NYT: Trump considered making Sidney Powell a special counsel to investigate 'voter fraud'

How is it possible that my respect for Donald Trump can still be diminished on December 19, 2020?

As COVID-19 kills more than 3,000 Americans a day and Russia basically declares war on our country, Trump is monomaniacally focused on embarrassing himself further.

He’s lost to Joe Biden, other casino operators, and reality, and his moobs have been trounced by gravity, but he still can’t psychologically abide an “L” in his column.

So he pretends.

And then shit like this happens.

The New York Times:

President Trump on Friday discussed making Sidney Powell, who as a lawyer for his campaign team unleashed a series of conspiracy theories about a Venezuelan plot to rig voting machines in the United States, a special counsel investigating voter fraud, according to two people briefed on the discussion.

It was unclear if Mr. Trump will move ahead with such a plan.

Most of his advisers opposed the idea, two of the people briefed on the discussion said, including Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, who in recent days sought to have the Department of Homeland Security join the campaign’s efforts to overturn Mr. Trump’s loss in the election.

Not long ago, the Trump team deemed Sidney Powell too embarrassing to associate with. No longer, it seems. If they’re going to throw a Hail Mary pass from their own 1-yard line in a game that ended five days ago, they’re going to have to find a fool who thinks any of this still matters.

Sidney Powell is that fool.

Oh, and just because Rudy is against naming Powell as a special counsel doesn’t mean the scales have suddenly fallen from his eyes. (That’s a biblical metaphor, but in Rudy’s case I have no doubt it could literally happen.)

Part of the White House meeting on Friday night was a discussion about an executive order to take control of voting machines to examine them, according to one of the people briefed.

Mr. Giuliani has separately pressed the Department of Homeland Security to seize possession of voting machines as part of a push to overturn the results of the election, three people familiar with the discussion said. Mr. Giuliani was told the department does not have the authority to do such a thing.

There’s more gobsmacking cray-cray in this thread:

Among those pushing back on the idea was Pat Cipollone, Meadows and even Giuliani. But Giuliani separately pushed DHS this week to seize control of voting machines to examine them for possible fraud. DHS said it has no authority to do that. https://t.co/wUB8ZMrPxp— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 19, 2020

The fact of the meeting – and Giuliani hope of seizing the voting machines – has alarmed some of the president's advisers, who see his desire to take his refusal to accept the election results as in a dangerous new place https://t.co/wUB8ZMrPxp

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 19, 2020

One person floated an executive order to seize the voting machines. That was also shot down by Cipollone, per the people briefed.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 19, 2020

During the meeting, the president asked about Flynn’s suggestion of deploying the military, those briefed said. That was also shot down.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 19, 2020

Deploying the military because Michael Flynn suggested it? It would be no less weird — and far less alarming — if Joe Rogan had convinced Trump to eat a giant Red Vines tub full of cockroaches.

In the president's mind, “special counsel” is what DoJ made happen with Mueller, but what was being discussed was Powell working inside the White House – and Trump came very close to hiring her, per multiple people briefed.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 19, 2020

Oh, and in case you’re particularly alarmed and wondering if the feeling is warranted … it is:

Sources who have gotten used to Trump’s eruptions over four years sound scared by what’s transpired in the past week when I’ve talked to them. https://t.co/oICndCsXIw

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 19, 2020

Axios:

A senior administration official said that when Trump is “retweeting threats of putting politicians in jail, and spends his time talking to conspiracy nuts who openly say declaring martial law is no big deal, it’s impossible not to start getting anxious about how this ends.”

“People who are concerned and nervous aren’t the weak-kneed bureaucrats that we loathe,” the official added. “These are people who have endured arguably more insanity and mayhem than any administration officials in history.”

Honestly, when all this nonsense started five years ago, I never imagined Trump could get this crazy. But here we are. And with 32 days to go until the inauguration, we’re almost certain to be stuck on the elevator with several more Trumpian brain farts.

Hold your noses, folks.

This guy is a natural. Sometimes I laugh so hard I cry.” — Bette Midler on Aldous J. Pennyfarthing, via Twitter. The first history of the Trump Error is complete! Goodbye, Asshat: 101 Farewell Letters to Donald Trump is hot off the presses! Along with Dear Fcking Lunatic: 101 Obscenely Rude Letters to Donald Trump, Dear Prsident A**clown: 101 More Rude Letters to Donald Trump and Dear F*cking Moron: 101 More Letters to Donald Trump, you’ll see the Trump years from a hilarious new perspective. Click those links, yo!

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