ANALYSIS – Sour grapes or legitimate gripes? I recently wrote about the loyal Donald Trump inner circle that is plotting both a drastic remaking of Joe Biden's socialist America, but also revenge against his persecutors if (or when) he wins reelection.
I explained how Trump has solidified his support in the Republican Party, the voting public and in Congress. I also noted how this time, as opposed to 2016, Trump has a strong bench of loyal and effective former government officials at his disposal.
Unfortunately, some very senior former Trump officials aren't among those now on Team Trump. Several have turned into rabid critics or downright enemies. (RELATED: Outgoing General Claims Trump Will Put His Critics In Jail, Starting With Himself)
Yes, there are some who have sour grapes and some who are just looking for publicity or trying to avoid prosecution by an overzealous and uber-politicized Justice Department, but others appear to be sincere in their opposition.
Those we shouldn't take too seriously include, Michale Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney and fixer-turned vocal opponent. And there is the loud-mouthed Anthony Scaramucci, who was Trump's White House Communications Director for about a week, before blowing himself up.
We can also likely dismiss Cassidy Hutchinson, who was simply a young aid to Trump's Chief of Staff.
But some of these Trump defectors are heavy hitters with a track record of loyalty.
Most prominent among those defectors is Mike Pence, Trump's formerly hyper-loyal vice president. He recently told Fox News host Martha MacCallum on March 15 that he won't be endorsing or voting for Trump.
“It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” he said. (RELATED: This Is What Pence's True Legacy Will Be)
The announcement that he won't back his former boss sees Pence joining a list of ex-Trump administration officials refusing to back his latest White House bid – many of them saying they no longer support him due to his words and actions on January 6, 2021.
Pence said that: “Anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president.”
Joining the former vice president are two Trump-appointed secretaries of defense, James Mattis and Mark Esper and former Attorney General Bill Barr. Mattis has said that Trump is the first president in his lifetime, “who does not try to unite the American people.”
As much as I respect my fellow Marine, Mattis clearly said this prior to Joe Biden calling all Republicans “enemies of democracy.”
Esper has called Trump “unfit for office.” Former Trump Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Trump's “understanding of history was really limited.”
And then there is the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, who helped turn the Pentagon increasingly woke, while he undermined his commander in chief. (RELATED: Gen. Milley Still Doesn't Know What Woke Means, But Insists Military Isn't)
He said of Trump upon leaving his post, only slightly obliquely, and very inappropriately, “we don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator.”
Meanwhile, in a brief filed March 19, Trump's lawyers have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to grant their client “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution.
The president “cannot function, and the Presidency itself cannot retain its vital independence, if the President faces criminal prosecution for official acts once he leaves office,” the brief claims.
Lower courts have already twice rejected the immunity claims, but Trump's lawyers will get a fresh chance to press their case before the Supreme Court when the justices hear arguments on April 25.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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