The story of the Donald Trump presidency ― of a politician repeatedly violating the norms of politics and basic civility, then getting away with it ― played out in vivid form within the span of one remarkable hour on Tuesday afternoon.

It started on the Senate floor, with a speech by Arizona Republican Jeff Flake. Moments after announcing to a home-state newspaper that he would not seek reelection in 2018, Flake issued a blistering condemnation of Trump’s behavior since taking office.

“We must never adjust to the present coarseness of our national dialogue with the tone set up at the top,” Flake said. “We must never regard as normal the regular and casual undermining of our democratic norms and ideals, we must never meekly accept the daily sundering of our country. The personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms and institution, the flagrant disregard for truth and decency.”

A sitting senator attacking a sitting president from the same party, in such sweeping terms and in the formal setting of a floor speech — it was hard to think of anything remotely like it in recent memory. But Flake was not done. Having called out the president, he proceeded to call out his fellow Republicans for failing to speak out more forcefully, all but calling them enablers. “It’s time for our complicity and accommodation to the unacceptable to end,” Flake said. “Were the shoe on the other foot, would we Republicans meekly accept such behavior? Of course we wouldn’t.”

Literally minutes after Flake was done, over at the White House, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders took the podium for her semi-regular briefing with reporters. Right away she got questions about the criticisms of Trump, which had come not just from Flake but also from Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who has also criticized Trump since announcing he won’t be seeking reelection.