Having seen very little evidence that Republicans were challenging Trump, I emailed my three congresspeople in February 2019 that my No. 1 concern regarding Trump was for the millions of people (some of them my friends) when they are forced to see that they were wrong to believe Trump’s many lies and all they heard on Trump’s favorite news network. 

Everyone knows the crushing pain of admitting to the betrayal of someone they’ve staunchly defended. It’s hard. It’s much easier to hang on to the investment of hope, but at some point continued defense is counterproductive; it diminishes your confidence and the faith others have in you. It would be best to seek out the truth and learn better ways to evaluate. I invited them to start by applying the golden rule. It’s simple really. It’s a call for empathy; to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. The golden rule isn’t “do to others before they can do it to you.”

Trump lies often and recordings prove it. He believes lying has always worked for him. It appears Trump doesn’t factor in consequences; perhaps he’s seldom had to suffer them. So many loyal appointees have been abandoned when they detracted from his own reputation. He knows he can throw out a catchphrase and repeat it ad infinitum and his people will accept it as truth. 

The bully calling you stupid every day doesn’t make it true; him telling his Mom that he didn’t do it, doesn’t make that true. If your best friend assured you that he had your back, would you still defend him when he lost all your money, made fun of your kid or compromised your wife? Do you want your children to learn that it’s okay to lie if it gets you what you want? How do you argue for truth if you support Trump? Will any defendant in court be able to win by yelling “Hoax! Witchhunt!”?  When history looks at Trump and documents all his transgressions, will you be proud?

It was my hope that my three congresspeople would step up and recognize the consequences of their support for Trump. In October 2019 I mentioned my secondary concern. 

Their support since day one has emboldened Trump to wield presidential power without fear of consequences. One need only to look at the increasingly crazy diversions he threw out when embarrassing acts turned up. I suspected that as he saw the end of power approaching he would order outrageous things to happen and no one would be able to stop him. I believe the deal with Turkey was the first of those things. In one call with Erdogan he betrayed the Kurds, rewarded Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iran, abandoned our diplomats and confirmed to all our allies that the U.S. can no longer be trusted and has no standing on the world stage. People died, families were displaced. 

Sure, they weren’t Americans, but they were people who had been led to believe America supported them just as people all over the world had been assured for decades. There was outrage but no one acted, so, golly, there must be a lot more people around who get money from America and don’t give anything back. Who’s next? Maybe Ukraine? Congress didn’t notice that they weren’t sent their funds. Wow, Putin really hates Ukraine. Maybe this can be finessed. What next? Pick a fight with Canada, pull troops out of South Korea? So many options and no one willing to stop Trump.

Impeachment was inevitable. Republicans, by ensuring that the Senate does not approve the impeachment, are confirming to Trump that he is a dictator much like Putin, Xi and Kim, when in reality all his actions indicate that he is really Putin’s puppet. I regret their inability to step off of this path, but it is not too late to redeem themselves.