History unfolds before us daily, and when this stained chapter is put to rest, history will not view kindly those who failed to stand up for American ideals and against this dangerous presidency. That’s not political rhetoric. It’s fact.

President Trump, amidst a swirl of investigations, subpoenas and convictions, recently issued another dog whistle to fringe supporters. “I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump,” he said in a Breitbart interview. “I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough–until they go to a certain point–and then it would be very bad, very bad,”

You know who else surrounds himself with biker muscle? Vladimir Putin.

Trump’s would-be enforcers are listening. An acquaintance recently confided with dismay that he’d overheard longtime coworkers talking about their new flak vests. Unless the deer have started shooting back, this is telling. We’re not talking about Idaho. It’s here. Now.

Michael Cohen knows the man well. “I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, that there will never be a peaceful transition of power,” he said. Trump presumes he can’t be indicted while in office. He’s desperate to stay there.

Let’s not sugarcoat it; President Donald Trump has threatened violence against American citizens. And from Republicans, silence. After his attacks on the First Amendment, calling journalists the “enemy of the people” as Stalin did, silence. When he refused to denounce white nationalists chanting, “The Jews won’t replace us,” silence. As long as Republicans remain mute, Trump’s hate festers, and Ronald Reagan weeps.

During the Cohen hearings, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., invoked America’s better angels when he addressed Trump’s divisiveness. “We’re better than that. We really are. I’m hoping that all of us can get back to this democracy that we want and that we should be passing on to our children so that they can do better than what we did.”

Other Democrats have spoken out, but it’s not enough. Nixon resigned only when members of his own party, Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz., House Minority Leader John Rhodes, R-Ariz., and Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott, R-Pa., confronted him. The country again aches for that kind of integrity.

At this point, it’s less about impeachment and more about holding this careening president in check. There are three reasons Republicans so far haven’t done the right thing — complacency, duplicity and fear. A few Republicans, mostly those not seeking reelection, have challenged the ugliness, but a great vacuum of leadership remains. We await eagles. Instead, across the fruited plain, we see ostriches.

In North Dakota, silence. It speaks to an absence of character and courage, or at the very least, competent political calculation. Your cat could be elected in North Dakota with an R behind his name. How great is the risk to the political careers of our Republican congressional delegation, Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer and Rep. Kelly Armstrong? And should political security even be a consideration?

Silence tarnishes the luster of good works.

Courage gleams immemorial.

History bears witness.