Ex-President Trump still holds substantial sway over the Republican Party. The leader of the GOP in the House, Congressman McCarthy, is arguing the Independent Inquiry into the storming of the Capitol Building should include in its terms of reference consideration of ANTIFA’s actions following the murder of George Floyd. He has also turned a free vote into a party vote on the matter. This is all very much at the behest of the former president.

However, Mitch McConnell has not jumped on this issue so far. Further, Lyndsey Graham, a Trump loyalist for the 4 years of his presidency has now indicated he wants to move on from the Trump assertion about a stolen election. Liz Cheney may have been removed from her position within the party, but putting her outside the tent may prove to be a big mistake. She has unimpeachable conservative credentials and is a formidable and effective political operator. At the least she is likely to complicate the 2024 election.

Other senior Republicans outside of Washington are starting to question the sense of denying what every recount, every investigation and every court challenge has confirmed. The Joe Biden won fair and square and by a significant margin. Republican Governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, talked about the dismissal of Cheney as “doubling down on failure”. It may take time but the incredible claims will, over time, have to be abandoned if the GOP wish to remain a credible mainstream party of the centre right. The current cracks will continue to widen and eventually the whole disreputable edifice will be swept away.

On another front, or fronts, the news in not good for the ex-President. Letitia James, the New York State Attorney General, has just confirmed a) that her civil investigation into the business affairs have just been combined with investigations into criminal matters; and b) that her department will be working with Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, to investigate these matters.

Claims that ex-President Trump’s business routinely manipulated the valuation of assets have been under investigation for some time. His ex personal attorney, Michael Cohen, outlined how these had worked following his indictment for illegal payments to Stormy Daniels. Pressure is now building on the Trump organisation’s Chief Finance Officer to co-operate with investigators to avoid serious personal legal jeopardy. The tower that once was Trump may be about to crumble.