Bravo TAT readers… you did it!
Before launching into today’s essay, I wish to take a moment to thank each and every person who braved the intimidation, voter suppression and threats to hold this GOP accountable. In fact, they may not know it yet but in due time this version of the GOP is done, kaput, obsolete, shunned, DOA, defunct, etc. They may live on for a while in an obstructive and destructive form, but the body GOP in its current form is no more. As for me, I took a couple of days to mostly disconnect from politics in order to quietly savor the joy permeating from nearly every nook and cranny of our nation. I hope that you too will find some such moments this weekend to also savor this extraordinary sea-change in our nation’s history. Viva Libertad!
Today’s essay is a bit of a continuation from my election morning essay about “what comes next.” As that it was published in the morning before a single vote had been counted, the massive win was still hours away. That essay had only voiced my concerns regarding what we would deal with, even after a win. Tuesday’s bone-crushing defeat of the Republican Party was not only a win but, an unmistakable mandate to restore our republic to constitutional and therefore, lawful order. Perusing social media yesterday I observed the joy alongside the deep desire for revenge. It’s not that we are wrong but I would humbly suggest that holding this worst administration in American history accountable and seeking justice, is the American way, not vengeance. The only question remaining is how the 120th Congress should go about it.
We can learn something about a strategy from military planning, a very complicated process of analysis and selecting the right options that will provide the best possible means of success. A key part of that planning centers on the twin issues of “critical vulnerabilities and critical capabilities.” I won’t go down a military-speak rabbit hole but simply offer a bare-bones and admittedly oversimplified understanding of each.
Critical vulnerabilities are those things that if taken away, could lead to a decisive or conflict ending event. This applies to either your side or the adversary’s.
Critical capabilities are the things either side must have in order to “win.”
So what do these military planning terms mean to our election mandate? They are both essential to a successful strategy of bringing accountability to the administration and their supplicants called the Republican Party. If we are to attain a successful level of accountability for the massive injustices incurred over the past two years, we need a strategy, planning and the willingness to “go to the mat” against every single perpetrator. Here’s where the common-sense kicks in, since we cannot go after everyone one of them at once, we must prioritize who or what to hold accountable first. For military planners, that same common-sense also dictates that we first remove those with the most power to stop our pursuit of accountability. The critical capability left to the GOP is their hold on DOJ, the FBI and DHS. It is also their critical vulnerability. In other words, targeting the leadership of these agencies, takes away the most critical capability the GOP requires to survive the imminent hearings, investigations and likely impeachments.
As the headline states, my recommendation is to prioritize the impeachment of the heads of the DOJ, FBI and DHS first. These are all Executive Branch law enforcement agency heads behaving like they are Trump and the GOP’s version of Saddam Hussein’s “Republican Guard.” In other words and like Saddam, Trump and the GOP use DOJ, the FBI and DHS as their personal guard and protectors. They also provide the “muscle” to the administration’s rampant thuggism. So long as Patel, Blanche and Mullin remain in place, they will protect the regime rather than honoring their oaths to the constitution.
They willfully and exuberantly ignore the law, obstruct investigations, protect criminals, including pedophiles and operate in violation of the constitution and the laws for which it is the foundation. If we do not remove them first, our job over the next two years becomes exponentially more difficult. Having the House of Representatives and the Senate is great, but without removing those who can impose immense legal hurdles in our efforts to hold the administration accountable, investigations and hearings won’t achieve the tangible results that we all seek. Our success depends on restoring our DoJ, AG and federal law enforcement that will do their jobs without favor or political prejudice. To do this, we must remove the heads of their respective organizations. Don’t forget, to most Americans with the exception of Chief Justice John Roberts, “we are equal before the law.”
Our laws and constitutional rights are mere inconveniences to Republicans. Beyond the evidence of our eyes, lower court federal judges are also fed up with the Trump administration just ignoring court orders, especially in immigration cases where violations of law stretch from the operation of detention centers, transportation of detainees, brutality by federal law enforcement in arrests and the inhumane treatment of detainees. DHS continues to gaslight everyone regarding the so-called investigation of those who murdered Alex Pretti and Renee’ Good in Minnesota last winter, not to mention the record high number of deaths while in ICE and CBP custody. In an October 27th Guardian article, Michael Pretti, Alex’s father is quoted, “At every turn, they have ignored us, misled us and shielded Alex’s killers.” “We are a family who love this country. We trust in the institutions of this country. We believe in the rule of law – and that people should be held accountable through that law.”
Markwayne Mullin hasn’t lifted a finger to demand that ICE, CBP and others stop ignoring judge’s rulings or to modify their behavior in accordance with the law. Announcements of policy changes from DHS are just that, “announcements.” Words without actions are not policy.
