Anne Applebaum

Yeah, no, he's gonna have to break a lot of institutions. He will have to, I mean, he's seeking to break the Department of Justice right now. He will have to break the FBI, which he's already partway towards doing that by putting, you know, the extreme partisan Kash Patel in charge of it. He may eventually have to break, you know, the federal judicial bench.

Yeah, no, he's gonna have to break a lot of institutions. He will have to, I mean, he's seeking to break the Department of Justice right now. He will have to break the FBI, which he's already partway towards doing that by putting, you know, the extreme partisan Kash Patel in charge of it. He may eventually have to break, you know, the federal judicial bench.

Yeah, no, he's gonna have to break a lot of institutions. He will have to, I mean, he's seeking to break the Department of Justice right now. He will have to break the FBI, which he's already partway towards doing that by putting, you know, the extreme partisan Kash Patel in charge of it. He may eventually have to break, you know, the federal judicial bench.

I mean, these are the people who are in the judges in our in our political system at the federal level are all people. I mean, including maybe even especially the conservatives. are all people who have made the Constitution a kind of fetish.

I mean, these are the people who are in the judges in our in our political system at the federal level are all people. I mean, including maybe even especially the conservatives. are all people who have made the Constitution a kind of fetish.

I mean, these are the people who are in the judges in our in our political system at the federal level are all people. I mean, including maybe even especially the conservatives. are all people who have made the Constitution a kind of fetish.

These are often constitutional originalists, people whose theory of the judiciary is that we should hew as closely as possible to the letter and the spirit of the law as it was written in the 18th century. So he will have to either defy all of those people or find some way of getting around them or find some way of intimidating them if he is to continue.

These are often constitutional originalists, people whose theory of the judiciary is that we should hew as closely as possible to the letter and the spirit of the law as it was written in the 18th century. So he will have to either defy all of those people or find some way of getting around them or find some way of intimidating them if he is to continue.

These are often constitutional originalists, people whose theory of the judiciary is that we should hew as closely as possible to the letter and the spirit of the law as it was written in the 18th century. So he will have to either defy all of those people or find some way of getting around them or find some way of intimidating them if he is to continue.

So you're right, this creates an enormous interest that he has and many of the people around him have, to continue breaking and subjugating those institutions. Plus, there's a whole host of other. Anybody whose job is transparency, that includes journalists, that includes investigative groups, the consortia of journalists and NGOs who've been created over the years to do investigative reporting.

So you're right, this creates an enormous interest that he has and many of the people around him have, to continue breaking and subjugating those institutions. Plus, there's a whole host of other. Anybody whose job is transparency, that includes journalists, that includes investigative groups, the consortia of journalists and NGOs who've been created over the years to do investigative reporting.

So you're right, this creates an enormous interest that he has and many of the people around him have, to continue breaking and subjugating those institutions. Plus, there's a whole host of other. Anybody whose job is transparency, that includes journalists, that includes investigative groups, the consortia of journalists and NGOs who've been created over the years to do investigative reporting.

A lot of those are going to become targets, and some already have been. You know, either targets of smear campaigns on Twitter or maybe maybe they will even be investigated by the administration itself. All of those things, those transparency bodies, those legal bodies, all of them will have to be somehow pushed out of the way if this accumulation of funds is to continue.

A lot of those are going to become targets, and some already have been. You know, either targets of smear campaigns on Twitter or maybe maybe they will even be investigated by the administration itself. All of those things, those transparency bodies, those legal bodies, all of them will have to be somehow pushed out of the way if this accumulation of funds is to continue.

A lot of those are going to become targets, and some already have been. You know, either targets of smear campaigns on Twitter or maybe maybe they will even be investigated by the administration itself. All of those things, those transparency bodies, those legal bodies, all of them will have to be somehow pushed out of the way if this accumulation of funds is to continue.

That's interesting. I mean, I hadn't thought of that psychological insight, namely that when they talk all the time about being prosecuted and being victims and so on, and maybe it's because they, you know, of course they know they're guilty. They know they broke the law. They know what happened on January the 6th. They know how much money they're stealing. So you're right.

That's interesting. I mean, I hadn't thought of that psychological insight, namely that when they talk all the time about being prosecuted and being victims and so on, and maybe it's because they, you know, of course they know they're guilty. They know they broke the law. They know what happened on January the 6th. They know how much money they're stealing. So you're right.

That's interesting. I mean, I hadn't thought of that psychological insight, namely that when they talk all the time about being prosecuted and being victims and so on, and maybe it's because they, you know, of course they know they're guilty. They know they broke the law. They know what happened on January the 6th. They know how much money they're stealing. So you're right.

Maybe they do feel, maybe it's a reflection, a kind of authentic reflection of how afraid they feel. And they are all people who are engaged in breaking the law and in destroying and undermining the constitution. And they're Perhaps at some level, consciously or unconsciously afraid, eventually they might pay a price for it. I mean, this, of course, we see this also in other countries.

Maybe they do feel, maybe it's a reflection, a kind of authentic reflection of how afraid they feel. And they are all people who are engaged in breaking the law and in destroying and undermining the constitution. And they're Perhaps at some level, consciously or unconsciously afraid, eventually they might pay a price for it. I mean, this, of course, we see this also in other countries.