The Deep State Strikes Back

Trump may have won the election, but that doesn't mean that the Deep State or anti-Trumpers are going to give up and quietly slink away. A couple news points:

• "Senate Republicans elect John Thune as their new leader, replacing Mitch McConnell"--NBC News.
• "FBI seizes Polymarket CEO’s phone, electronics after betting platform predicts Trump win: source"--New York Post.

Forbes has a more detailed article on the relationship between Thune and Trump, but it basically reveals that Thune was not interested in attempting to investigate or contest the 2020 election outcome, and although "did not vote to convict Trump in either of his impeachment trials, but issued a harsh statement after the second one stating his vote to acquit Trump was not 'an exoneration for his conduct on' Jan. 6, 2021." That is just political speak for he thought Trump did something illegal on January 6, but he wasn't going to cross party lines to vote with the Democrats. He also did not support Trump in this election cycle until it became clear that Trump was going to be the nominee. 

    And from Time Magazine:

In picking Thune, Republicans rejected the MAGA-backed Scott for a by-the-books establishment figure who is as unassuming as he is efficient. Thune is one of the most powerful people in Washington that folks outside the Beltway have never heard of. He has a national fundraising network—$33 million raised for Republicans this cycle alone—and his alumni are peppered throughout the conservative ecosystem of Hill offices, committee staff, and K Street lobbying shops. To put it plainly: Thune positioned himself shrewdly to become McConnell’s logical heir.

In other words, selecting Thune was a big middle finger to the Americans that wanted to see the end of business as usual in Washington. It is no wonder that the vote was by a secret ballot--the sitting Senators didn't want constituents to know of their betrayal. 

    The raid on Polymarket's CEO Shayne Coplan may be legitimate, but it has the appearance of being spitefully motivated. The NY Post article cited above relates:

    It’s “grand political theater at its worst,” the source told The Post. “They could have asked his lawyer for any of these things. Instead, they staged a so-called raid so they can leak it to the media and use it for obvious political reasons.”

    Coplan was not provided with a reason for the raid, but the source suspects it was political retribution since Polymarket accurately predicted an easy Trump triumph over Vice President Kamala Harris – as opposed to traditional polls.

These may seem small things, but I think it is a warning of things to come.