Conservative George Will lays waste to the Republican Party: 'One leader -- and the rest are followers'

The Republican Party once positioned itself as the party that was strong against foreign adversaries — including Russia in particular. But those days, since the rise of President Donald Trump, are over.

Conservative writer George Will made the point succinctly Friday on MSNBC's "Meet the Press with Chuck Todd." On a panel discussion about the recent indictments of 12 Russian intelligence officers interfering in the 2016 election and Trump's upcoming one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the group wondered where the usual Russia hawks in the GOP had disappeared to.

"We need American leadership to step up and say, 'Not on our watch. You will feel the blow of the American people if something happens," said Maria Teresa Kumar, the CEO of Voto Latino.

"This is not in President Trump's DNA, but why aren't more Republicans telling him: 'Get out of this meeting. Just get out,'" Todd said. "The John Bolton we know from five years ago would tell him to get out, right?"

"The John Bolton we knew from five years ago is gone," Will said, referring to Trump's national security adviser. "Talk about Republican leadership? There's one Republican leader, and the rest are followers. And they're all following the president. Period. There's no independent congressional rivalrous institution."

Watch the clip below: