Trump's Biggest Lie

A couple of guys in league with MS-13.

I mentioned in my last update a few days ago an unfolding scandal about the Trump administration’s collusion with the dictator of El Salvador to cover up his collusion with the notorious criminal gang MS-13.

Given how many of Trump’s policies are based on the claim that he is fighting criminal gangs, and that this is the justification for his persecution of immigrants (as well as blowing up random boats off the coast of South America), this story ought to be a scandal that ends his administration immediately. But of course, that seems quaint these days. Trump has made himself seemingly immune from scandal by turning his political party into a cult of personality whose members will never turn on the Great Leader, supported by a propagandistic partisan media that spins every story to protect him.

But look, you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.¹ So it’s worth looking at this story as it breaks open, because if we talk about it enough, eventually someone is going to care.

Last time, I linked to a Washington Post exposé. Here is the crucial section, just to refresh your memory.

The deal would give Bukele possession of individuals who threatened to expose the alleged deals his government made with MS-13 to help achieve El Salvador’s historic drop in violence, officials said. For the Salvadoran president, a return of the informants was viewed as critical to preserving his tough-on-crime reputation. It was also a key step in hindering an ongoing U.S. investigation into his government’s relationship with MS-13, a gang famous for displays of excessive violence in the United States and elsewhere.

But there are more details provided by the independent investigative outlet Pro Publica, and they are even more damning.