The facts
Since the start of his second presidency, Donald Trump has repeatedly launched conspiratorial attacks on critics, labeling climate change a “hoax” and claiming a “crisis of election security.” In mid‑September he barred CNN, Politico and MS Now from White House press access; a federal judge on 23 September ordered the passes returned, finding the move likely unconstitutional. The Justice Department’s “grand conspiracy” probe, aimed at alleged deep‑state plots dating back to the Obama era, issued subpoenas to former CIA director John Brennan and former FBI director James Comey but produced no charges. Prosecutor Joe diGenova, hired at age 81, quit on 10 September after five months; his predecessor, national‑security prosecutor Maria Medetis Long, resigned in April. Harvard professor Steven Levitsky warned that “conspiracies are page one of the repressive playbook,” citing authoritarian leaders from Mao to Putin.
Our take
Let’s cut the nonsense: this wasn’t an investigation, it was a taxpayer‑funded circus where a gaggle of cronies tried to turn a ghost story into a criminal case. They started with the conclusion - Trump’s enemies are guilty - and spent twelve fucking months hunting for a crime that never existed. The only thing they proved is that you can’t prosecute a fairy tale, no matter how many subpoenas you fling at Brennan and Comey. When the 81‑year‑old diGenova, a known election‑denier, walked out after five months, it was a clear sign the whole operation was a sham. The ex‑inspector general’s own words confirm it: building a case requires facts, not endless shouting about a “deep state.” Trump’s playbook is simple - brand critics as conspirators, ban dissenting outlets, and hope a judge will back off. The judge did, ordering the press passes returned and calling the punishment probably unconstitutional. As Levitsky notes, authoritarian leaders from Mao to Putin have used conspiracies to justify repression; Trump merely copies the script with a louder, more vulgar delivery. The DOJ’s grand‑conspiracy probe is the textbook example of a political witch hunt that collapses under its own weight: no charges, no evidence, and the very people hired to sell it out the door. The result? A hollow, self‑inflicted failure that proves the only thing Trump can truly weaponize is his own delusion.
