IT WAS RIGGED!

 Huh.

According to the report, aides close to Trump ultimately talked him out of it by explaining it would blow up in his face. "Not only would he lose to Scalise or Jordan, they told him, but that he could receive just a handful of votes since the nomination process is done by secret ballot — meaning Republicans were free to vote their conscience without MAGA blowback," said the report — with aides even warning that Trump could be barred from even attending that closed-door election.

So Trump was afraid he’d be a loser. Again.

I’m still not sure all the reporting about GOP members being wary about Crazy 8 or the “fringe” is credible. Nancy Mace is still calling herself a moderate, when she is as MAGA as Trump.

Besides, there’s private, and there’s public:

Scalise will win the secret ballot in the caucus room. Jordan will walk to victory in a public roll call vote in the House. Because Scalise’s supporters are the same gutless nutless chickenshits who’ve allowed all the madness to fester because they’re afraid for their own skins.

Which, for me, is fine:

The lobbyist of my long acquaintance, who works for a very large association in DC sends: 

“If they pick Jim Jordan, it’s Speaker Jeffries and I’m fucked.” 

Me: “Yes.”

😎