Finally, even if he could make something stick here, filing a lawsuit right now might be Trump's worst idea of his entire campaign, even when you grade him on the insane curve that the rest of his terrible decisions have earned him. It's a response that has all the hallmarks of a rich, angry man who does not know (or does not care) about the ramifications of going to court, and if he indeed goes forward with this plan, it will end badly for him for one reason: discovery.

Discovery, for those of you doing something better with your life than attending law school and/or watching Suits marathons, is the formal process in which the parties to a lawsuit exchange information about the subject of that lawsuit. Discovery is a two-way street, and its scope is pretty broad. Basically, Trump can ask the Times for just about anything he wants related to the report, and the Times can ask Trump for the same.

This is why suing is such a terrible idea. Whatever the Times has that Trump wants—research notes, internal correspondence, whatever—the stuff that Trump will be required to hand over will be ten times worse. Information about previous lawsuits he has settled? His tax returns? The elusive Apprentice tapes? They could be fair game. While his lawyers will of course evade and object to discovery requests, the Times at least has the chance to gain access to all of those things and more. Trump will balk before then, because he knows perfectly well that neither his candidacy nor his post-election career as a B-list celebrity can survive that level of scrutiny.

This lawsuit might sound scary inasmuch as all lawsuits sound scary, but it's not a serious threat. Instead, it's the desperate ploy of a small, angry man flailing about and looking for someone to blame for his transgressions. There's no one else this time, man. You did this to yourself, and whatever happens to you from here on out, you will have earned it.

UPDATE: The Times is having exactly none of it:

Up Next: We're Witnessing Trump's Meltdown Here, Folks