closing ranks

Despite his status as an avatar of corrupt politicians, Santos sees the controversy around Trump's picks as "the swamp" closing ranks.

Even without no-show Republicans, who are quickly closing ranks around Mr. Trump, there are other headwinds to overcome.

"What we are seeing here is powerful men closing ranks to protect one another with a deliberate and sustained campaign of gaslighting and victim-blaming on an international scale," claims Laura Bates, the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project.

That meant closing ranks with religious and ultra-nationalist parties untroubled about upsetting Israel's allies with their openly expansionist agenda.

It was the latest instance of top-ranking Republicans in Congress closing ranks behind the former president and helping to spread unfounded accusations against the government, in the process undermining public confidence in the rule of law and stoking intense anger in their party’s base against the nation’s institutions.