Dangerously insane

Flynn and Powell came to White House to convince Trump to move forward with the coup

Mark Sumner, Daily Kos Staff

While an earlier story reported a “rancorous” meeting in which Donald Trump expressed interest in making Sidney Power a special counsel to investigate election fraud—in spite of Powell losing every case in local, state, and federal court—that turns out to be the less dangerous issue discussed at the meeting.

As more details have emerged, the fact that Trump tried to put the attorney whose filings have been labeled “fantastical conspiracy theories" from the "fact-free outer reaches of the Internet” in charge investigating America’s core institution turns out to be a sideshow to the real subject of the day.

As CNN reports, both Powell and her client Michael Flynn were present at the meeting. 

And the subject of the most heated discussion came from Flynn insisting that Trump move forward with the suggestion the just-pardoned criminal made publicly last week—that Trump should invoke martial law, overturn the election, and force a revote of selected states under military supervision with rules devised by Trump.

Supposedly, even such dedicated Trump yes men as Mark Meadows couldn’t bring themselves to endorse Flynn’s call to suspend the Constitution, throw out millions of votes, and force voters to return to the polls until they give Trump what he wants. In reply, Flynn accused Meadows and others of “abandoning” Trump as he “works to overturn the results of the election.”

Which … yes. That’s exactly right. Because overturning the results of the election is also known as overturning the government of the United States. It may not be technically treason … but it is definitely traitorous. 

According to USA Today, Trump suggested giving Sidney Powell security clearances to help her continue her attack on the election.  Meanwhile, in an interview with Newsmax, Flynn eagerly expressed how by setting aside the Constitution and implementing martial law, Trump "could immediately on his order seize every single one of these [voting] machines around the country."

If this is not sedition, the word has no meaning:

• To conspire to overthrow or destroy by force the government of the United States or to level war against them;
• To oppose by force the authority of the United States government; to prevent, hinder, or delay by force the execution of any law of the United States; or
• To take, seize, or possess by force any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof.

Suspending the Constitution, ordering the military to seize voting locations and equipment, negating tens of millions of votes, and doing all of the above without evidence of any issue with the election … would seem to tick every box on the sedition checklist.

The leaders of both the Democratic and Republican Party should be joined together at this moment to call for Trump to step down. This is as serious as it gets.

And if Michael Flynn is not charged for this, we might as well call up Vladimir Putin and surrender.