The party of Reagan is fast lurching into a mini-Cold War with itself -- this time over working with Russia rather than against it.
President-elect Donald Trump's affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his denials that the Kremlin hacked the 2016 election are unleashing a feud in the GOP, which sees its hawkish history on Moscow and triumph over the Soviet Union as one of its defining achievements.
The turmoil is threatening to detract from one of the most crucial moments of Trump's early presidency -- the confirmation process for his nominee for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has a personal friendship with Putin and opposed US sanctions on Russia imposed after the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea.
The idea that Russia may not pay a price for the startling allegation of seeking to undermine American democracy with a series of cyber breaches is infuriating some senior Republicans, and putting even those less hostile to Trump in a tough political spot.
"I can't imagine I would vote for anybody that believes that we should not sanction Russia, given the fact that they did in fact interfere in our election," South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on the "Situation Room" on Wednesday.