New Delhi, May 29 -- REPUBLICANS ARE learning that, occasionally, you can say "no" to Donald Trump. On May 18th his administration announced a $1.8bn fund to compensate victims of government "lawfare"-read, a slush fund for allies-provoking fury among some Republicans. "Utterly stupid, morally wrong" was how Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky described it. "I call it a payout pot for punks," said Thom Tillis, a senator from North Carolina. The uproar has derailed progress on one of the president's other priorities: a long-awaited $70bn immigration-enforcement bill.

Such defiance is new. Since Mr Trump returned to office, Republican lawmakers have bent to his will, backing crackpots for cabinet posts and giving him free rein on everythin...