Fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions? Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) warns the Judiciary Committee’s calendar is full. Translation: We won’t confirm a replacement if he fires Sessions. Trump will have an acting attorney general. If he fires deputy attorney general Rod. J. Rosenstein too, he’ll have an acting AG and an acting DAG. Not only would he then be stuck with Rachel Brand or a permanent civil service replacement in charge of the Russia investigation, but also he would lose his strongest advocate for a set of policies (which I strenuously object to, but that is neither here nor there) that Sessions has championed including the Muslim ban, the attack on so-called sanctuary cities, mandatory minimums and civil forfeiture. Frankly, Democrats would celebrate if Trump had the nerve to can Sessions — they’d get rid of a nemesis on a host of issues, see a firestorm and likely be able to hold off on the confirmation of a Trump loyalist.

Next, is the extortion threat — well, not exactly extortion but close — his interior secretary lobbed at Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) for having the temerity to vote against proceeding to a non-bill that would undo Obamacare with no substitute in reach:

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Early Wednesday, Trump took to Twitter to express displeasure with Murkowski’s vote. By that afternoon, each of Alaska’s two Republican senators had received a phone call from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke letting them know the vote had put Alaska’s future with the administration in jeopardy. The response follows Trump’s no-holds-barred style of governing, even when it comes to his own party. It is his first strike of retaliation against Murkowski, however, despite her tendency to stray from the party line and the president’s priorities. Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan said the call from Zinke heralded a “troubling message.”

“I’m not going to go into the details, but I fear that the strong economic growth, pro-energy, pro-mining, pro-jobs and personnel from Alaska who are part of those policies are going to stop,” Sullivan said. If Sullivan had the nerve, he’d inform the White House that under no conditions would he submit to blackmail. He therefore would have no choice but to oppose any Trumpcare measure, especially since wrecking the exchanges (the outcome of the so-called skinny repeal) would cause widespread suffering in his state. Does he have that sort of spine? I fear he does not, but he’d be smart to call the president’s bluff. Trump doesn’t have the power to put a state’s “future . . . in jeopardy.” Congress has the power of the purse and the Senate the power of confirmation. You’d think Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) would have the guts to defend his own member, and the Senate as a whole, from this sort of vindictiveness. Don’t hold your breath.

Then there is the threat to fire Robert S. Mueller III. That, it seems, is a more immediate threat and one Trump might want to act upon. Trump for now is trying to smear and undermine the investigation. At some point, when presented with a demand for documents or request for testimony, he might have no choice in his mind but to fire Mueller. And even before that point Trump may truly believe his financial and legal interests would be imperiled if Mueller kept digging, he might very well pull the trigger. He has every reason to doubt that the Republicans would bolt at that point. Would Republicans actually commence impeachment hearings? Subpoena his taxes? Pursue violations of the emoluments clause? Even many neutral observes would bet no; Trump surely could convince himself this would be the best course.