A great deal of chaos has been unleashed in the last 8 months of Republican rule. The leader of the party, Mr. Trump has harnessed the federal system to pursue interests that are exclusively his own. More concerned for opportunities to line his own pockets, leveraging executive power for revenge, and concealing criminal records that compromise his interests appear to take priority. This behavior is not surprising as creating turmoil is Trump’s signature move, evidenced through his trail of bankruptcies, and fraud, to the tune of 88 indictments and 34 convictions.

He is a rapist. 

That is the net sum of the party’s leader.

Perhaps you find solace in arguing Trump was the choice of the people, and since the electoral tilt leaned Republican, you tell yourselves his crimes are irrelevant. By extension, the destruction of law does not bother his base, so why should it bother GOP legislators? 

Because you know better, that’s why. 

The harm? Willfully ignoring that criminality and sanctioning Trump to whip about like an inflatable tube man, deconstructing America’s blueprint of government as he pleases. Perhaps you actually believed him when he said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it. Your indifference, or fear of being primary-ed seems to say yes, the party would condone even that.

It isn’t possible you are criminal by nature, surely a desire to serve guided your decision to run for public office, but Trump is a criminal by nature. Yet, the GOP remains on the sidelines rather than insist on transparency to the media or your constituents. This reticence to defend the indefensible speaks of a consciousness of guilt. As handmaidens to Trump, the party is nothing more than accomplices in an ongoing crime spree. 

And those offenses are many. Flagrant. Abuse of power, violation of the emoluments clause, retaliation against his perceived enemies leading to groundless lawsuits, not to forget stealing national intelligence. 

America and the world are witnessing a national smash and grab.

The party is in possession of all three branches of government and yet your stewardship has only made the rich richer, the poor more desperate, the middle class squeezed, and now has closed the United States down. THE UNITED STATES. “The City on the Hill, The World’s Last Best Hope,” We the People,” all closed for business because you have submitted utterly to a remorseless predator.

Soon Trump will have no use for Congress. In Trump-world only one counts and it isn’t any of you, or the rest of us for that matter. The Legislative Branch will atrophy, a fate to which the Supreme Court has already succumbed.

But how about this alternative? What if members were to stand up and vow no more free passes for Trump? Get out there in front of the cameras and announce “I was sent to Congress to do the work of the people, not one man.” Instead of letting him seize ultimate power, you instead take a stand and seize history? 

If any Republican member of Congress who, at this moment, demonstrated the courage of a Jeff Flake, or a Liz Cheney you could break this fever, and save America a lot of suffering. Dear Congressmen and Senators, imagine it, you would prove a honest profile in courage. 

Gail Chumbley is the author of the two-part memoir “River of January,” and “River of January: Figure Eight,” co-writer of the screenplay, “Dancing On Air” based on those books. She has penned three stage plays on history topics, “Clay” on the life of Senator Henry Clay, “Wolf By The Ears” examining the beginnings of American slavery, and “Peer Review” where 47 is confronted by specters of four past presidents.