President* Trump,

Was it just dumb luck or did you know from the get-go that it would be perversely helpful to you long about January 21^st 2021 to have set it up so that your opposition is reluctant to look as though they’re being partisan in trying to hold you accountable for your crimes? Was that why you started the “lock her up” bullshit about Hillary? Is it at least part of why you’ve persisted with the bogus claims that President Obama and VP Biden engaged in illegal monitoring of you and your posse? Are you stirring the same pot now when you encourage your rabid fans to chant “lock her up” about Governor Whitmer?

As we lurch towards Election Day and some editorialists allow themselves the luxury of imagining a post-you America, questions are mounting about whether the new administration should play a role in scrutinizing your activities. Some want a Truth and Reconciliation style undertaking, presumably to expose the blatant corruption and “alternative facts” you and yours have been trying to shove down our throats (and that far too many have lapped up willingly). The basic idea is that once the lies, manipulations, thievery, thuggery, and self-dealing you perpetrated are laid bare, a solid portion of your base will be convinced they were duped – and by some miracle, will be willing to actually admit it – and the wedge you drove between us will dissolve and we’ll be reconciled. The chances of this actually playing out as desired are slim to none in my book, given how unlikely it is that reason and logic are suddenly going to prevail. It’s a noble idea, though – gotta give them that.

Others are advocating that Congress or the new, repopulated Department of Justice leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of all the above mentioned lies, manipulations, thievery, thuggery, and self-dealing. I know some want to see you and your hench-people prosecuted (and jailed) for these actions and others just want to know where all the proverbial bodies are buried so we don’t trip over them or risk having them rot and cause damage we can’t trace back to their root causes.

Obviously the prosecutorial aim risks looking terribly partisan and if a Democratic Congress or the new DoJ were to pursue it, there would have to be a very big, bright line between them and the new administration. Knowing you and your Foxy Friends, though, there’s probably no line big and bright enough to keep you from howling about “witch hunts.” Plus, as noted above, it would carry the additional risk of looking hypocritical since we’ve been calling you out for years on your attacks on political opponents.

Then there’s the idea that we leave the truth excavation to journalists and historians and keep Congress, the new administration, and the DoJ out of it. The proponents of this path do allow that without some sort of official teeth to enforce record preservation, your administration will destroy all the records you possibly can and there won’t be much of anything left to piece together. Really, though, this seems likely no matter what post-you path is taken, so sadly it’s unlikely that we’ll ever get a handle on what all you and yours did.

I suppose though, that there’s still the chance that some of those “Responsible Adults” in the various rooms will show themselves and tell us they engaged in clandestine record copying and preservation. Now that would be a lovely thing, wouldn’t it? Hopefully you and Barr will be so distracted as you’re packing your bags (please, oh please) that you can’t do a full scorched earth destruction of everything anyone might have squirreled away for posterity (and perhaps, to aid in the righteous prosecution of the former POTUS).

We shall see.

May we be safe from sadistic bullies who are managed by evil strategists.
May we be willing to think carefully about the pros and cons of going after said bullies and strategists.
May we hope to goodness that there are some strong, smart “Responsible Adults” in the mix.
May we accept that we likely will never know the extent of your treachery.

Sincerely,
Tracy Simpson