[American Thinker] "I don’t think he’s going to be in the picture. I don’t think he can. He’s fallen so far." Thus spoke Nikki Haley -- former South Carolina governor, former ambassador to the UN, and now presidential aspirant -- exposing once again her self-serving bona fides. In denigrating Donald Trump, the establishment Republican ended up revealing to Trump’s loyal base of 75-80 million supporters just how much she is motivated by opportunism. Also, just how out of touch she is with the rank and file.Haley’s betrayal of President Trump took the form of a forceful condemnation: "We need to acknowledge he let us down. He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him again. And we can’t let that ever happen again." The timing of the tirade couldn’t have been more opportune: for maximum political effect, she released it just before Trump’s legal team presented his defense.
Making common cause with Democrats and disaffected Republicans, she held Trump responsible for the January 6th Capitol riot, disingenuously telling members of the Republican National Committee that the president "will be harshly judged by history." Does she believe her own words, or is this political theater? She was surely privy to Trump’s several recordings, importuning followers "to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard." She would also have been aware of other events that exonerated Trump from the false charges of fomenting a so-called "insurrection." Many publications reported that planning for the Capitol attack occurred openly online for weeks. Known Antifa members disguised in MAGA attire played a part in the riots, as did at least one prominent Black Lives Matter activist. Despite knowing this, she chose to blame the president for political advantage.