A Republican lawmaker chuckled. A Democratic senator nodded in emphatic agreement. And a possible 2020 GOP presidential candidate offered nuanced criticism.

How some lawmakers feel about President Donald Trump’s threat to punish political foes who have criticized him — and whether it reminds them of Richard Nixon — depends on how they feel about the president and his unconventional tactics. It makes the issue a microcosm of the Trump presidency.

Trump deployed his top spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, on Monday to announce he is “exploring” what appears to be an unprecedented move to strip certain former George W. Bush and Obama administration officials of their security clearances. The list includes John O. Brennan, James B. Comey, James R. Clapper Jr., Michael Hayden, Susan Rice and Andrew McCabe, with Sanders accusing them all of “politicizing” sensitive information and making false accusations about Trump and Russia.

(Comey and McCabe were fired under Trump, and say their clearances were quickly terminated. But Sanders appeared unaware of that Monday.)

[Senators Plot New Russia Sanctions as Committee Leaders Plan Hearings]