We need a Plan B in case Plan A doesn't work

The J6 indictments improve the odds of Biden’s re-election, but by now we must learn to always plan for the worst however improbable it may seem

I am, like many of you, overcome with welcome emotions in response to Jack Smith’s announcement last week of the four serious indictments against Trump and his efforts to overthrow our democratic system and steal the election he lost. Those feelings include: deep appreciation for the methodical diligence and hard work by Garland and Smith and the many professionals who avoided damaging leaks or foolish fumbles with witnesses or evidence; profound thankfulness for the degree to which our system of courts has remained independent, going all the way back to all of team Trump’s late 2020 failures to get courts to validate their baseless claims of election fraud, even with Trump appointed judges involved; and finally, enormous gratitude for the mountains of work that the J6 House Committee did, paving the way for this moment.

As a friend put it, these indictments are the third major public moment of accountability that has happened since the J6 insurrection. The first was Impeachment, the s…