
Trump escalates his January 6 cover-up as political comeback steps up a gear
CNN
Donald Trump is acting like an ex-President with a constitutional crime to hide as the cover-up of his assault on democracy gathers pace alongside his political comeback.
The twice-impeached 45th President's continuing influence on politics, popular culture and national life is broadening on multiple fronts and appears undimmed by his ban from social media platforms. His behavior is mirroring the conduct he showed in office: a driving desire to avoid accountability, a challenge to the US system of checks and balances, a willingness to exploit racial and cultural divides, and an eye for a political opening that could boost his own profile, like an apparent tele-rally on the eve of Virginia's gubernatorial election. The high-stakes election in a state Trump lost by 10 points last year will be closely watched as an indicator of the political environment heading into the 2022 midterms.
A just-revealed list of documents that Trump wishes to prevent the House select committee probing January 6 from seeing -- and over which President Joe Biden has refused to assert executive privilege -- in itself offers a darkly suggestive picture of Trump's activities leading up to the mob attack by his supporters on the US Capitol.