"The fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti highlighted for the public how often the federal government misrepresents key details about its immigration enforcement activities. What’s less commonly understood is that the administration also carries these types of misrepresentations into judicial proceedings. In fact, immigration-related cases account for most of the deception and noncompliance by the Trump administration in court. A compilation compiled by New York University law professor Ryan Goodman and his associates at Just Security shows that immigration-related matters were at stake in 24 of 42 instances (57 percent) in which judges found that officials had misled the courts. Immigration-related cases also topped Just Security’s list of instances where judges have found noncompliance with their orders: 19 of the 31 instances were immigration-related." - The Administration Misleads & Ignores Courts Most Often in Immigration Cases - CATO Institute - By David J. Bier - January 27, 2026 4:44PM
DHS is a massive umbrella agency that includes far more than most Americans realize. If Director Mullin refuses to follow the law and our courts, there is no law. DHS’ job is to protect Americans, not abuse and murder them.
Then there’s Kash Patel over at the FBI, notorious for drunkenness, lying under oath and refusing to investigate countless cases previously begun by the FBI regarding the Trumpstein files, especially regarding the numerous credible accusations against Trump himself. Patel has also supported AG Todd Blanche at DoJ in denying access to the last roughly 3.5 million Trumpstein files required to be released last December 19th. Meanwhile, over a thousand young women, the victims of a global child sex trafficking ring run by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, patronized by global power figures and billionaires continue to be denied justice.
Patel is as devoid of humanity as he is regularly in violation of the law. He champions Trump’s persecution of his perceived enemies, only to find their cases tossed out of court for having no merit, wasting the court’s time, incompetent lawyers and having no evidence or standing. While Patel and his “payback squad,” the team set up by Patel within the Bureau to pursue those specified enemies, the crimes that directly impact we-the-people, go without investigation. Besides countless probes into Patel’s mismanagement of our nation’s premier law enforcement agency, he has also proved himself to be grotesquely incompetent. For example, a week before the beginning of the Iran war, he fired the deeply experienced counterintelligence experts focused on Iran. Like Markwayne Mullin, Patel regularly exhibits his willingness to cross ethical and legal lines. There is no justice so long as under Patel’s leadership, the FBI is Trump’s personal revenge agency.
Last but not least is one of the most dangerous men in the entire administration, AG Todd Blanche. Blanche, Trump’s former lawyer continues to behave as if he still is Trump’s personal lawyer. He is personally responsible for violating the bi-partisan Epstein Files Transparency Act from last December, that required the full release of all files related to the Epstein case. Blanche simply refuses to obey either the law or the courts. His mismanagement of DoJ is on par with Patel’s at the FBI. Different sections of the FBI serve different investigative specialties. Under Blanche, much of the DOJ has been reassigned to immigration proceedings where they are poorly trained for the highly specialized and often Byzantine world of immigration law. Meanwhile, every other investigative division at DoJ remains short-handed and largely purged of expertise.
Not only is DoJ critically short-handed due to their revenge firings, but thousands have voluntarily left since the beginning of this administration. Another reason to distrust a Blanche-led justice department is their recent spate of frivolous lawsuits filed during the election cycle in an attempt to disrupt voting, intimidate voters and to illegally acquire access to the voter data held by the states. Judges weren’t having it either and ruled consistently against Blanche’s henchmen. Blanche has made clear beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he believes following the law or constitution is optional.
Summary
In perusing social media, I already see Democrats steering back towards their legacy trait, in-fighting over who should lead, what to do first etc. This essay is simply about one common-sense point, that we must have a functioning legal system, in order to get through investigations and hold the long list of criminals, thugs and traitors accountable. This is the entire reasoning for taking on those who hold the power under the law. It would be truly insane to believe that Blanche, Patel or Mullin will have an epiphany and all of a sudden start following the law. The answer is, remove them. Impeachment and conviction of these three sends a powerful message to all that follow, that America demands justice and won’t tolerate obstructionists.
As for strategy and other priorities, I hope to see the different factions within Democratic leadership stop the infighting and build a real plan to take on the administration, in a manner that best achieves success. As I close this out, I want to restate that I prefer that we seek justice, not revenge. Revenge is a Republican ideal. Honest Americans seek justice. We must never become what we’re fighting against.
Maya Angelou’s famous quote applies here nicely, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” Blanche, Patel and Mullin have very clearly shown us who they are and for those reasons, they must go.
Don’t forget to just savor the big step we took this week towards restoring our republic.
My very best,
Paul