To the Editor:

Senator Jeff Flake’s remarks denouncing President Trump’s comment regarding Democratic members of Congress who did not applaud during the State of the Union address stand in stark contrast to the silence emanating from the Senate and House leadership.

These same leaders sat in silence on multiple occasions during President Obama’s State of the Union addresses, as was their privilege, and without concern that this right would be publicly characterized as “un-American” or “treasonous” by the president.

Though Senator Flake and I likely differ on policy preferences, we, and many other Americans across the political spectrum, hopefully share core beliefs in the importance of civil liberties and discourse. Only through courageous stands such as Mr. Flake’s will we continue to overcome the threat to those beliefs.

TIM BREWER, LOS ANGELES

To the Editor:

Some suggest that President Trump is diverting us from bad economic news by his preposterous claim of treason. Others have reminded us that in Stalin’s Soviet Union, refraining from applauding was in fact treasonous. And some see this as still more evidence that Mr. Trump has no idea what he is talking about.