Friday, Jan. 25 will be remembered by Trump-supporters as the day he caved on the wall.  By agreeing to fully open the government for three weeks without any wall money, Trump has angered many supporters, who will vilify him to the detriment of their own cause.

Trump is under the kind of swampy pressure few could survive.  This happened only hours after his friend Roger Stone was arrested by the FBI.  With the air traffic control system starting to impact transportation, the political pressures were enormous for the White House.

The upcoming Super Bowl game was likely an underlying factor, as the rich and powerful would have trouble getting to the annual extravaganza.  With the press working overtime to blame President Trump for the shutdown, he was at a disadvantage.  But his willingness to accept responsibility in the Oval Office was his own doing.

The vote in the Senate on Thursday demonstrated that Trump has a weakening defense line.  The nation does understand that Trump favors border security.  This fight is about not money, but defeating Donald Trump.  On Friday, it appears that Pelosi and Schumer garnered the first battle win of 2019.

More disturbing is the arrest of Stone.  He has a long history of questionable tactics in political activity.  However, he is not a flight risk, nor is he a violent person.  So why did Mueller's team send 29 FBI agents to an early-morning raid on his home?  Normally, such persons are allowed to turn themselves in to the authorities.  Stone, as other defendants with ties to Trump, has been financially ruined.  The indictment, as others, does not allege any Russian collusion with Trump.  Looks as if Mueller is not done yet.  He has ruined anyone in his way.

One theory holds that the special counsel will not finish until Trump is out of the White House.  In this scenario, Mueller has hired Democrats to ruin the Trump-supporters, which will drive him from office either from direct testimony or by the accumulation of death by association.  This is certainly occurring as we can see from the past indictments and convictions.

More consequential and troubling is another possibility.  Robert Mueller was appointed to protect the Justice Department career personnel and high-ranking politicos.  Under this scenario, the effect encompasses the above theory.  To the objective observer, there is something wrong at the Justice Department.  Leaving aside the process crimes pleadings Mueller has secured and is now prosecuting against Trump advisers, one wonders why justice was not meted out against Clinton campaign personnel when they participated in their own Russian collusion and gave questionable testimony.

Remember that both CIA director Brennan and DNI director Clapper have given false testimony to Congress, but are now treated as heroes by the press.  They served the establishment, of which the press is one portion.  There is little investigation against Hillary Clinton and her associates for destroying e-mails under subpoena by the Congress.

Deputy attorney general Rosenstein appointed Mueller, whom he has know for many years.  He was a federal attorney while the Uranium One deal was undertaken.  When Mueller as FBI director sought to prosecute Manafort years ago for the banking fraud as early as 2006, Rosenstein was the federal attorney who refused to prosecute.  When one considers all the signers of the FISA warrants against Carter Page, it is clear that misrepresentations were made to the court.

The chief justice (Roberts) oversees the FISA Court.  Yet neither he nor any judges he appoints have sought to punish any of the actors in this drama.  Perhaps they seek to protect the authority they possess.  Where is the protection of the innocent?

The dismissal of many top FBI personnel demonstrates that the agency was riddled with political actors.  This is hardly the stuff of the best national police force.  We can only hope that the new attorney general will clean up the Department.  Trump is facing an uphill battle, and his daily efforts are being counted.