Let those remarks sink in. Trump is saying that officials who believed they witnessed him coerce a foreign leader to investigate his political rival were no different than traitors or foreign spies. Conflating loyalty to the sovereign with loyalty to country is what despots and dictators do. The American presidency was designed — created, even — to keep those loyalties separate.

In addition to being despicable on the merits, Trump’s remarks also highlight his gift for self-sabotage. Earlier in the day, Maguire testified under oath that at no point did Trump ask him about the identity of the whistle-blower, which Maguire himself does not know. Trump could have used that testimony to close off another avenue in the impeachment inquiry: whether the president sought vengeance against those who spoke to the inspector general.

That is what a competent president would have done. Instead, Trump has given his impeachers more ammunition. It is reminiscent of Trump’s efforts to coerce White House staff to lie about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting.