Crash Course: Alexander Vindman on Trump as "cult leader" and the line from Jan. 6 to Putin's war on Ukraine

Salon talks to the retired Army officer about the many threats Donald Trump poses — foreign, domestic, existential. [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0Q2aHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL2xldHRlci80MDM4VwNzcGNCCmLrxo_zYuwPULRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0QWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL1cDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). [Alex-Vindman] MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images Alexander Vindman on Trump as "cult leader" and the line from Jan. 6 to Putin's war on Ukraine [U.S. Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMjgvbHQtY29sLWFsZXgtdmluZG1hbi1ob3ctY291cC1hdHRlbXB0LWVuY291cmFnZWQtcHV0aW5zLXVrcmFpbmUtaW52YXNpb24vVwNzcGNCCmLrxo_zYuwPULRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~), now retired, stands astride the Age of Trump and the horrible events of Jan. 6 as a type of Cassandra truth-teller and alarm sounder, in stark contrast to those members of the Trump regime who remained silent about the Trump White House's existential threat to American democracy. Vindman spoke with Salon's Chauncey DeVega about his thoughts on the House Jan. 6 hearings and questions of character, integrity and decision-making as seen with supposed heroes such as White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson and other members of the Trump regime. He warns that the Trump movement is a dangerous political cult that represents an existential threat to American democracy — and the House Jan. 6 hearings have only provided more proof of that fact. In addition, Vindman offers his analysis of the war in Ukraine and why the United States and its allies must continue to provide advanced weapons to the Ukrainian forces in order defeat the Russian invaders. [Read Chauncey DeVega's full interview with Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMDkvYWxleGFuZGVyLXZpbmRtYW4tb24tYXMtY3VsdC1sZWFkZXItYW5kLXRoZS1saW5lLWZyb20tamFuLTYtdG8tcHV0aW5zLW9uLXVrcmFpbmUvVwNzcGNCCmLrxo_zYuwPULRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) [Rachel-Mitchell-and-Julie-Gunnigle] Photo illustration by Salon/Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images/Nappsack Photography The race that wasn't supposed to be: Phoenix suddenly set to be the largest post-Roe battleground Media coverage of Arizona's primaries last week focused on a clean sweep by pro-Trump conspiracy theorists in statewide race. Beyond that spectacle, a down-ticket local race for Maricopa County Attorney seemed comparatively tame. Yet it's this office — the third-largest prosecutorial district in the country, after only Los Angeles and New York City — that is poised to have the most tangible impact on Arizonans, particularly when it comes to abortion rights in a state poised to ban most or all abortions. For more than three decades, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has been under Republican control. Over the last 20 years, it's earned a reputation for aggressive and politicized prosecutions, corruption, and, most recently, a series of shocking ethical scandals. Now, thanks to that record and the Supreme Court's June abortion decision, the choice facing voters this fall could hardly be starker. On one side is Democratic candidate Julie Gunnigle, a progressive who vowed not to prosecute abortion-related cases. On the other side is Republican acting Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, a 30-year veteran of the office who said she would "follow Arizona law" when it comes to prosecuting abortion. Mitchell is best known for her role aiding Republicans during Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation. "It can't go without notice," Gunnigle told Salon, that Mitchell "was the prosecutor from the Kavanaugh hearings who embarrassed Arizona on the national stage, turned her back on victims and survivors of sexual assault and quite literally gave us Justice Kavanaugh, who gave us this decision" overturning Roe v. Wade. Should Mitchell win in November, Gunnigle warned, Arizonans would face not only the prospect of abortion being weighed for prosecution by the woman who arguably enabled their criminalization, but also one who has presided over Phoenix's dismal record on handling sexual assault. [Read more from Kathryn Joyce.