Miles to the Truth

I thought that yesterday’s House Select Committee Hearing about Jan. 6 was gripping and fascinating with some new revelations and videos.  Several things stood out for me, among them the written claims by Trump a month before the election that echoed, almost verbatim, that he planned to declare victory whatever the results.  And also, the video of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer inside the Capitol during the Insurrection, dealing with security.  Pelosi especially showed grace under fire.  (Schumer, understandably, was more angry at the lack of support.)

A lot of attention was put on the Committee voting to issue a subpoena to Trump, and while I understand what that’s newsworthy, he’s not going to testify.  And if the House actually votes him to be in contempt (which they’d pretty much have to do before they leave for the Christmas break in two months), the DOJ is highly unlikely to indict him for it.  And if for some unimaginable reason he shows up, he’ll take the Fifth all day.  It’s certainly possible that I’m wrong about that – but I’d be shocked. 

(That said, Committee member Jamie Raskin made an exceedingly important point about issuing a subpoena to Trump.  He that in a civil proceeding -- as the Committee is, not a trial -- if a person refuses to show up for a subpoena, or does appear but pleads the Fifth, it is admissible at a civil trial, where a jury may make adverse assumptions from all that.  And not only is the New York State trial civil, there are likely to be many civil lawsuits against Trump for damages from January 6.)

But what most impacted me was nothing specific from the Hearing, but rather something said later, in the post-hearing coverage.  It was when Miles Taylor gave his analysis.

By way of reminder, Miles Taylor served as chief of staff in the Department of Homeland Security under Trump.  He’s probably best-known to people as the official who wrote the anonymous New York Times article about the people in the Trump administration keep a watch and on guard against his misdeeds.  And then later anonymously wrote the book A Warning” about Trump’s abuse of power threatening democracy.

Sitting on a panel, he was riveting in his comments.  Chilling is perhaps the better word.  This is only a paraphrase, but I’m extremely close to word-for-world.  I’ll put it in quotes, with that caveat.  He said:

“People want to know what Donald Trump’s mindset was.  I’ll tell you his mindset.  I know his mindset.  I spent a lot of time with him.  I spent time on Airforce One with him.  This was his mindset –

“He wanted people to die.  He wanted people to die. He wanted people to die in large numbers, members of Congress. So that he could invoke the Insurrection Act and prevent the peaceful transfer of power.  That is not a conspiracy.  He wanted people to die.”

Is it possible he’s wrong about his sense of what Trump wanted?  Absolutely.  Is it possible he’s spot-on right from not only what he knew of Trump from close view…but also what we all know from watch him for the past seven years?  And have read about him from those who have long-known him? And read about what “malignant narcissism” is -- that when sensing defeat a malignant narcissist will try to destroy everything around him?  And...and given that saw an FBI report presented at the Hearing yesterday saying that the Insurrectionist leaders planned to kill people?  And that Trump and his aides were in touch with these Insurrectionists.  Yes, absolutely.  It's possible.  And not unreasonably so.  Not fact, not certain, but not crazed hyperbole.

Now, of course, some of this perception is because it fits into our own sense of Trump and seems right.  But I would suggest that our sense of Trump comes not only from what we think about him, but what we’ve read extensively from experts on him.

And bending over backwards to be fair, I’ll also say this – even if Miles Taylor is wrong on the details, I think he’s likely right on the general idea.  That Trump didn’t care what happened to others during a violent Insurrection, he only cared about himself.  And he spoke often about his admiration of dictators and those who had power for life.

I will say this, too.  No one ever went far off the track imagining how low Trump would be willing to go.