General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump might be losing his race against time.
Autocracies are headed by one man but require the cooperation of many others. Some collaborators may sincerely share the autocrats goals, but opportunists provide a crucial margin of support. In the United States, such people now have to make a difficult calculation: Do the present benefits of submitting to Trumps will outweigh the future hazards?
As Bondi makes her daily decisions about whether to abuse her powers to please Trump, she has to begin with one big political assessment: Will Trump ultimately retain the power to reward and punish her? Its not just about keeping her present job. On the one hand, people in Trumps favor can make a lot of money from their proximity to power. On the other, Richard Nixons attorney general, John Mitchell, served 19 months in prison for his crimes during Watergate. If Trumps hold on power loosens, Bondi could share Mitchells fate. ....
Trump has a shrewd instinct for survival. He must sense that if he does not act now to prevent free and fair elections in 2026, he will lose much of his powerand all of his impunity. Thats why he is squeezing Bondi. But for her, the thought process must be very different. Trump is hoping to offload culpability for his misconduct onto her. Shes the one most directly at risk if she gives orders later shown to be unethical or illegal....
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/09/trump-bondi-edva/684292/
https://archive.is/LeQwp

ananda
(33,207 posts)as a matter of risk calculation instead of a matter
of honor and a sense of right and wrong.
Klarkashton
(4,037 posts)Impeachment and or going to prison.
It's his ultimate motivation.
usonian
(20,623 posts)Last edited Mon Sep 22, 2025, 12:24 AM - Edit history (1)
Watch Goodfellas, Casino, Donnie Brasco for the mafia mindset (Godfather is long, but also the point)
Its for the money, and what also takes money is blackmail.
The dirt must be so incredibly horrific (and, yes, its what youre thinking right now) that he would be torn to pieces by a mob.
The Epstein Event Horizon is approaching rapidly, and his band of incompetent sycophants cant stop it.
Everything you see is to cover that up. Crimes? He has the system rigged to dismiss all of them, except the unspeakable.
Joinfortmill
(18,957 posts)She withdrew her charges against him because she feared for her life. There may be tapes.
liberalla
(10,687 posts)usonian
(20,623 posts)Between Epstein and Putin, you KNOW they recorded stuff. Thats what pervs and blackmailers do.
My guess is that any tapes have been digitized and encrypted, so not an easy find.
While there may be few actual custodians, the number of clients and their status cant be hidden forever.
Keep up the pressure and rightly so.
Accountability matters.
AZJonnie
(1,571 posts)The 1 reporter that this alleged victim spoke to (I assume via phone call or video chat) came away doubting whether the person constructed in the complaint even existed IRL. And the allegations are so over-the-top they seriously strain credibility, and they changed from one version of the lawsuit to the next (it was filed twice at least). It's all in the above article, and a lot more is sketchy than just those things.
My assessment is that there's a "conspiracy" around this person, but it's not the one you're thinking

Joinfortmill
(18,957 posts)My words: There appears to be a corroberating witness to 'Katie Johnson's' testimony. At some point, very soon I believe, the entire sordid mess will be revealed to the public and we will all know the truth. My opinion is that neither Lisa Bloom or her mother, Gloria Alred would ever represent someone bringing a false accusation.
AZJonnie
(1,571 posts)Keep in mind here "would never represent someone bringing a false accusation" inherently involves the word "knowingly". There remains a possibility that not only did the events not happen, but also that the PERSON "Katie Johnson" (as described in the complaint) might not even exist. Bloom may have never met her if all her involvement was is media communications.
I wish you could read the Vox article. The whole situation was sketchy as heck. You probably ran into same issue as me, limit on Vox articles per month. Next time your free article count refreshes, you should check it out. Somebody withdrawing their case just before going to trial, claiming they did so because they feared for their life could be for real, or it also could be because it's a convenient excuse for backing out of a hoax w/o having to prove anything.
"the entire sordid mess will be revealed to the public and we will all know the truth"
Maybe. But I bet it won't involve "Katie Johnson". And then if it does all come out, nothing will happen to Trump except for embarrassment, just like nothing has happened to anyone else but Epstein and Maxwell. Trump is by far the most protected of any of them. If something were going to happen to IQ47 over it, it would have been during the 4 years of Biden, IMHO.
And I think at least ONE of the 15 or so victims we've heard from so far would have named Trump at some point. But none ever have, and Virginia Guiffre, who was practically their concubine when she was 17-18 yo, said under oath she'd never seen Trump with Epstein, nor talked to any other girl who'd ever seen Trump. Remember this case goes back well before 2015 when Trump announced

My own guess is that what Trump is worried about is damage to his reputation because not only did he know what Epstein was up to and said nothing, he'd tried to blackmail Epstein over it because Epstein was also aware of Trump's money-laundering for Russians and didn't want Epstein to expose him. I speculate that's what the "beautiful secrets" birthday note was i.e. a blackmail threat. Let's be "pals" who keep each others "secrets". I think he's obviously worried over the Epstein case, but I don't think it's because he was partaking himself. MHO.
liberalla
(10,687 posts)Marie Marie
(10,543 posts)If she couldn't see what happens to Trump's Loyalists once he tires of them then she really is too stupid to be our AG.
alfredo
(60,225 posts)cares about himself.
Skittles
(167,527 posts)until then they can all go FUCK THEMSELVES because they are daily helping to FUCK America
alfredo
(60,225 posts)they dare show no reverence for the god emperor
Skittles
(167,527 posts)isn't there even a tiny sliver of real patriotism in ANY of these fucking whores, don't they give a fuck about the America their CHILDREN and GRANDKIDS will grow up in, UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
liberalla
(10,687 posts)I've also been feeling almost giddy with anticipation.
Let's go!
no_hypocrisy
(53,093 posts)We didn't even get to the trial stage before he was re-elected.
He's inane and stupid, but he knows how to read a calendar. He knows how slow the judicial system is.
canetoad
(19,489 posts)Good article. Interesting that the topic of 2026 being a "free and fair" election arose. I assume that it will be rigged by tsf and his cohorts in their attempts to cling to power.
What can be done to stop them?