The two major American political parties appear largely united in their desire to keep the Kremlin in check, particularly after Trump made the startling assertion in Helsinki Monday, with Putin at his side, that he believed the Russian leader when he said Moscow did not interfere in US elections.

That globally televised submissiveness to a strongman was interpreted by many as a betrayal of US intelligence agencies, which had collectively declared that Putin and Russia launched a coordinated attack on the American electoral process in 2016.

“We walked away from basic reality,” an angry Republican Senator Ben Sasse told colleagues, as he accused Trump of coddling a “thug turned Russian despot.”

While Trump’s position on Russian interference has shifted repeatedly in recent days, and fresh comments about NATO cast doubt about the alliance’s mutual defense premise, some in Trump’s party signalled they had had enough with his wrecking ball diplomacy and sought to take steps to box him in.

Republican Senator Jeff Flake, with a Democratic co-sponsor, on Wednesday introduced a non-binding resolution that would reaffirm the intelligence community’s assessment of Russian interference, and assert that Moscow be held accountable for its actions.

A meatier measure would be a bill, introduced months ago by Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democrat Tim Kaine that is gaining traction now, that would automatically sanction Russia for any future election meddling.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested Tuesday that he could allow a vote on the legislation.

“I think the dam is breaking as it relates to people realizing that we need to have some significant push backs,” Senator Bob Corker told reporters Wednesday.

“Doing nothing is political malpractice,” added Senator Lindsey Graham. Russian meddling “is a 9/11 type scenario that we can actually prevent.”

Corker has been adamant about passing legislation that would restrict Trump’s ability to impose tariffs, arguing that taxing US allies pushes them away while strengthening Putin.

But while Corker serves as the powerful chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testifies next week and will certainly be grilled about Helsinki — he is not running for re-election, and neither is Flake.

They are liberated to a degree to voice their frustration, but there is little upside in speaking out for other Republicans seeking re-election this November.

Anti-Trump vitriol has backfired on some lawmakers, notably South Carolina congressman Mark Sanford. Trump raged about him on Twitter, and the lawmaker ultimately lost his Republican primary last month to a Trump loyalist.

– ‘Wave of alarm’ –

AFP / Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he wants US national security officials to testify before Congress about what was said and negotiated in President Donald Trump’s private meeting in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

There is little sign that Republicans are ready to go nuclear against the president. But with Senate Republicans holding a slim 51-49 majority, and Senator John McCain absent while battling brain cancer, a single defector has the power to gum up Trump’s agenda.

Republicans “should use their leverage to stop the administration’s priorities” until the Senate passes legislation that protects special counsel Robert Mueller and his Russia probe, and bolsters election security, Senate Democrat Brian Schatz told Politico.

“In a 51-49 Senate, all we need is one person who wants to be on the right side of history.”

The pressure is building.

“I think there’s a growing wave of alarm” in both parties, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal told AFP.

Blumenthal and other Democrats want Trump’s interpreter — the only other American in the room when the American and Russian presidents met privately — brought before Congress to testify about what transpired between the two men.

Republicans have not publicly warmed to that idea, but some are interested in hearing from Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton, who were likely debriefed by Trump after his Putin sit-down.

Major US newspapers, meanwhile, called on the Republicans who control both chambers of Congress to take action.

The New York Times, in an editorial titled “Time for Republicans to Grow a Spine,” said Congress should pass a resolution censuring the president over his Helsinki debacle.

“Let Mr. Putin know that not every American politician is eager to be his dancing bear,” the editorial board wrote.

It also suggested other steps, including boosting the integrity of US election systems and protecting them from further Russian meddling, and calling on Trump to demand the extradition of 12 Russians indicted last week for election interference.

Even the conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote that lawmakers need a “containment strategy” for Trump.

“Republicans and Democrats will unite in Congress, as they should, to limit his diplomatic running room,” it said.

Featured Photo: AFP / Nicholas Kamm. US President Donald Trump is under fire from Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike after his performance in Helsinki, where he met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Trump’s decision stands to be among the most consequential of his presidency as he seeks to shape the high court to his conservative leanings for decades to come. With Kavanaugh a mere 53 years old, he could serve for a generation or more.

“Judge Kavanaugh has impeccable credentials, unsurpassed qualifications, and a proven commitment to equal justice under the law,” Trump said as he introduced his nominee in a prime-time address from the White House, praising him as “one of the finest and sharpest legal minds of our time”.

