And as his four criminal cases march toward trials, some of his aides, allies and co-defendants are pointing at the former president.

In court documents and hearings, lawyers for people in Trump’s orbit — both high-level advisers and lesser known associates — are starting to reveal glimmers of a tried-and-true strategy in cases with many defendants: Portray yourself as a hapless pawn while piling blame on the apparent kingpin. …

Many of the defendants in the Georgia case have already begun maneuvering for individual advantage. Chesebro’s lawyers demanded that his trial begin next month, which could have the effect of separating his trial from other big players like Trump or Rudy Giuliani. Others have asked to be tried alone, which could complicate their ability to point the finger at Trump but would also mean their jury wouldn’t hear from anyone specifically defending the former president.

[The strategies here could be more complex than just flipping, and this last excerpt hints at it. There’s a reason why Fani Willis wants to try all 19 in one trial; in separate trials, each can point the finger at others to escape punishment. Trump is expected to claim executive immunity to all of this, which won’t work because none of this falls under the normal duties of the presidency. However, assuming it *did* work, then all of the other 18 can blame Trump, and Trump would be untouchable regardless. Rather than “flipping,” this could be a kind of coordinated-chaos strategy to break Willis’ case into smaller pieces that could be overcome. — Ed]