Professor Richardson provides a useful transcript of Steve Bannon, a Donald Trump associate and former editor at Breitbart, discussing his view of former Vice President Pence and his former staff members talking to the January 6th Insurrection investigation committee:
Certainly, Trump loyalist Stephen Bannon recognized Pence’s words as a defection. On his podcast, Bannon addressed Pence, saying: “You are a stone cold coward…. My head’s blowing up…. I can’t take Pence…and Marc Short and all these Koch guys up there ratting out Trump up on Capitol Hill right now.”
I’m not one to romanticize our history, but it does seem worth noting that it was on this day in 1789 that the Electoral College unanimously elected George Washington the first president of the new United States. It seems that we might be able to choose better leaders than ones who are leaving us at the end of this day in 2022 with the truly legitimate political question: “Ratting him out for what?”
And, for those readers unfamiliar with the phrase ratting out, it’s an old-fashioned reference to former members of the Mob releasing information to law enforcement concerning crimes committed by Mob bosses and their minions.
Bannon is, essentially, admitting crimes occurred, as many pundits are recogniziing.
But I think it’s also interesting in that it’s an admission that a significant portion of the Republican Party is ready and willing to commit crimes to gain and retain power. This means that a significant portion of a political party which has controlled, and probably will control again, portions of the State and Federal governments does not have respect for the law by which we run this country.
That means, in essence, that they are unpredictable, that the rules of society will change if they are put in charge, and that’s something most of society hates, because it changes the societal realities we’ve come to depend on.
Bannon’s remarks have more relevance than just to Trump, but also to the entire MAGA cult and a significant portion of the Republicans. He may come to regret letting his mouth run his life.
