By pretending otherwise, Trump is making a bet.

He’s betting that he can bend the Republican Party to his will and get congressional Republicans and administration officials to parrot his fictions. He’s betting that the media won’t be able to resist framing this story as “Both sides have a legitimate argument.” He’s betting that Democrats won’t be willing to engage in as tough a brand of politics as he is.

What’s the right response from each of those groups?

For other Republicans, it’s remembering that they don’t need to submit to Trump. Even though he says the earth is flat, they can say it’s round.

For the media, it’s using plain-spoken, objective language to state that Trump’s position has no Constitutional basis. The president’s position isn’t supported by federal law.

For the Democrats, it’s being both tough and smart. File subpoenas and try to persuade judges to force Trump administration officials to testify and hand over documents. If that doesn’t work — or drags on for weeks — find other ways to make the case to the country. Don’t allow the impeachment inquiry to be derailed or slowed too badly by Trump’s obstruction.

And there is one other group that should be responding to the president’s lawlessness: the public. Call your member of Congress. Attend a town-hall meeting in your district.