After days spent spent teasing his highly-anticipated decision, Trump ended up picking a jurist with extended federal bench and administration experience to fill the vacancy left by retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Kavanaugh worked for president George W. Bush, who appointed him in 2003 to the US Court of Appeals in Washington — where he was finally confirmed by the Senate in 2006 after years of Democratic obstruction.

He is also a robust supporter of the executive power of the presidency.

Kennedy was long a swing vote on the nine-member court, and Trump’s choice — his second opportunity in 18 months to fill a Supreme Court seat — stands to dramatically affect many aspects of American life, from abortion to voting rights to immigration.

While conservative on firearms and election financing, Kennedy showed a more progressive streak on issues such as abortion and affirmative action. An example of this came in 2015, when, thanks to him, same-sex marriage was legalized across the United States.

GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File / TASOS KATOPODIS. Donald Trump’s choice — his second opportunity in 18 months to fill a Supreme Court seat — stands to dramatically affect many aspects of American life, from abortion to voting rights to immigration.

But Kavanaugh, who grew up in Washington as the son of a schoolteacher, has the reputation of a staunch conservative, one who many Republicans no doubt hope could help overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that guarantees women the right to an abortion.

He has ruled on hundreds of cases, and contributed to prosecutor Kenneth Starr’s report into president Bill Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, which outlined several grounds for Clinton’s impeachment.

Later he was part of Bush’s legal team working on the 2000 Florida recount, which resulted in Bush winning the presidency.

Kavanaugh recently voiced disagreement with a court decision allowing an undocumented teenage immigrant to get an abortion.

– #StopKavanaugh –

The nominee made no mention of his leanings in brief remarks at the White House, where he was joined by his wife and their two daughters.

“My judicial philosophy is straightforward. A judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law,” he told the assembled dignitaries, as Trump beamed.

AFP/File / SAUL LOEB. US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy (L), pictured in 2017 with Chief Justice John Roberts, was long a swing vote on the nine-member top court.

“I believe that an independent judiciary is the crown jewel of our constitutional republic. If confirmed by the Senate… I will always strive to preserve the constitution of the United States and the American rule of law.”

Kavanaugh heads to Capitol Hill this week to make his case for confirmation, and he will face deep skepticism and outright opposition from most if not all Democrats.

The minority party — unable to block the nominee unless they lure some Republican senators to their side — have stressed the high stakes of the president’s decision as they prepare for the confirmation battle ahead.

In selecting Kavanaugh, Trump “has put reproductive rights and freedoms and health care protections for millions of Americans on the judicial chopping block,” tweeted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, adding the hashtag #StopKavanaugh.

Schumer and other Democratic senators have blasted Trump for having chosen Kavanaugh from a list pre-approved by rightwing outside groups, including the conservative Federalist Society.

Liberal Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders said in a tweet that if Kavanaugh is confirmed “it will have a profoundly negative effect on workers’ rights, women’s rights and voting rights for decades to come. We must do everything we can to stop this nomination.”

Republican Senator John McCain, key to a Republican ‘yes’ vote, endorsed the new nominee.

He said Kavanaugh has “impeccable credentials & a strong record of upholding the Constitution. He is widely respected as a fair, independent & mainstream judge.

“I look forward to the Senate moving forward with a fair & thorough confirmation process,” McCain tweeted.

Trump’s nominees edged out three other reported frontrunners: Raymond Kethledge, a strict interpreter of the US Constitution; Amy Coney Barrett, a devout Catholic and social conservative; and Thomas Hardiman, a staunch gun rights advocate.

The Senate’s top Republican, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, hailed a “superb choice” in Kavanaugh and urged senators to “put partisanship aside and consider his legal qualifications with the fairness, respect, and seriousness that a Supreme Court nomination ought to command.”

Democrats have sounded the alarm that by shifting the ideological balance of the top court Trump could place women’s reproductive rights, health care and LGBT rights at risk, and demonstrators gathered at the Supreme Court Monday night in protest at the nomination.

Trump indeed said during the 2016 campaign that he would put “pro-life justices on the court”, thrilling his grassroots base although polls show most Americans support abortion rights.

Featured Photo: AFP / SAUL LOEB. Brett Kavanaugh shakes hands with President Donald Trump after being nominated to the Supreme Court.