Stuffed into the middle of the transfixing Jan. 6 testimony Tuesday from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson were several little-noticed snippets of former Trump national security adviser and MAGA enthusiast Michael Flynn pleading the Fifth on absolutely fundamental questions of American democracy.
“General Flynn, do you believe in the peaceful transition of power in the United States of America?” asked Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming in a taped deposition.
"The Fifth," Flynn replied curtly.
Flynn's assertion of his right not to answer due to potential self-incrimination came after he invoked the same right on questions of whether he thought Jan. 6 was "legally" or "morally" justified.
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But the fact that a former U.S. Army general and one-time top national security aide to a president dodged a question about his allegiance to the peaceful transfer of power was simply stunning.
During Tuesday’s hearing, a mid-twenties Hutchinson also left no doubt that Trump wasn't committed to that peaceful transfer and, indeed, actively worked to disrupt it. From riling up the Ellipse crowd to directing rally attendees—some of whom he knew were heavily armed—down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol, Trump clearly intended to lead a violent revolt on the U.S. seat of government. The Secret Service detail that deemed it too dangerous for a president became the difference between Trump actively marshaling his troops at the Capitol and him sequestered in the West Wing, reveling in the TV coverage of the unprecedented homegrown assault.
Throughout 2022, Trump has inserted himself into the midterm cycle by attempting to boost the candidates most willing to do his bidding. While Trump's GOP primary record was mixed, his candidates prevailed in a number of key races. That is particularly true in the Senate battlegrounds, where Trump's preferred candidates won in Pennsylvania (Mehmet Oz), Georgia (Herschel Walker), North Carolina (Rep. Ted Budd), and Ohio (J.D. Vance). In addition, several pro-Trump incumbents are running for reelection, including Sens. Ron Johnson in Wisconsin and Marco Rubio in Florida.
Every one of those Trumpers should now be asked, as Flynn was, whether they believe in the foundational American principle of a peaceful transfer of power. One assumes they would answer affirmatively (but frankly, who knows?). But after they likely pledge their loyalty to a peaceful transfer, the immediate follow up question should be, "Do you support Donald Trump's actions regarding the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol and his efforts to overturn the election?"
At that point, pro-Trump Republicans have several options: Try to deny Trump's involvement in the failed putsch (which would be a laughable assertion on its face), dodge the question, or they can try to vindicate Trump by going down the 2020 fraud rabbit hole.
Basically, once Republicans are asked to answer for Trump's actions on Jan. 6, it lands them in tricky territory with any voter who isn't a delusional conspiracy monger, which includes both voters who are appalled by Trump and his actions on Jan. 6 along with a small slice of conservative-leaning voters who actually despise Trump.
At this point, Trump's stolen election schtick appears to be wearing a tad thin even among his own voters. Heading into November, all voters deserve to know exactly where Republicans stand on Trump's violent Jan. 6 coup and wether they pose a clear and present danger to the republic, as staunch conservative and former federal judge Michael Luttig asserted under oath last week.
Privacy as a foundational value in a post-Roe landscape on Daily Kos' The Brief podcast
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