Quote Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh View Post
The current mix in the HoR and Senate are not all Trump fans by any means. To date, Trump has held a significant wedge of the GOP electorate. If that erodes, or if the public opinion in the rest of society ramps up strongly against Trump, then those who are less than happy with his leadership of the party get a lot of political cover to act against him.

So far, Trump's core group has proven impervious to criticism of Trump. That may change now that there is actual evidence that cannot reasonably be spun as partisan attack.
What worries me is that his significant wedge will not budge in their opinion. I'm sure you've also talked to die hard Trump supporters that don't care what the president does legally or illegally so long as he pushes MAGA, harsh immigration rules, and appears to support US manufacturing. All that don't support Trump are RINOs or 'Never Trumpers' and therefore party of the "deep state" they oppose. The tribalism of US politics at the moment certainly has made this wing of the Republicans see anyone that doesn't support their man as the lib-tard enemy.

Sadly it will take the mid-term elections to change things and as its been pointed out it is unlikely that the Democrats will take over and begin to check the President's excesses or start impeachment proceedings.

1. Accepting a pardon is tantamount to admission of guilt, and the pardoned individual may thereupon be subpoenaed to provide testimony under oath, where refusal would subject them to further criminal liability unless they can make a good case that the testimony would put the pardonee at risk of self-incrimination of crimes beyond those pardoned (5th Amendment).
It would be interesting to see that happen. In the case of Manafort I don't see how they would force him to make a testimony, he's weaseled out of admitting anything and in the case of a pardon would probably be re-hired by Trump so they can try and put him and his testimony under the blanket of executive privilege or an NDA (like in the Omarosa getting offered that re-election campaign position).