We begin today’s roundup with reaction to a leaked recording of Republican Rep. Devin Nunes admitting his priority is covering up and protecting the president. First up, Julian Zelizer at CNN:
More than the President's Twitter distractions and more than the conservative news media, it has been the Republicans in the House and Senate who have been vital to the survival of this presidency. [...] This is another indication of why the midterm elections will be so important to the next two years of the Trump presidency. This is why Trump has been so active on the campaign trail, although there is growing evidence after Tuesday that his presence at rallies around the country might do more than anything else to hand Democrats both chambers.
Here’s Scott Martelle’s take at The Los Angeles Times:
There must be limits to political solidarity. Where exactly the line should be drawn can be debated, but one would hope that members of a political party would not let their desire to hang on to power preclude a chance to determine the scope of meddling by a foreign power in an American election – and whether those efforts implicate the president himself.
Congress is meant to be a check on the executive, not a political security detail protecting him. Voters would be wise to keep that in mind as the midterm approaches.