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0SBaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMDkvdGhlLXJhY2UtdGhhdC13YXNudC1zdXBwb3NlZC10by1iZS1waG9lbml4LXN1ZGRlbmx5LXNldC10by1iZS10aGUtbGFyZ2VzdC1wb3N0LXJvZS1iYXR0bGVncm91bmQvVwNzcGNCCmLrxo_zYuwPULRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - “This is their message”: Trump and GOP immediately rush to [fundraise off FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0R0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMDkvdGhpcy1pcy10aGVpci1tZXNzYWdlLWFuZC1pbW1lZGlhdGVseS1ydXNoLXRvLWZ1bmRyYWlzZS1vZmYtZmJpLXJhaWQtb24tbWFyLWEtbGFnby9XA3NwY0IKYuvGj_Ni7A9QtFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - [Cries of "civil war"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RfaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMDkvY3JpZXMtb2YtY2l2aWwtd2FyLXJlYWNoLXBpdGNoLWFmdGVyLWZiaS1zZWFyY2gtb2YtbWFyLWEtbGFnby9XA3NwY0IKYuvGj_Ni7A9QtFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) reach fever pitch after FBI search of Mar-a-Lago - As students return to school, [fears of monkeypox transmission](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RGaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMDkvbW9ua2V5cG94LXJpc2staW4tc2Nob29sLWFuZC1kYXljYXJlL1cDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) linger - Could a [polio epidemic really happen again?](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RSaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMDkvZXhwZXJ0cy1iZWxpZXZlLXRoZXJlLW1heS1iZS1hLXBvbGlvLWluLW5ldy15b3JrL1cDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) Outbreaks in New York state raise alarm - Before it was cool or safe, [Olivia Newton-John](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RDaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMDkvb2xpdmlhLW5ld3Rvbi1qb2huLWdheS1xdWVlci1hbGx5L1cDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) was a queer icon and ally - Kim, Jimmy and the [moral sandwich-making](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0Q9aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMDgvYmV0dGVyLWNhbGwtc2F1bC13YXRlcndvcmtzL1cDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) of "Better Call Saul" Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly9zYWxvbi51czgubGlzdC1tYW5hZ2UuY29tL3N1YnNjcmliZT91PTcxY2IzZThhNmU5NjM5YzgxMDIzY2Q0MjcmaWQ9NWRlZGEyYWFhN1cDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) to receive Crash Course. [Donald-Trump] Mario Tama/Getty Images Trump, Alex Jones and Steve Bannon: GOP goons follow a familiar playbook when accountability knocks Getting a federal warrant is not child's play. Such warrants require "probable cause to believe that the specified location has the specified evidence of a specified federal crime," noted attorney Ken White. While the public does not know the details of the warrant, Trump himself does. In [the lengthy diatribe Trump released Monday night](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0Q9aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9rYWl0bGFuY29sbGlucy9zdGF0dXMvMTU1Njc3NTk0MTg1NDA4NTEyMFcDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~), he failed to mention any of these details. Outside of a vague mention of his "safe," which could very well be a lie like the rest of the statement, Trump didn't utter a single syllable about the specifics of the warrant served on him. He didn't even mention specific allegations to deny them. Instead, his statement was a diarrhea stream of deflections about Watergate and Hillary Clinton, centered around a conspiracy theory that Trump is a victim of "political persecution." The strategy isn't subtle. Trump is trying to fill the information vacuum left by the FBI's silence with lies. He wants to fill up his followers' minds with paranoid gibberish, so that by the time actual details come out, the facts cannot penetrate their red hats. Reading the statement, I was struck by how much Trump is using the exact same playbook currently in use by his buddy Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist founder of Infowars. And just like Jones did, [Trump is using the legal case against him to fundraise](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0R0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMDkvdGhpcy1pcy10aGVpci1tZXNzYWdlLWFuZC1pbW1lZGlhdGVseS1ydXNoLXRvLWZ1bmRyYWlzZS1vZmYtZmJpLXJhaWQtb24tbWFyLWEtbGFnby9XA3NwY0IKYuvGj_Ni7A9QtFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). [Read more from Amanda Marcotte.