Why resignation might be inevitable... and why we might wish that he doesn't.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave...

For all of you who are in disbelief that Donald Trump would ever resign, consider the following (with the substantial caveat that I am not a lawyer):

Trump refuses to resign. The House goes forward with the impeachment, and the Senate -- now under Majority Leader Schumer -- initiates the impeachment proceedings. Trump is no longer President, and lacks standing to refuse a subpoena. His conversations, communications and aides are no longer covered by executive privilege, which as I understand cannot be conferred retroactively.

Trump is forced to take the stand, and testify under oath without the protection of an office. So are his aides, and other relevant persons -- family, Guiliani, etc. -- who cannot be sheltered by him any more.

Tell me... what questions might be asked? What discovery might be requested? What answers might lead to a string of Congressional investigations and prosecutions?

In order to avoid all of that, Trump has to thread a very fine needle. He needs to reach agreement with Pelosi that if he resigns, he will not be impeached. He needs to coordinate with Mike Pence, who reports note is fuming about the President's treatment of him, and the idea that Trump put him in harm's way. He is racing a clock that says if he delays resigning much more, the value to Pelosi (and tangentially, the benefits of executive power for Pence) are minimized by the day.

I believe that Pelosi and McConnell, neither of whom is an ally of Trump's today, know and understand all of this. McConnell noting that the impeachment would occur after the election, and therefore be governed by Democratic whims, removes the possibility of Republican protection from subpoena. The announcement today by Pelosi of the filing of the article of impeachment starts that clock ticking loudly in Trump's ear, and equally important, in the ears of those who would be exposed with him.

He may well be stupid enough, or stubborn enough, to fight this to the death and not resign. What I don't know now is whether his adversaries -- and the American public -- shouldn't wish that he does.