(Semi-Permanent Musical Accompaniment To Posts On Days Like This One...And There Will Be More)

When you awake to a bloody, raging tweetstorm from the Leader of the Free World, you whisper a small prayer of thanks for the redundant controls on America's nuclear arsenal. Then, having heard no answer from God, who has better things to do than bail us out of the transcendent blunder of electing this criminal fool and is no longer taking calls from us on this matter, you start looking for the proximate cause of the president*'s most recent trip to the bananas factory.

Could it be that Robert Mueller is dropping by the courthouse later in the day? From CNN:

Mueller is facing a deadline to explain to a judge in Washington why he has accused Manafort, Trump's already convicted and jailed former campaign chairman, of lying and breaking a cooperation deal. And he must also deliver documents to a court in New York recommending whether Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer, should go to jail and for how long, after Cohen turned against his former top client and agreed to cooperate with the special counsel...

It's clear that Trump's behavior has worried officials at the Justice Department since nearly the start of his presidency. CNN reported Thursday on the frantic days that followed the President's firing of then-FBI Director James Comey, which led Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and top FBI officials to view Trump as a leader who needed to be reined in, according to two sources describing the sentiment at the time. Ultimately, then-acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe took the extraordinary step of opening an obstruction of justice investigation even before Mueller was appointed, the sources said.

Trump whispers sweet nothings in James Comey’s ear. Pool Getty Images

Since then, Mueller has constructed a tapestry of disclosures that started with an accounting of a hacking operation by Moscow's intelligence agencies and has unveiled multiple links between Russians and people around Trump -- and repeated lies about those contacts. Friday's activity will end an ominous week for Trump in which it has become clear that the investigation is far broader beneath the surface than is publicly evident. Mueller can now be said to be digging into possible collusion with the Russians, obstruction of justice, contacts with Russian officials during Trump's transition, possible campaign finance violations and the President's business secrets.

Oh, that.

Or could it be that there is renewed interest into how Vice President Mike Pence fits into these various schemes, and that these started bubbling up just as news broke that Pence might be the next loyalist over the side? From Vanity Fair:

On Monday, Trump hosted a 2020 strategy meeting with a group of advisers. Among the topics discussed was whether Mike Pence should remain on the ticket, given the hurricane-force political headwinds Trump will face, as demonstrated by the midterms, a source briefed on the session told me. “They’re beginning to think about whether Mike Pence should be running again,” the source said, adding that the advisers presented Trump with new polling that shows Pence doesn’t expand Trump’s coalition. “He doesn’t detract from it, but he doesn’t add anything either,” the source said.

Trump and Pence in performatively happier times. Chip Somodevilla Getty Images

Last month, The New York Times reported that Trump had been privately asking advisers if Pence could be trusted, and that outside advisers have been pushing Nikki Haley to replace Pence. One veteran of Trump’s 2016 campaign who’s still advising Trump told me the president hasn’t been focused enough on 2020. “What he needs to do is consider his team for 2020 and make sure it’s in place,” the adviser said. “He has to have people on his team that are loyal to his agenda.”

Oh, that.

Or could it be that (again) stories are swirling that White House chief of staff John Kelly has a firm grip on the ripcord. Also, from CNN:

Seventeen months in, Kelly and President Donald Trump have reached a stalemate in their relationship and it is no longer seen as tenable by either party. Though Trump asked Kelly over the summer to stay on as chief of staff for two more years, the two have stopped speaking in recent days. Trump is actively discussing a replacement plan, though a person involved in the process said nothing is final right now and ultimately nothing is final until Trump announces it. Potential replacements include Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, who is still seen as a leading contender.

Perennially embattled Chief of Staff John Kelly listens to his boss’s wisdom. Pool Getty Images

Kelly has been on the verge of resigning or being fired before, only to bounce back every time. But aides feel the relationship can't be salvaged this time. Trump is becoming increasingly concerned about Democrats taking over the House in January, and has privately said he needs someone else to help shape the last two years of his first term, which he predicts will be politically focused. He has complained repeatedly that Kelly is not politically savvy.

Oh, that.

And, finally, it looks as though the home office may be reconsidering certain recent personnel decisions. From Bloomberg:

Feted by Russian lawmakers with applause and champagne after his election in 2016, Trump’s mercurial decision-making is increasingly seen as a liability in Moscow. Russian officials were taken aback when Trump tweeted that he was canceling talks with Putin at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina hours before they were due to meet last week, a decision one of them called really bad. Since then, Russian frustration has steadily grown, according to four senior officials, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters.

“This is a signal for us that it’s difficult to deal with this person, that he’s unreliable and unsuitable as a partner,” said Andrey Kortunov, head of the Russian International Affairs Council, a research group set up by the Kremlin. “Russian patience is coming to an end.”

Oh, thaaaaat.

Or, as we, the people of the United States have come to call it—Friday.

Stay tuned.

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Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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