'Spinelessness is contagious': Conservative MSNBC host lashes out at the GOP's complicity in Trump's cover-up

While Democrats are committed to pursuing investigations of President Donald Trump on multiple fronts, Republicans in Congress have fallen — almost universally — in lockstep behind their party's leader to block the investigations. Even though, crucially, they likely have no idea what it is that they're helping to cover up.

What explains this behavior? On MSNBC's "Deadline: White House" on Wednesday, conservative commentator Charlie Sykes was clear: They're weak, and they've given over any authority to the president.

"Spinelessness is contagious," he said.  "And what we're finding out is that there is no bottom here."

He continued: "There's two things. The Trump administration's claims in court were described by the federal judge as 'astonishing.' Saying that the president of the United States cannot be indicted, but he also cannot be investigated by Congress. Which does, as Congressman [Jerry] Nadler says, makes him literally above the law."

Host Nicolle Wallace laughed at the absurdity of the administration's claims.

"But it's also astonishing the way Republicans decided that they were going to circle the wagons around Trump and Trump Jr.," Syke went on. "Basically saying: 'Look, not only do we not want to investigate what was possibly an obstruction of justice and an attack on this country, an ongoing attack on this country, we do not even want to ask questions. We don't want to know anything about it, and we don't even care that we have been lied to."

Watch the clip below: