The major news networks can't get any Republicans to come on their shows this morning

It seems Republican senators and representatives have developed a sudden onset allergy to appearing on television after Tuesday night's bombshell report that President Trump tried to talk his former FBI director into dropping an investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

"We reached out to 20 Republican senators [and] representatives to appear on CBS This Morning," co-anchor Norah O'Donnell said. "All declined our invitation."

She wasn't alone:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

On MSNBC on Tuesday evening, Joy Reid also observed "the absence of Republicans on TV," Reliable Sources notes. Bret Baier, on Fox, said: "We've tried [but] there aren't Republicans willing to go on camera tonight."

A few Republicans did take the opportunity to voice serious concerns, though. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) went on CNN to call the reports "very concerning." And while accepting an award Tuesday evening, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said: "I think we've seen this movie before; I think it appears at a point where it's of Watergate size and scale."