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Very interesting article. Thank you.

“Cipollone was being purely obstructionist.” Cipollone was not acting in logical or ethical ways.

Perhaps Trump decided to take a hike back to Florida. If true, then sad, since people around the world love and need Trump.

This account is very credible. More is needed from the insiders about why Powell never got her office in the WH. The hostility that Powell and her assistant got from Cipollone and Giuliani explains a lot.

“Cipollone was being purely obstructionist.” Cipollone was not acting in logical or ethical ways.

In short, Trump was surrounded by people looking to cash in on their WH service, and didn't want to lose the fat salaries they had lined up. Trump should have fired them all after the election.

Cipollone's comment that he wasn't the campaign's attorney completely misses the point that POTUS has obligations to defend free and fair elections, from both domestic cheats, and foreign actors. IMHO the first mistake was not contesting the congressional results in suspect places. The Dominion cheating in MI came from discrepancies in a school board election. That showed that it was cheating at the presidential level as well. The PR issue could have been addressed by making the point that the cheating wasn't just for president, and POTUS is under an oath to protect and defend the constitution, the Equal Protection Clause, etc.

The author states the Insurrection Act wasn't discussed, just the E.O.'s. He isn't a lawyer and appears not to understand that those EO's need to have a constitutional or statutory basis to be valid. The Insurrection Act is one possible basis.

Lastly, Trump was too loyal to Giuliani. Powell was the sharper, more competent of the two by far. The hostility of the male attorneys to Powell and her able assistant comes across as sexist.