Sen. Jeff Merkley: Republicans Feel ‘Absolutely Constrained by the Trump Base’

EXCERPT:

MERKLEY: "So the conversations — they’ve been holding their conversations very close to their vest. I -- I think they feel, and it’s reflected in a whole series of discussions, absolutely constrained by the Trump base. That they have a base that is so significant in their future elections that they cannot offend it. And that base is constantly seeing what Trump describes as the Trump media -- the social media, the cable news networks, the emails, the talk radio stations -- and that they cannot get out of sync with that base. And they’re struggling with how to square that with what they know is their proper role under the law and under the Constitution."