Three prominent Republicans on Capitol Hill broke with the Trump administration over allegations of collusion with Russia, a sign that the once-solid congressional support for the new president is fracturing under the weight of new revelations.

The previously stalwart defenders of the president abandoned the White House Wednesday amid of a wave of news stories about:

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Breaking ranks

The first defector was Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina, who said Nunes’ defense of Trump — including the leaking of apparently classified information—had disqualified him from leading the House investigation.

With 24 hours, Jones was echoed by Texas Congressman Charley Dent who told the Washington Post that the House inquiry had been fatally compromised by Nunes and that the Senate should take the lead in investigating the Trump entourage.

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As if on cue, North Carolina Senator Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, held a press conference with ranking minority member Mark Warner to announce the Senate investigation will call 20 witnesses, including Manafort and Michael Flynn, the former National Security Adviser, who resigned after dissembling about his pre-inauguration meeting with Russian officials.

Was the president personally involved in colluding with Russia, asked one reporter?

“Our challenge is to answer that question for the American people,” said Burr.

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That answer is no comfort to Trump who claims that allegations of collusion between his entourage and the Russians amount to “fake news.”

Tipping point?