If you work for Trump, quit now

And others: CIA Director Gina Haspel; national security adviser John Bolton; gulp, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis? You understand the Russian threat; combating it has been part of your life's work. How do you get up every morning and go to work for a man who's so heedless of his responsibilities to his country?

How heedless? Before his two hours alone with Putin, Trump tweeted, "Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!"

Things went downhill from there. At his post-meeting news conference, Trump stood side by side with Putin and, asked about holding Russia accountable, instead replied: "I think we're all to blame. ... I do feel that we have both made some mistakes." On the investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, he added, "the probe is a disaster for our country. I think it's kept us apart, it's kept us separated."

And challenged directly about whether he would, "with the whole world watching, tell President Putin, would you denounce what happened in 2016 and would you warn him to never do it again," Trump flat-out refused. He not only resorted to his usual misdirection about the Democratic National Committee's computer server, but he also refused to back up the claims of his intelligence director against Putin's denials.

"My people came to me, Dan Coats came to me and some others, they said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it's not Russia," Trump said. "I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be. But I really do want to see the server."

God save us.

Certainly, Congress won't, at least not from the extensive evidence of GOP spinelessness so far. Sure, we saw some post-summit head-shaking from the likes of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey O. Graham and Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee. Better than nothing, but we have suffered months of tut-tutting followed by capitulation.

Perhaps mass resignations of administration officials would rouse a supine Congress. Perhaps this would alarm even some Trump voters, who thought they elected a crockery-breaker and got, in the most charitable interpretation, a Putin-enabler. Perhaps not, but really, administration officials, what good are you doing, for yourselves or your country, by sticking around for this?

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Ruth Marcus' email address is ruthmarcus@washpost.com.