Just a few thoughts on today’s rather stunning testimony. The crazy drama in the presidential limousine is certainly the wildest and most explosive part. Legally, the most important is what seems to me like very specific evidence that the former President is guilty of seditious conspiracy, among numerous other crimes. That detail about the magnetometers is key. According to this witness, the President knew the crowd was heavily armed and prepared for violence. He continued to exhort them to march on the Capitol. He specifically said that he didn’t want federal authorities to try to disarm the rioters because they weren’t there to hurt him.

Probably the best, most important way to understand today’s testimony is to realize that all of this and likely much more has been known to numerous high level officials from the beginning. Some of them are purported “good guys,” Vice President Pence, the White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, etc. They all knew all of it from the very beginning. They knew it during the impeachment trial. They knew it during the initial efforts to set up a Jan. 6th Commission. And yet they’ve spent 18 months using every legal and extra-legal means to keep this all secret. Indeed, virtually all of them are refusing to testify down until today.

We have another post-Dobbs poll. This one is from NPR/Marist. About abortion and Roe and Dobbs, it’s broadly in line with the other polls we’ve been discussing. If anything, it’s slightly on the low end of support for Roe. But again, broadly in line with the other polls. But look at this.

I wanted to walk you through some examples of how Republican candidates, and particularly Republican Senate candidates, are positioning themselves on the Dobbs decision and the demise of Roe. They are not surprising. But they’re powerful illustrations of why Republicans generally don’t want to talk about any of this and see it for the political vulnerability that it is.