We continue to elect charismatic fools (and sometimes charismatic criminals) because we're charmed, or scared, or bewildered, or just too damned tired to care.
Until that stops, there's really no justification for expecting anything rational to come from our leadership.
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/01/world/senate-intelligence...
I'm pretty sure a lot of lawmakers still take this shit seriously.