FBI Probe Could Hurt Donald Trump’s Clout in Congress

Questions about credibility come as president pushes for health-care overhaul, Supreme Court confirmation

 .. The Comey appearance also threatens to further erode Mr. Trump’s job-approval ratings, possibly giving Republicans in more moderate districts an incentive to keep their distance from the president as the FBI investigation plays out.
.. The poll found that 58% of Americans disapprove of the president’s job performance and just 37% approve.
.. “If you like him, you’re blowing it off as the swamp going back at him,”
.. “If you’re one of our activists, all you care about is, are you getting these things done—Supreme Court, Obamacare repeal?”
.. Some of the centrist Republicans whom Mr. Trump needs for his governing coalition skipped an opportunity on Monday to defend the president, with intelligence panel members such as Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R., Fla.) saying it was important to conduct an investigation of Russian election meddling in a spirit of bipartisanship.
.. But when Mr. Comey confirmed the FBI was investigating Russian meddling in the elections, including potential links between Russians and people in Mr. Trump’s orbit, Republicans seemed to realize that embracing Mr. Trump might expose them to unwanted political risks.
By the end of the hearing, they were openly worrying that the revelations could interfere with the ability of the Trump administration to succeed.
.. Mr. Spicer predicted that the FBI investigation will inevitably conclude there were no illicit contacts between the campaign and Russian operatives.
.. “Republicans have a historic opportunity for conservative change if they keep their eyes on governing and away from the shiny objects,” Mr. Holmes said.
.. some Republicans had been questioning Mr. Trump’s credibility in the sausage-making aspects of passing laws. When Mr. Trump last Friday said he had won the support for the health bill from of an influential bloc of House conservatives, some House Republicans openly challenged him on Twitter.
“Absolutely not true that conservatives have flipped to yes on the health care bill,” wrote Rep. Justin Amash (R., Mich.) in a post that was retweeted by Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.). “It doesn’t repeal Obamacare. It remains a disaster.”
.. Republicans may be reaching a point where they can challenge Mr. Trump with impunity.
.. “GOP lawmakers are criticizing him with impunity—and that makes it easier for them to oppose him on Obamacare, his budget, tax policies, etc.,” he said. “Trump is squandering his political capital, which he needs to win enactment of his agenda.”

The Tainted Election

This president will have a lot of legal authority, which must be respected. But beyond that, nothing: he doesn’t deserve deference, he doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.

And when, as you know will happen, the administration begins treating criticism as unpatriotic, the answer should be: You have to be kidding. Mr. Trump is, by all indications, the Siberian candidate, installed with the help of and remarkably deferential to a hostile foreign power. And his critics are the people who lack patriotism?

.. Remember, many, though not all, of the things Mr. Trump will try to do can be blocked by just three Republican senators.

.. Everything we’ve seen so far says that Mr. Trump is going to utterly betray the interests of the white working-class voters who were his most enthusiastic supporters, stripping them of health care and retirement security, and this betrayal should be highlighted.

Trump creates conditions in which dissent is not welcome

It’s an eerily familiar pattern: Trump sees criticism, Trump resents criticism, and Trump lashes out at those responsible for the criticism. In this case, Vanity Fair published a piece late yesterday with unkind words about the restaurant at Trump Tower, leading the president-elect to put aside the work he’s supposed to be doing, fire up Twitter, and announce his contempt for the publication that’s slighted him.

This obviously isn’t how U.S. leaders are supposed to conduct themselves – especially in public – and it’s not how Trump should be spending his time. But even more jarring is the frequency of these incidents.

.. The common thread isn’t subtle: those who cross Trump should expect to face consequences.

.. The less tangible threat … is to the willingness of dissidents to criticize the Trump government, out of fear that Trump will harm their businesses, or that his unhinged supporters will harm their families.