and admitted it would get shredded by the Supreme Court 9-0.

Pence repeatedly told Trump the Eastman plan was illegal and unconstitutional, the witnesses said.  Even Eastman, according to Jacob, admitted in front of Trump, that it was illegal. Yet Trump persisted, at the urging of “Team Crazy.” That puts Trump in the bucket of those who knew the Eastman plan was illegal.

But there’s more.

The committee showed that even after the insurrection attempt, Eastman persisted in requesting that Pence throw himself under the bus and stop the certification.

That’s when Pence called it “rubber room stuff.”  

Apparently still not done, Eastman called White House lawyer Eric Herschmann on Jan. 7, asking for help on a Georgia election appeal. And that’s when Herschmann said he told Eastman: “I’m gonna give you the best free legal advice you’re ever getting in your life: Get a great effing criminal defense lawyer.  You’re gonna need it.”

Eastman must have taken that advice. Shortly thereafter, Eastman sent an email to Rudy Giuliani, saying, “I’ve decided that I should be on the pardon list, if that is still in the works.” And the committee showed Eastman pleading the Fifth Amendment in subsequent depositions; according to the committee, he pleaded the Fifth 100 times.

What is becoming clear is that for every “Team Normal” in a given situation, there is a “Team Crazy” member with whom Trump aligns himself to perpetuate The Big Grift. On the issue of election fraud, Team Normal reportedly was Bill Stepien, Alex Cannon and others, while Team Crazy reportedly included Giuliani and Peter Navarro.

On stopping the certification, Team Normal reportedly were Jacob, Herschmann and Pat Cipollone, while Team Crazy reportedly was Eastman, Giuliani and others.

When we get to the postponed Department of Justice hearing, we’ll likely see that Team Normal was everyone in DOJ as well as the White House Counsel’s office, while Team Crazy likely included Jeffrey Clark and Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), among others.  

The significance of these distinctions is that the normal teams are populated by professionals who know the difference between credibility and governing versus those who are purely political and/or self-aggrandizing. The accepted norm is that, when it’s time to govern, leave politics at the door. Similarly, when it’s time to declare the election, leave dirty tricks and ham-handedness at the door.

Clearly, Trump and his team of crazies had no desire to adhere to these norms. What we are seeing instead is raw, craven aggrandizement at the expense of our democracy and the unity of the nation.

For accountability, this boils down to who wants a bite at the apple?

DOJ has the legal authority, and Congress has the story-telling and post-TrumpGate legislative reform authority. DOJ is now trying to butt-in on the committee’s accomplishments and notoriety, and the committee is saying ‘Leave us alone to finish our job — don’t jeopardize our mandated agenda to satisfy yours.’

In my mind, let God sort it out.

Let the facts come out; let’s hold people accountable, and let’s enact reforms to prevent future grifters — including future presidents — from ever grifting again.

This committee has done a remarkable job in clarifying history so far. Let’s hope it continues.

Kris Kolesnik is a 34-year veteran of federal government oversight. He spent 19 years as senior counselor and director of investigations for Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa). Kolesnik then became executive director of the National Whistleblower Center. Finally, he spent 10 years working with the Department of the Interior’s Office of Inspector General as the associate inspector general for external affairs.