I can’t help but think that at this very moment, there is someone in Trump’s inner circle of advisers and family that knows that the best way out of this is the Nixon strategy: resign and hope the VP pardons him.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s someone in Trump’s inner circle - or maybe even the GOP leadership - who is trying to convince Trump to step down. If that’s the strategy, they probably want to hold out until February 2019, so that Pence can serve two additional terms. Not that he has any serious chances for reelection if he decides to go full Gerald Ford on Trump and give him a blanket pardon; if Pence does that, he’s just a caretaker President until 2020.