The administration explicitly targets law firms that represent its opponents, creating a climate of fear. This discourages many elite lawyers from taking on such cases, potentially compromising the ability of officials to secure adequate legal defense and threatening the principle of representation.

Critical media narratives targeting experienced tech leaders in government aim to intimidate future experts from public service. By framing deep industry experience as an inherent conflict of interest, these stories create a vacuum filled by less-qualified academics and career politicians, ultimately harming the quality of policymaking.

The pressure on Fed Chair Powell aims not only to replace him as chair before his term ends but also to force him to vacate his governor seat, which runs until 2028. This would give the President an extra board appointment, accelerating control over the Fed's seven-member board.

The legal system has become financialized, creating an asymmetry where it's cheap to sue but extremely expensive to defend. This is weaponized against news outlets, with legal threats increasing tenfold in six months even for non-political journalism. The high cost of defense is becoming a primary operational risk.

Opponents with deep pockets can initiate lawsuits not necessarily to win, but to drain a target's financial resources and create immense stress. The astronomical cost and duration of the legal battle serve as the true penalty, forcing many to fold regardless of their case's merit.

The arguments to allow presidential firing of FTC commissioners create a slippery slope that threatens other independent, multi-member bodies. This logic could extend to the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, potentially politicizing U.S. monetary policy—an outcome so significant that even the court's conservative justices appear wary of its implications.

Financially independent politicians have an "escape hatch" unavailable to careerists. When faced with intense political pressure, isolation from their party, and public attacks, they can simply choose to leave. The misery of politics is judged against the alternative of a comfortable life, making resignation a constant temptation.

The indictment of former FBI Director James Comey highlights a strategy where the legal process itself is the punishment. The goal is not to win in court but to intimidate opponents by forcing them into expensive, time-consuming legal battles, creating a chilling effect on dissent regardless of the case's merits.

The public sector's aversion to risk is driven by the constant external threat of audits and public hearings from bodies like the GAO and Congress. This compliance-focused environment stifles innovation and discourages the "measured risk" taking necessary to attract modern tech talent who thrive on cutting-edge work.