The Friday Brief

January 16, 2025

The Big Picture

Team of Liars

The former United States Senate, now clearly a division of Trump Inc., is in full plumage this week: that of the yellow-backed swamp buzzard.

As I’ve contemplated the hearings this week, it’s clear why they want them all to happen as quickly as possible. The Republicans know they’re asking their members to appoint people who are the most determined loyalists to Donald Trump and who will not work to advise the president but to appease him.

Some of the nominees this week were more competent and qualified in terms of experience than others, but none of them has expressed a single trait of intellectual or moral independence from Trump. In all of their remarks, you can see the cautious tiptoe through the minefield of Trump‘s impulsive And eventful nature.

I realized that while some may know more about the world and the assignments they are entering into –– Marco Rubio has at least applied himself to foreign policy questions during his two terms in the US Senate, and Pam Bondi was the Attorney General of the third largest state in the country for two terms.

Neither are the same combination of ignorance and moral ugliness that Pete Hegseth represents, but even they represent one of the worst aspects of this moment. Every government employee's oath, from a GS-nothing to a Cabinet secretary, is sworn to the Constitution, not the president.

However, the president is about to enter office and views this country differently: it is his property. He is a postmodern monarchist, a King, at least in his mind and most certainly that of his most ardent fans. He demands courtiers, sycophants, and toadies.