- "If it comes down to it, will the Secret Service stand aside and allow federal Marshalls to remove Trump from the WH?"
Honestly, while I do expect Trump to go (figuratively) kicking and screaming from the WH, I don't envision a scenario in which he actually has to be drug out of the building, although that would be fantastic television. To answer the question? I don't know. I wouldn't expect to see a showdown with the Marshalls and the USSS, that's entirely too Tom Clancy. In the unlikely event that someone *was* coming to remove him from the grounds, it would be because he was no longer POTUS and they would no longer be tasked with protecting him.
- "Did Melania get decorating advice from a phlebotomist?"
Evidence points to yes.
- "How in the hell did he get other Republicans to be so obedient?"
This. This is the million dollar question. At this point, I can only assume that some of them are compromised. Many of you have seen me say that when Trump was first elected (think pre-CIA memorial wall speech... so like day 1) I was cautiously optimistic for a couple reasons. The Oval Office has a way of moderating people. Being POTUS is a sobering job. You literally see the transformation from campaign to governing take place in a matter of weeks with most people. I also thought that political norms (i.e. stay out of DOJ's business, 3 coequal branches of Government, etc.) would be enforced by the GOP. Being the majority and the opposition party for so long apparently either completely boofed the GOP's moral compass, or there's way more dirt on them than previously believed. I honestly don't know which, but that has been the most disappointing part of this presidency to me. Everyone always knew Trump was going to be a disaster, we just didn't expect the moderating voices to become sycophants in the process.
- "Is Kellyanne OK with what George is doing?"
I don't know for sure, but I've long suspected they have some kind of good cop/bad cop thing going on. I don't see how they possibly make it work otherwise. Trump *hates* George's commentary. It's delicious.
"How much longer will this hell last?"
Evidence points to Mueller's report being done soon. I expected it prior to midterms, but he's flipping folks at a higher rate than IHOP flips pancakes, so I suppose it was bound to take a little longer. I know people are trying to temper their expectations in regards to what the report will bring, but there's definitely something there. Look at how far we've come in a relatively short period of time. The FBI raided the home, office, and apartment of the personal lawyer of the President of the United States. Oh, and he flipped. A National Security Advisor flipped. A campaign manager flipped, and then continued lying to the Special Counsel -- what could possibly be *that* important to hide that you'd commit another felony while trying to negotiate your way out of the first several you were already charged with? A coffee boy is sleeping in jail away from his Red Sparrow tonight because he couldn't keep his drunken mouth shut, and then he thought he was smart enough to promulgate a "but the deep state" theory AFTER he agreed to cooperate. Sorry, Papa-dope, not happenin. Nobody but Mueller (well, and Trump) know exactly what Mueller is about to expose, but all available evidence (and behind-the-scenes chatter) points to it being YUGE. Remember the last time a son of a sitting POTUS told everyone he was going to be indicted soon? Me neither. This is far bigger than most people realize. Keep the faith.
Unfortunately, that's all of the questions I can still see on the thread. I'll try to schedule the next AMA at a more appropriate time; I know this one was kind of spontaneous! I'll check back with the thread tomorrow and see if I can add more answers.
