The Entire Republican Party Is Compromised

That is the only explanation for why they continue to try to discredit Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation — even as the Senate's Russia investigation gathers more information that "opened a lot of new questions."

The allegedly explosive memo Rep. Devin Nunes has been peddling, which Republicans have claimed documents evidence of anti-Trump bias at the FBI and the Justice Department, reportedly contains the disclosure that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein approved an extension of surveillance of Trump campaign advisor Carter Page, "because the Justice Department had reason to believe he was acting as a foreign agent for Russia."

So, to be clear: The Republicans are trying to discredit Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein — who appointed Mueller because Attorney General Jeff Sessions had to recuse himself from the Russia investigation — by smearing him for surveilling Page, who has practically bragged about being an Russian agent.

There isn't a single Congressional Republican who will stand up and defend Mueller and his investigation, or the man who appointed him, even when their target is a dirtbag nobody like Page, who is almost certainly a traitor.

The question is why, and clearly it's more than just their intransigent fealty to party above country, because, if Trump were ousted, they'd be left with Mike Pence, who is at least as partisan as Trump and probably even more so, and, beyond him, Paul Ryan.

The only conceivable answer is because they're all compromised, in one way or another.

The more that Republicans try to discredit Mueller's Russia investigation, no matter how absurd their strategy, even in defense of characters like Carter Page, the more they implicate Mike Pence. Because clearly they fear losing the White House altogether.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) January 29, 2018

But, on the other hand, if they know Mueller's investigation will find that Pence, too, colluded (as we should expect it will, given that he was hand-picked by Manafort and led the presidential transition), that's an incentive to discredit Mueller's findings.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) January 29, 2018

Trust that there's a reason the GOP, many of whom privately call Trump "an idiot" and worse, are going to extraordinary lengths to discredit Mueller. And it ISN'T because Pence wouldn't sign his name to legislation like the tax bill just as readily as Trump did. He would.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) January 29, 2018

The Republican leadership has very little incentive to continue to protect Trump at this point. But if we know one thing about Republicans, it's that they're powerfully motivated by self-interest. And it seems like they've got a compelling reason to protect themselves.