Where Are the Statesmen in the GOP?

William Kristol: “On it went all week—one Trumpian argument after another falling apart. And yet Republican officeholders mostly stuck by their president. Some of them praised Trump. Others avoided comment. Still others focused exclusively — reflexively, predictably — on the (very real) inconsistency of Democrats.”

“It’s an understandable impulse. The Democrats, after all, are being monumentally hypocritical — from last summer until this week, they had been calling for Comey’s head, blaming his handling of the email investigation for Hillary Clinton’s defeat. There are cogent arguments, as well, that Comey deserved to be fired long ago. And there are legitimate questions about the FBI’s Russia investigation; the Trump administration is not wrong to be concerned about the many leaks related to these matters. There is, too, a laudable inclination to want President Trump to succeed. He is the president, and the country will be better off if he’s a successful one.”

“We understand these arguments. We’ve made some of them. But there are times, when the stakes are high, that self-respecting officeholders need to lead, even if it’s politically risky, rather than circle the wagons.”

For members: Will Republicans Step Up to Protect Our Democracy?