In Trump’s DNA

Be continually alarmed by what Donald Trump is capable of, but never be surprised: The Washington Post reports that Trump has required senior White House staffers to sign non-disclosure agreements forcing them to stay silent about their service until death or pay huge penalties.

Post columnist Ruth Marcus got ahold of a draft NDA levying $10 million penalties on employees who dare speak about just about anything they do on the job.

This is exactly what we should expect from a man who sees running the government as indistinguishable from running his family business; who thinks loyalty to Trump trumps loyalty to country; who lives in crippling fear of what people might say about what they see behind closed doors.

Experts say the NDAs are most certainly unenforceable — subpoenas override them, as do whistleblower responsibilities — but that’s small consolation.

What matters here is that the President, who swore an oath to the Constitution, is giving a legal middle finger to the public interest and doing his darndest to intimidate public servants past, present and future.

If irony still matters, recall that Trump has spent the better part of 40 years calling reporters, sometimes under assumed names, to promote himself, peddle dishonest spin and demean others.

Do unto others as you would never have them do unto you: That’s gold-loving Donald Trump’s version of the Golden Rule.