Rick Wilson, the GOP strategist who has been appalled by Trump and Trump supporters from the beginning, has some of the best sources on earth inside the GOP power structure. In a new article in the Daily Beast, Wilson assures us that despite outward appearances, behind closed doors, “Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are shitting bricks” at the prospect of John Bolton taking the stand and laying out what he knows.

Trump had believed that the impeachment process would be wrapped-up neatly this week in a nice bow, with him claiming vindication in an interview with Sean Hannity during the Super Bowl.

That’s not how it is going to go.

Bolton’s upcoming book has put a major political price on Republican senators who vote to acquit the president without even hearing a single witness. Vulnerable senators like Cory Gardner, Martha McSally, and Susan Collins are eager to stop this from becoming a parade of witnesses and grinding them into dust.

That’s a damn shame. It almost sounds like they’re in a no-win situation. I wonder how that happened.

Trump’s poll numbers in Maine, Colorado, and Arizona are underwater and standing up for the president in those states will inevitably hurt their political standing.

Yes, well, criminal presidents are funny that way. When you continue to support the criminal president, your support at home ebbs. Strange, but true.

And now the hammer drops:

They feel the pressure rising at home, and are starting to wonder if McConnell’s promises of financial support are going to make a difference. The polling numbers are punishingly real. The public wants witnesses at the Senate trial. How big are the numbers? Hella big. The Monmouth poll put support for witnesses at an astounding 80 percent. Quinnipiac has it at 75 percent, Reuters 72 percent, Washington Post at 71 percent and CNN 69 percent. This is, as we say in survey research, a done deal. Voters who feel this strongly about an issue won’t forget it, and smart pollsters in the GOP know it.”

They are  starting to wonder if McConnell can save them? Well, now we have our answer as to how they got into this no-win situation in the first place.

In sum, they have to call witnesses, or they get thundered by 70% of the population. But, in doing so, they likely get ground to dust in a trial in which they’ll be unable to stop the parade of witnesses who will near certainly make life extremely difficult for Trump and McConnell – hence the “shitting bricks” portion of the article.

Everything Trump touches dies. Ask Senator McSally or Senator Collins. They certainly feel their soul dying, but now their dream of political riches, which they’d been promised as a bonus for murdering their souls, that dream is dying, too.

I will make a prediction, which I rarely do because I’m not a particularly smart person.

McConnell and Trump are going to push this through without witnesses, put through with a quick motion to dismiss, and threaten Republicans with an even quicker political death if they don’t go along. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the real facts underlying this whole criminal enterprise are even worse than we know. Trump and McConnell know they’ll pay a massive price, either way, and I suspect they’d prefer the massive price they pay for covering it up.

But Trump will not be “vindicated” in any polls, his support will dive into the 30s.

As frustrating as that may sound, it may end up being the best thing for Democrats.

Just today, Republican senators are out stating that “even if Trump did everything the Democrats are saying, it is not an impeachable offense.” So, there is never going to be a point at which 20 Republicans vote to remove Trump. Democrats’ primary gain in pushing the trial forward is to bury Republicans in an avalanche of complete shit that Republicans will be wading through the rest of the year.

But Democrats need two things badly.

Democrats need the populace furious at Republicans and Trump, based either upon what Trump did, or what Trump and Republicans will cover-up.

And Democrats need Trump’s dirty laundry aired, they need the ugliest of ugly facts to come out, preferably at trial, but if not at trial, then leaked or attested to, afterward. That seems inevitable, since it is already happening and people still think there might be a trial. If people see there isn’t going to be a trial, leaks will spring anywhere.

Just like many Republicans are in a no-win situation, because everything Trump touches dies, Democrats are in somewhat of a no-lose situation because they’ve never partnered with Trump and they stand on the other side of whatever Republicans do.

Trump and McConnell deserve some time on the pot messing themselves all over. “Which pot,” is the real question and there are two possibilities; the one in their 12×12 private barred room, or just the one back home, having left DC in November, disgraced.

Breaking News Coming Very Soon, Please Stick With Us, More Massive Changes happening As We Speak.

Lev Friggin’ Parnas is walking into the capitol to do or say god only know what.

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Peace, y’all

Jason

[email protected] and on Twitter @MiciakZoom