Maybe - but Trump can give a pardon whenever he likes, whereas overturning her conviction requires the Supreme Corruption to step in. I have no faith in them, even when it comes to raping children, but that's at least 5 more people that have to be convinced and makes them pedo enablers too.
And the SC is loyal to the Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society, not Trump. If the WSJ is going after him for real (and not just trying to scare him), they're not likely to help him.
You are optimistic. I admire that.
No, not really. I don't think the SC gives a shit about raping kids, it looks to me like this could be a Night of the Long Knives, where Trump is allowed to go down so they can replace him with someone more manageable (Vance). So far they're still maintaining the kabuki that courts and laws matter.
You think they have enough confidence in their fireproofing to do a pardon?
I think Trump is pretty desperate. Will a pardon be a bridge too far for the cult? We're already seeing Charlie Kirk and others make excuses for Maxwell. He's got to kill this story somehow. I think you're right that Maxwell would prefer her conviction overturned, but she's also pretty desperate.
I cannot decide if the base is angered by being lied to or they actually draw the line at child rape and sex trafficking. He is indeed desperate because the base will go nuclear either way. He's backed himself into a corner and has nothing but self-immolation options.
Yeah, he's illustrating the saying "sow the wind, reap the whirlwind" as clearly as anyone ever has. I'm not sure what happens either: some of the cult will accept anything he does, while there are signs some may actually have a limit. If he pardons Maxwell and MAGA revolts, what does Johnson do?