The other day, I had breakfast with a Russian opposition leader at the Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington (having watched too many episodes of The Americans, I wondered if we were being watched or, at the very least, if I might end up on some report filed that day in Moscow). My new friend is worried that America might be headed toward Putinism, but is also cautiously optimistic that Trump will serve as a sort of “stress test” that helps us fix any holes in our system. In short, he sees that Trump has the same authoritarian tendencies as Putin, but is relieved that our institutions are (mostly) working to contain him.
The scary thing is that these institutions rest on the shoulders of men and women. If Sessions had resigned (when I wrongly said he should), these institutions would have been weakened. The same could be said for Robert Mueller, Rod Rosenstein, and many others who represent the law enforcement community.
Which brings me to my final point. It seems high time for the institution of Congress to step up.
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