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0R_aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMDkvdHJ1bXAtYWxleC1qb25lcy1hbmQtc3RldmUtYmFubm9uLWdvb25zLWZvbGxvdy1hLWZhbWlsaWFyLXBsYXlib29rLXdoZW4tYWNjb3VudGFiaWxpdHkta25vY2tzL1cDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "What's in Trump's Safe the FBI Raided?" [New York Magazine](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RbaHR0cHM6Ly9ueW1hZy5jb20vaW50ZWxsaWdlbmNlci8yMDIyLzA4L3doYXRzLWluLXRydW1wcy1tYXItYS1sYWdvLXNhZmUtdGhlLWZiaS1yYWlkZWQuaHRtbFcDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "State supreme courts could soon decide on abortion, raising stakes of their midterm races," [The Washington Post](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RSaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3BvbGl0aWNzLzIwMjIvMDgvMDkvZG9iYnMtc3RhdGUtanVkaWNpYWwtZWxlY3Rpb25zL1cDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "Red States’ Anti-Obamacare Laws Can Be Weaponized Against Their Abortion Bans," [The New Republic](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RIaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdyZXB1YmxpYy5jb20vYXJ0aWNsZS8xNjczMDkvYW50aS1vYmFtYWNhcmUtbGF3cy1hYm9ydGlvbi1iYW5zVwNzcGNCCmLrxo_zYuwPULRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "Tucker Carlson ‘Shitting Himself’ Scared That His Alex Jones Texts May Leak," [The Daily Beast](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlZGFpbHliZWFzdC5jb20vdHVja2VyLWNhcmxzb24tc2hpdHRpbmctaGltc2VsZi1zY2FyZWQtdGhhdC1oaXMtYWxleC1qb25lcy10ZXh0cy1tYXktbGVhaz9yZWY9aG9tZVcDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "In Search of Mexican Pizza," [The New York Times](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0Q8aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wOC8wOC9kaW5pbmcvbWV4aWNhbi1waXp6YS5odG1sVwNzcGNCCmLrxo_zYuwPULRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "The End of Manual Transmission," [The Atlantic](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RjaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlYXRsYW50aWMuY29tL3RlY2hub2xvZ3kvYXJjaGl2ZS8yMDIyLzA4L3N0aWNrLXNoaWZ0LW1hbnVhbC10cmFuc21pc3Npb24tY2Fycy82NzEwNzgvVwNzcGNCCmLrxo_zYuwPULRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) [Marjorie-Taylor-Greene,-Paul-Gosar] Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images “Defund the FBI!”: Republicans’ pro-police rhetoric goes out the window after feds raid Trump Republicans who spent years cheering Trump's "lock her up" chants and assailing Democrats as the party of "defund the police" activists appear to have suffered a case of sudden amnesia after the FBI's raid on Mar-a-Lago. Republican after Republican decried what they described as the "politicization" of the Justice Department, with House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy even warning Attorney General Merrick Garland that he will be investigated if Republicans win back the House. Some Trump allies went even further. "DEFUND THE FBI!" Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., declared on Twitter. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., another close Trump ally, [called for](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0Q6aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9EclBhdWxHb3Nhci9zdGF0dXMvMTU1Njc5MDYwOTIxMzU0NjQ5NlcDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) the "complete dismantling and elimination of the democrat brown shirts known as the FBI." Some lesser-known Trump supporters went even further than that. Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini called for his state to "sever all ties with DOJ immediately." "Any FBI agent conducting law enforcement functions outside the purview of our State should be arrested upon sight," [he tweeted](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0Q-aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9BbnRob255U2FiYXRpbmkvc3RhdHVzLzE1NTY4MDU1NjgyMDcxOTYxNjBXA3NwY0IKYuvGj_Ni7A9QtFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). [Read more from Igor Derysh.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0R0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDgvMDkvZGVmdW5kLXRoZS1mYmktcmVwdWJsaWNhbnMtcHJvLXBvbGljZS1yaGV0b3JpYy1nb2VzLW91dC10aGUtd2luZG93LWFmdGVyLWZlZHMtcmFpZC9XA3NwY0IKYuvGj_Ni7A9QtFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). Our mailing address: 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, DE 19801 [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmLrxo_zYuwPULRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2022 Crash Course, All rights reserved. [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRk1hTFP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpi68aP82LsD1C0Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)