Things we’ve learned in the past few hours:
Russiagate #1: After James Comey’s meeting with Donald Trump in February, in which Trump asked him to shut down the Russia investigation, Comey told Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he didn’t want to be left alone with Trump ever again.
Russiagate #2: In March, Trump explicitly asked Dan Coats, the Director of National Intelligence, to help him get Comey to back off the Russia probe. After discussing this with other officials, Coats “decided that intervening with Comey as Trump had suggested would be inappropriate.”
Eric Trump: For years, Eric Trump hosted a golf tournament to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Use of the golf course was donated by Donald Trump. At least, it was until 2010, when Donald suddenly decided that Eric’s charity tournament would have to pay full freight for use of the facilities. In fact, Eric had to pay more than anyone plausibly thinks a weekend rental of the course could possibly cost. “Even if the Eric Trump Foundation had to pay the full rate for literally everything, Forbes couldn’t come up with a plausible path to $322,000 given the parameters of the annual event (a golf outing for about 200 and dinner for perhaps 400 more).” There are plenty of other niggling little questions at the link about the Trump family’s approach to charity.
Our solar wall: If Mexico isn’t going to pay for the wall, maybe we can turn it into a moneymaker all on its own. Apparently Donald Trump has proposed that we build the wall 50 feet high, cover it with solar panels, and then sell the electricity. Sigh.
