They have carried his water and have echoed his accusations regarding the FBI, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and the president’s financial connections to Saudi Arabia and Russia — without any idea of whether Trump is telling the truth. As Mueller throws out evidence of Trump’s duplicity bit by bit, Republicans increasingly appear as though they have been either unwittingly or wittingly duped. Given the potential exposure for Trump and for Republicans, as well as the results of the 2018 midterms, you wonder whether they might finally choose to inch away from him.

There are a few signs that might be underway. On judicial nominees, the Senate had second thoughts about confirming Thomas Farr, who seemed to be an impresario of voter-suppression techniques, to a U.S. district court seat. The vote was first postponed when at least three GOP senators — Tim Scott (S.C.), Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) — voiced concern, though they all voted to move Farr’s nomination forward on Wednesday. But Scott, the Senate’s only African American Republican, came out against Farr on Thursday, which seemed to dash his nomination.

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As for legislation protecting the special counsel’s inquiry, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), so far, is the only one willing to hold up legislation until he gets a vote. However, in light of the most recent Russia revelations and Trump’s increasingly frantic attacks on Mueller (not to mention his arguably unconstitutional appointment of a political hack as acting attorney general), the argument for insulating Mueller becomes stronger. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Thursday: “Almost daily, the president’s Twitter feed is littered with baseless accusations about the investigation. President Trump re-tweeted an image of several of his political opponents, including Deputy Attorney General [Rod J.] Rosenstein, behind bars. Can you believe that?”

If the president is willing to dangle a pardon for Manafort, fire both FBI director James B. Comey and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, as well as order (unsuccessfully) that Mueller be fired, what makes Republicans think he won’t revive his plans to fire Mueller, as the special counsel’s case gets stronger by the day? If the Senate would move on that legislation, it would be a positive sign that Republicans are unlikely to take Trump’s word as gospel. It would also, of course, help stave off a constitutional crisis.

Then we have the Saudi issue. Trump’s attempt — in concert with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — to corral senators into supporting the president’s decision to give Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman a free pass on Khashoggi’s murder has backfired dramatically. The New York Times reported: “Furious over being denied a C.I.A. briefing on the killing of a Saudi journalist, senators from both parties spurned the Trump administration on Wednesday with a stinging vote to consider ending American military support for the Saudi-backed war in Yemen. . . . It was the strongest signal yet that Republican and Democratic senators alike remain vehemently skeptical of the administration’s insistence that the Saudi crown prince cannot, with certainty, be blamed for the death of [Khashoggi].” While the 63-to-37 vote to move the measure along is impressive, it remains to be seen whether the Republicans will fold when asked to approve the measure.

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