Josh Hawley never believed he could steal the democratically decided victory of President-elect Joe Biden, but he bet he could shatter a historic norm and vote to overturn Biden’s win as a strategy to gain support (and donations) for his once-certain 2024 bid.

The bet failed spectacularly yesterday when President Trump incited a violent mob to storm and raid the Capitol. Hawley had already been embarrassingly happy to cross a dangerous line, although it is on Trump that things got so much worse.