Washington is outside its mind. Again.

The precipitating incident this time is an interview that Andrew McCabe gave to 60 Minutes in connection with the imminent publication of his new book. In that interview—and, apparently, in the book as well—McCabe says that within the FBI there was serious discussion of whether the president* was a sublet of the Volga Bagmen and, if so, whether he could be extracted from the White House. From NBC News:

McCabe, who was ousted from the bureau after becoming acting director last March following Comey's firing in May 2017, told CBS's Scott Pelley that he was concerned Trump would try to make the overall investigation into Russian election meddling go away. "I was speaking to the man who had just run for the presidency and won the election for the presidency, and who might have done so with the aid of the government of Russia, our most formidable adversary on the world stage," McCabe said. "And that was something that troubled me greatly. "

One day after that conversation, McCabe said he "met with the team investigating the Russia cases." "And I asked the team to go back and conduct an assessment to determine where are we with these efforts and what steps do we need to take going forward," he said. "I was very concerned that I was able to put the Russia case on absolutely solid ground in an indelible fashion, that were I removed quickly and reassigned or fired, that the case could not be closed or vanish in the night without a trace."

Andrew McCabe Bill Clark Getty Images

On "CBS This Morning," Pelley provided more details about the interview, including McCabe's description of the aftermath of Comey's firing, saying there were "meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment." "These were the eight days from Comey's firing to the point that Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel," he continued. "And the highest levels of American law enforcement were trying to figure out what do with the president."

This strikes me as odd. As far as I know, the common interpretation of the 25th amendment is that it should be used only in cases of presidential disability so severe that it impairs the president's ability to conduct the duties of his office. It seems to me that the remedy for possible presidential crimes is not the 25th amendment, but impeachment. In any event, to locate the chances of Mike Pence and a majority of the department heads down in Camp Runamuck striking the presidency from the hands of El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago, you'd need an electron microscope. Nevertheless, the revelation is a clear window into the panic within the government at the prospects of this person as president*.

The reaction to McCabe's comments has been quick, harsh, and comically paranoid. The president* leaped to the electric Twitter machine to declare himself the victim of sinister forces, and also to demonstrate (again) that he is, at heart, a seventh-grader.

White House spokesblatherskite Sarah Huckabee Sanders hit her mark right on schedule.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, meanwhile, said in a statement that McCabe "was fired in total disgrace from the FBI because he lied to investigators on multiple occasions, including under oath." "His selfish and destructive agenda drove him to open a completely baseless investigation into the President," she continued. "His actions were so shameful that he was referred to federal prosecutors. Andrew McCabe has no credibility and is an embarrassment to the men and women of the FBI and our great country."

Over in the Senate, dependable administration draghound Lindsey Graham wants answers to all the questions rattling around the back corners of his lizard brain.

“After Mr. McCabe’s 60 Minutes interview, it is imperative that he, and others, come before the Senate Judiciary Committee to fully explain how and why a FISA warrant was issued against Carter Page and answer questions about what appears to be, now more than ever, bias against President Trump.”

Lindsey Graham Zach Gibson Getty Images

But nobody went as far off the end of the diving board as the president*'s oldest spalpeen, who went through the looking glass here, people.

Wait, so is McCabe admitting that he attempted to lead a deep state coup against the President? #WitchHunt.



Yes, this deep state coup began in Philadelphia in the year 1787, when some guys in plus-fours and powdered-wigs created a secret plan called the United States Constitution, which contained within it a secret Article V, in which was laid out a secret plan to change the secret plan through a process called "amendment," an occult ritual known only to the true initiates and middle-school civics teachers. Buckle up, because this is going to be the primary counterattack. Secret cabals, probably traveling in caravans from Central America, and now approaching the wall that is being built, even though it's not.

I don't know who the Chief Justice of Fantasyland is, but the poor bastard better clear the calendar for the next year.

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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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