Nevada’s Republican senator has no excuse not to stand up to Trump

The weapons are malware files and fake news items instead of aircraft and bombs, but make no mistake: America is under attack by a foreign nation, just as sure as it was on Sept. 11, 2001, or Dec. 7, 1941.

Worse yet, unlike during those dark days, we now have a would-be autocrat of a president who has betrayed America to an enemy while undermining our allies.

For Sen. Dean Heller, R-nev., this has yielded a question no less crucial than this: Are you willing to defend America?

After the unimaginable events of this week, it’s clear that Americans desperately need Congress to do its constitutional duty to constrain an executive branch that is determined to do our enemies’ bidding. This morally bankrupt president, whose attacks on our nation’s most important postwar relationships had already inflicted massive damage to our international and trade relations, sunk to a new level this week with his servile behavior toward Russia. His sellout of America went well beyond his failure to hold Russia accountable for its ongoing cyberwarfare operation against our elections. He went all the way to entertaining what he described as an “incredible offer” by Vladimir Putin that involved allowing Russia to question the former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, Michael Mcfaul, and other U.S. officials.

Worse yet was the revelation that Donald Trump was told in January 2017 that Putin personally authorized the election attack, meaning that everything Trump has done since that time has been with the knowledge that the Russian president is an enemy of American democracy.

Alarms are blaring.

So where is Heller?

The Republican senator was slow to respond to Trump’s disgraceful performance in Helsinki.

And when Heller finally did, his remark was spineless.

“While I am not opposed to a dialogue between the two leaders, I trust our intelligence community’s assessment on Russian interference, not Vladimir Putin’s,” Heller said through a spokeswoman. “He is no

Ever since Trump yanked Heller’s chain publicly for voting against the initial Obamacare repealand-replace action, Heller has aligned himself so closely to Trump that he’s practically getting an orange tint to his skin. It needs to stop. As a matter of principle, Heller owes it to Nevadans and our nation to stand against these attacks on America.

friend of the United States and I don’t trust him.”

Notice, there was no mention of Trump. More important, Heller says he agrees with U.S. intelligence that Russia is attacking our elections, but he refuses to raise a finger to stop the assault.

Ever since Trump yanked Heller’s chain publicly for voting against the initial Obamacare repeal-and-replace action, Heller has aligned himself so closely to Trump that he’s practically getting an orange tint to his skin.

It needs to stop. As a matter of principle, Heller owes it to Nevadans and our nation to stand against these attacks on America, even though it requires him to abandon his school-girl crush on the president.

Actually, Heller has no excuse for not joining the small group of Republican lawmakers that is publicly questioning Trump.

Heller can’t even hide behind the crass political argument that some GOP members of Congress are using to avoid taking on the president. That argument goes like this: Some Republicans privately oppose Trump, perhaps even to the point of being ready to impeach him, but come from solid red districts or states that only want a Trump puppet and will punish anyone who criticizes the president. That being the case, it’s more responsible for them to stay quiet, hold onto their seats, work behind the scenes to control Trump and wait for an opportunity to take action against him.

This is Vichy logic. We know how badly that turns out.

But Heller highlights his cowardice because he is in a far different situation.

First, he has already made it through his primary, unlike lawmakers from states where primary voting has yet to take place. For them, there’s a real risk of being ousted by a Trump extremist should they take on Trump. Just ask Alabama Rep. Martha Roby, who won her Republican primary runoff last week by going all-in for Trump after initially criticizing him during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Second, if Heller wins in November, he’s got another six years in office — enough time to potentially outlast Trump.

Third, Heller is from a purple state. Yes, he would risk losing votes from hardcore Trump voters by stepping up, but he could also draw support among moderate Republicans and never-trump conservatives.

But the real issue here doesn’t have anything to do with voting.

It’s about doing what’s right.

Every public servant and elected official will be judged by how they respond to this period when an autocrat has risen among us, threatening to destroy the nation from the inside.

Heller is in position to defend America from the Russians and a disgraceful president apparently controlled by the Russians. If he won’t stand for America, he is a collaborator with our enemies and should be run out of Washington along with all others who refuse to defend our nation.