... To cover the Republican Party in the age of President Donald Trump requires a grasp of cryptology.
Because of the unflinching personal loyalty he demands, and punishment he'll administer on public dissenters, leading GOP officials speak in rhetorical code.
And in the aftermath of the second killing by federal agents of a protester in Minnesota, there's been a stream of statements, comments and sound bites from party lawmakers that beg for translation.
Before we get to the private and public messages being transmitted, however, a word on what top Republicans actually believe about what has become a deepening crisis for the White House, based on my conversations over the last two days.
They are concerned more protests to the bloodshed may beget additional incidents, have little faith in DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and, from a raw political standpoint, worry the party has squandered the best issues it had when voters were otherwise frustrated with the cost of living: the border and public order.
Immigration, broadly, as one veteran senator granted anonymity to speak candidly told me over the weekend, is for the GOP what health care is for Democrats -- a "home game."
Yet with viral images of Americans being shot in broad daylight replacing migrants stampeding across the country's border, that advantage is quickly dissipating.
So what are Republican elected officials doing to address what could prove calamitous, for the country and their political fortunes? ...
[emphasis mine]
