This makes total and complete sense. Rarely do tales of political intrigue wrap up with all the ends tied and bows on everything, but in this case, the Saga Of Donald Trump is going to conclude with Rudy Giuliani playing Brutus to Trump’s Julius Caesar. The knife is going in.
Consider the common sense logic of all this, before we go into details.
- Trump promised to pay Giuliani $20,000 per day for legal fees (at least according to Giuliani) when Strike Force Rudy was attempting to overturn the election and then stiffed him.
- Mark Meadows told an inebriated Giuliani on Election Night, that it would be “irresponsible” for Trump to declare victory — which is what Giuliani was proposing should happen. Then Meadows decided to simply accept it all.
- Giuliani said he would save the day when Biden was announced the winner and that turned into a laugh riot when Giuliani’s aides booked the parking lot of Four Seasons Landscaping and not the Four Seasons Hotel, for Giuliani’s rebuttal of election results. The entire world was watching and guffawing.
Look at the pattern there: Rudy and Donald put their heads together. They agree to do something. It not only doesn’t work out, it blows up in their faces. And bear in mind former EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s oft-repeated quote, “Everytime Rudy gets involved he goes and fucks everything up.” The dramatic foreshadowing is all there, folks, and you are going to see the explosive conclusion of what happens when you cross Fuck Everything Up Rudy with Everything Trump Touches Dies. It’s a volatile mixture. It can do nothing short of blowing sky high.
Take a look at how it’s going to go down.
Rudy’s cutting a deal. And Rudy is the perfect person to cut a deal because he was knee deep in the thick of it all and that is well documented.
As Ackerman said, “If he comes totally clean here, Donald Trump is in big trouble, John Eastman is in big trouble, right down the line, possibly General Flynn, Roger Stone, Steve Bannon.”
Rudy’s the linchpin. He knows where all the bodies are buried. And he, like Mark Meadows, is in no way going to go to prison for Donald Trump.
This is going to be like Mt. Vesuvius when it blows. Grab onto something solid.
Finally! Rudy might actually have a purpose.
Rudy is not a reliable narrator. Jack Smith may make a deal with him, but he’s not going to put him on the stand against TFG. Meadows is the guy the prosecution is going to rest their case on. He does not have a reputation as a drunk or sexual predator, as Rudy does. Rudy accepting responsibility for his involvement will help him avoid a lengthy (life) sentence.
I don’t know about your contention Rudy will never go on the stand. But if he does it will be VERY limited direct testimony to limit what the defense can challenge during cross-examination. However, your point about Meadows is well-taken. Rudy is at best a corroborating witness. He won’t be some “star” witness but his testimony and records he can provide can force others, including Meadows to be truthful. That’s his real value. He could be the “trigger” to a mutual self-destruction bomb” for Trump’s enablers. If anyone tries to get “cute” with the prosecutors Rudy is the proverbial blasting cap that will set off the explosion that legally kills them all. From where I sit that’s worth the hassles Smith would have to endure by using Rudy in court.
Rudy may not be a reliable narrator, but don’t forget, he is being held responsible for everything he says, and everything he says will be checked out; if there are any further questions, Rudy will have to clear things up to the best of his ability. He will certainly provide some pretty damn good clues. Jack Smith and his team of prosecutors are very good at this.
I don’t think Smith will cut him a deal unless he offers the heads of some senators and maybe Flynn and Eastman, backed up with hard evidence like emails and voice recordings. The problem with Giuliani is that he is such a colossal screw-up that he has no credibility. In a conspiracy trial Giuliani would be cross-examined by a phalanx of defense attorneys who would try to shred his testimony. They could destroy him and weaken Smith’s case. The guy Smith really needs to describe trump’s actions and state of mind on January 6 and the days leading up top it is Mark Meadows. He seems to the one who was running the show at the White House, and he has the credibility and competence to handle cross-examination. Then there are the SS guys who are made of durable stuff and may have decided not to take the bullet this time. They would be able to furnish the play-by-play of trump’s activities during that day, and crucially tie in Pence’s actions.
Smith seems to be a master of gathering all the evidence and weaving it together into an understandable prosecution. If he has 84 witnesses and counting for the documents case, how many will he have for January 6? My guess is hundreds and Giuliani’s might only provide some comic relief.