Axios series "Off the Rails" - how the White House descended into election conspiracy theory

[GeorgiaModerate]

This is an ongoing series of articles detailing the events leading up to and following the election based on information from White House insiders.  It's a terrific read so far.

Main page with links to all the episodes

Individual episode links:

Episode 1: A premeditated lie lit the fire

Episode 2: Barbarians at the Oval

Episode 3: Descent into madness

Episode 4: Trump turns on Barr

Episode 5: The secret CIA plan

Episode 6: Last stand in Georgia

Episode 7: Trump turns on Pence

Episode 8: The siege

Bonus Episode: Inside the craziest meeting of the Trump presidency

[GeorgiaModerate]

Added episode 4 link.

[Badger]

This is an ongoing series of articles detailing the events leading up to and following the election based on information from White House insiders.  It's a terrific read so far.

Episode 1: A premeditated lie lit the fire

Episode 2: Barbarians at the Oval

Episode 3: Descent into madness

Episode 4: Trump turns on Barr

(...more to come...)

A really good series! Thanks for posting these, GM.

This last one was clearly primarily, if not entirely, based on an off-the-record interview with Barr.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

From the fourth one:

Barr disagreed. He thought the heat in the protests was gradually easing. He explained law enforcement strategy and his opinion that military intervention would backfire. Federal investigators were already hunting for the ringleaders in the protests.

Besides, Barr asked, what was the endgame for adding the military to the mix? Federal forces could end up stranded in a city like Portland indefinitely.

Trump grew more and more frustrated, but Barr pushed back harder, standing his ground in front of everyone in the room. He was ready, willing and able to be strong, he said. But, he added, we also have to be thoughtful.

What would these soldiers do, Barr pointed out. Just stand around and get yelled at? Trump didn't care. We look weak and this is hurting us, he ranted. Then he slammed his hand on the Resolute Desk.

"No one supports me," Trump yelled. "No one gives me any ing support."

It's basically a real-life version of a Downfall parody.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Seems to be doing a lot of whitewashing of the establishment republicans sources of the story . The claims about how they had a "plausible path to vitootry" along with Barr when it was clear that they were complacent with trying to steal the election just in a damage control given they probably thought they could actually steal it like they did in Bush V. Gore.

[BlueSwan]

Seems very legit. Pretty much how I expected it to be, i.e. that Trump planned the "stolen election" script way in advance and fully knew that the election wasn't stolen at first, but gradually became more and more infatuated with the crazy conspiracy theories.

[Buffalo Mayor Young Kim]

Part One: Donald Trump became president

And that's how

Not that it's not a good series, but this is who he's been for four years.

Edit: Also, reading part one, it seems like he was going to declare victory if Fox hadn't called Arizona. So News Orgs being weenies about making the call (AZ and GA were legit tctc, but it was obvious to everyone that Biden won PA, WI, and MI on election night) was almost even more of a disaster.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Added links to episodes 5 & 6.

[Badger]

Seems to be doing a lot of whitewashing of the establishment republicans sources of the story . The claims about how they had a "plausible path to vitootry" along with Barr when it was clear that they were complacent with trying to steal the election just in a damage control given they probably thought they could actually steal it like they did in Bush V. Gore.

This. As previously noted, episode 4 was clearly based almost entirely from an off-the-record interview with Barr, right up to including the recounting of a conversation we're the only participants were Trump and, well, Barr. Big secret who they're inside source is.

And unsurprisingly it is very flattering towards Barr, and needs to be taken with a boulder of salt.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Episode 7 is up.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Episode 8 is up.

[Torie]

It is too bad that episode 8 did not delve into what Trump was asked to do when, and his response, regarding deploying more law enforcement personnel as the Capitol was assaulted, and then a bit later breached, and then the mob within running amok  and threatening life and limb. I guess the author's sources did not include those in the know. That as I have noted before, is where the smoking gun and conviction might well lie.

[GeorgiaModerate]

They've added a bonus episode with details about a crazy meeting on Dec. 18 when Powell and her entourage came to the White House to pitch Trump invoking emergency powers.  It's a must read.

Bonus Episode: Inside the craziest meeting of the Trump presidency