Pecker Gets Protection

Throughout this whole remarkable week, in which we’ve seen one former Trump senior staffer convicted of bank fraud and his personal lawyer swear under oath that Trump directed him to commit a federal crime, the president’s faithful backers have kept up a predictable drumbeat: There’s nothing new to see here. Nothing has changed. There’s still no collusion. It’s the same old witch hunt, and this will pass away quietly like everything else.

So why are so many former members of Trump’s inner circle scurrying for the exits like rats deserting a ship?