We are watching—maybe enjoying—rats leave a sinking ship. That’s what rats do. When the food supply or whatever they’re there for is gone, they simply abandon ship in the dead of night. Chris Christie. Mick Mulvaney. Lindsey Graham. Stephanie Grisham. Mitch McConnell. Mike Pence (?). William Barr. Betsy DeVos. Elaine Chao. There’ll be more, once they’ve placed their licked finger to the wind to determine which way it’s now blowing. They who have enabled Trump for so long have now decided—transparently, in self-interest—to go. And, poignantly, some have chosen, and will choose, to rat him out in self-defense.

There’s no “ethical” duty for individuals to hang in to the bitter end, even if there’s a “moral” duty, as some might perceive it, to stay until January 20th simply as a matter of personal loyalty. Indeed, there’s nothing different about Trump’s conduct on January 6th from what he has done all along. Except that the consequential conduct on Capitol Hill is greater, given the violence and death in the wake of his explosive remarks. After all, he’s made this incendiary call to action for four years now. So, make no mistake, these backstabbers (if I may use that word in this context) are only abandoning him now because his “pouring-gas-on-fire” remarks might otherwise reflect on them.

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