Their methods differ, but nobody, not even his closest associates, are agreeing with him. Some Republicans voice their doubt and demand more information, and some remain silent or make noncommittal statements. Some, like the White House principal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, try in vain to spin what the president actually wrote on Twitter into something less explosive and less embarrassing, but nobody wants to jump on the crazy train, and everybody seems uneasy, ashamed and generally upset over what President* Trump did.
A particularly clever response came from Jason Chaffetz, Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee. Chaffetz said he hadn't seen any proof, but assumed that President* Trump would not have made the accusation without some piece of evidence:
“Look, it’s a very serious allegation. The president has at his fingertips tens of billions of dollars in intelligence apparatus. I’ve got to believe -- I think he might have something there, but if not, we're going to find out.”Now, think whatever you want of Chaffetz, but he is obviously not stupid. Read this quote under the reasonable assumption that he knows that the entire accusation is pure hogwash and has no proof whatsoever except for a crazy Breitbart article about one delusional conspiratorial rant made by a kook radio host. This is very clearly not a statement of support. Quite the contrary: this is Jason Chaffetz preparing to denounce Donald Trump and cut all ties with him. He is not alone. Similar responses were heard from high ranking Republicans, including people in Trump's own administration. Even the infamous Kellyanne Conway, otherwise provenly comfortable with lying through her teeth for President* Trump, took this approach, distancing herself from a massive, incriminating false accusation made by her boss.
The ship is sinking, and the rats are leaving. The question is: is there anywhere they can go?
