In the spring of 1954, Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy called for Congressional hearings to accuse members of the Army of communist ties. Nearing the end of those hearings, Boston lawyer Joseph Welch grew so exasperated that he said to McCarthy, “Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?” The hearings exposed McCarthy’s extremism and led to his eventual disgrace.

McCarthy’s lawyer was Roy Cohn. Cohn was indicted four times in the 1960s and 1970s. He was known for not paying contractors and for cheating on taxes; he didn’t believe the rules applied to him. In 1986, the New York State Supreme Court disbarred Cohn for unethical and unprofessional behavior.

In the 1970s, Roy Cohn became a friend, ally and business associate of Donald J. Trump, another narcissist who believes that the rules don’t apply to him. When he was in the White House and facing one of his many legal troubles, Trump was reported to have asked, “Where’s my Roy Cohn?’

Matt Tyrnauer, the producer and director of a documentary about Roy Cohn, draws parallels between Cohn and Trump. “They have this sort of Road Runner-versus-Wile E. Coyote knack where you think the boulder is going to fall on them and crush them and they escape just in the nick of time.”

Trump has had scores of boulders rain down on him over the years. He’s been embroiled in hundreds of lawsuits. He was impeached twice while in the White House. He led an insurrection on the Capitol and has yet to pay the price, although many of his rabid followers have been put in prison. A future indictment is likely.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg indicted Trump for falsifying New York business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activities from American voters before and after the 2016 election.

In May, a jury found Trump liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of E. Jean Carroll and awarded her $5 million. True to form, Trump continued defaming Carroll who, in turn, filed another suit against him.

Every time Trump lands in legal trouble, his loyal cult members and political allies play the victim card, blasting the FBI or the Justice Department or the media or, yes, those awful Democrats — anything and anyone but their idol. Not only that, every time Trump hits a legal snag, he immediately sends out a fundraising appeal and his cult members dutifully fork over their cash to help Trump pay his legal bills. (“There’s a sucker born every minute.”)

What about the leaders of the Republican Party? Well, with very few exceptions, they’ve been all too happy to play Trump’s game and do his bidding. They know, to be sure, that Trump is a con man, but they’re afraid to alienate his supporters lest they weaken their own political power.

This past week, another boulder came bearing down on Trump, perhaps the biggest one in his life. The Justice Department charged him with 37 criminal counts related to withholding national defense information, concealing and possessing classified documents and making false statements.

That will surely do it, declared legal experts and presidential historians, Trump is toast. After all, how could any sane, thinking, ethical American support a man who knowingly put the nation’s safety and security in danger? This is surely the death knell for Trump, right?

Nope. The Republican leaders, including most of those running for president in the 2024 election, echoed Trump’s complaint about the “weaponization of the Justice Department.” There were a few notable exceptions, such as Mitt Romney and Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, but most of those who should know better have cravenly chosen the Trumpy path.

The recent indictments provoked the inevitable “whataboutism” defenses, but those defenses don’t measure up to the disaster our nation would face if Trump regained the presidency.

Take a look in the mirror, Republicans. Consider what’s become of your Grand Old Party since Trump assumed — and retains — the reins. The party that purports to be “pro-military” now supports a draft-dodger who’s fine with keeping — and sharing — classified documents which include information critical to our national interests. The party that likes to claim the “family values” mantle supports a man with a long record of infidelity and abusing women. The party that trumpets “law and order” refuses to condemn a man whose entire life has been spent ignoring the law. The party that prattles on about fiscal responsibility clings to the slippery coattails of the man who racked up record deficits. If you insist on supporting Trump, then you should take down your American flag and replace it with a Trump flag. In addition, Christians who support Trump might want to return to the Good Book to determine if Trump is a good role model for Christians.

I don’t know how the document indictments will play out, although the Justice Department’s case seems clear cut. Moreover, the Fulton County District Attorney Fran Willis has been investigating whether then President Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 Georgia election. Indictments will likely come in August.

We can only hope that more members of Trump’s “base” will at long last admit that they’ve been duped and that they won’t take it anymore. We can only hope that Republican leaders finally stand up as one and say, “Trump, be gone. You’ve done enough. You’re out.”

We can only hope. Stay tuned.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com.