Barack Obama: “We cannot afford suddenly to treat this like a reality show. We can't afford to act as if there is some equivalence…”

Because if this becomes the new normal, there’s no reason to believe it will stop with her — or that future presidents, in either party, won’t do the same.

A drift towards extremism was "not inevitable

It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say.

The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president.