Former Trump officials show their principled opposition is paper-thin

Nikki Haley delivered a speech on Tuesday discussing the state of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. With the primary in her home state of South Carolina just four days away, it was unlikely that the former governor would quit the race at this point, but with polls putting her 30 percentage points behind in what many view as a must-win state, a pre-humiliation withdrawal was not out of the question. For now, she declares she is staying in.

After a slow start in which she, along with other Republican candidates, seemed unwilling to say anything about Donald Trump that was less than glowing praise, Haley has sharpened her attack. She accused Trump (rightly) of vastly inflating the national debt, said that Trump is “good at breaking things,” and declared that "Just because President Trump says something doesn't make it true.” Following her Tuesday statement, Haley told an Associated Press reporter not to worry about how she’s going to win primary states, but to worry about how Trump is “gonna win a general election after spending a full year in a courtroom.”

Still, Haley is careful never to take her Trump criticism too far. Not only does she make sure to regularly slip “President Trump” into her statements, she has promised to pardon Trump in the very unlikely event that she becomes president. When a party is in the midst of a purge, bravery comes in very limited quantities, and anyone who speaks too loudly is likely to be silenced.