Yet Republicans in a co-equal branch of government do not appear free to speak. With the rare exception, as when Trump blundered following a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville where a woman was killed, the response is nothing, ever.

They didn’t speak out when the president undermined his secretary of state over Twitter for all the world to see while Rex Tillerson was in China attempting to negotiate with the Xi government over a nuclear standoff with North Korea. They had no problem with Trump suggesting that NFL owners fire players who kneel during the national anthem, or Vice President Pence’s $250,000 taxpayer-funded protest at an Indianapolis Colts game. Trump’s lies about Sen. Bob Corker begging for his endorsement, and subsequently calling the chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee “‘Liddle’ Corker” — whose vote he desperately needs on key initiatives — were just something to move on from. Picking a fight with the mayor of San Juan days into historic devastation on the island of Puerto Rico? Threats to pull federal resources out of Puerto Rico? His tweet warning that the North Koreans “may not be around much longer” — still not alarming enough. Gotta move on.