If there is one thing Republicans are quite certain of, it is that mishandling classified information is an absolute deal-breaker when it comes to high office. And we're of course kidding on that, because from Mitch McConnell to Marco Rubio to John Cornyn to take-your-pick, the reaction when the great orange idiot in charge does it is that well golly, the only true danger here would be if this got in the way of their party cutting medical services and giving the money to the people who paid for their campaigns.
And so the great hunt continues for even one so-called "serious" Republican who is willing to put country over party. We'll be here a while, so you may want to get a cup of coffee.
Here's Rep. Justin Amash. His strong suggestion is that perhaps Trump should let Congress know the same details that he was willing to let Russia know. It will be interesting to see the White House response. Do they claim they can't share the information because it's classified? Do they claim they just can't trust Congress to not leak it? That would be—and both parties likely agree—hilarious.
Sen. Richard Burr, however, is going farther. He let it be known through a spokesperson that the Senate Intelligence Committee, which he chairs, "has reached out to the White House to request additional information." That and a Russian news camera might get you somewhere, buddy.
And then there's Sen. John McCain. Oh, John McCain, how you taunt us.
McCain is known for strong statements that he then backs up with Not A Damn Thing; McCain is the toast of the Sunday shows for saying stern words about the incredibly inappropriate things someone in his own party has done and then scuttling back to his office for a vigorous regimen of never actually following through with any legislative or investigative actions that would so much as slightly inconvenience the people doing the bad thing he just railed against. He whiffed last night with a weak mutter of "the president does have the right to do that," so needed to follow up today with something more substantively substance-less. His new, official statement is that the "reports" are "deeply disturbing" and that:
Regrettably, the time President Trump spent sharing sensitive information with the Russians was time he did not spend focusing on Russia's aggressive behavior, including its interference in American and European elections, its illegal innovation of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea, its other destabilizing activities across Europe, and the slaughter of innocent civilians and targeting of hospitals in Syria.
Which is a very bold and dramatic statement—or would be if anybody involved was under the impression John McCain would now buck his party and demand they pay attention to those other things as well. If you're waiting for that, you may want to brew more coffee.