Former President Donald Trump, who spent four years milking U.S. taxpayers as if they were hapless marks for one of his scammy business ventures, is still at it. The Washington Post reports that Trump this year has charged the Secret Service more than $40,000 (so far) to work from his Florida club while providing his post-presidential security.

Trump shouldn't be required to provide free space to his Secret Service detail, but Congress should look into requiring that former presidents cannot charge more than the normal governmental rates to their protectors.

Trump began his presidency with a sham vow that he would stay out of directly running his businesses while in office - then he put his adult children in charge, meaning he kept control. Then, for four years, he blatantly and repeatedly violated the Constitution's prohibition on profiteering from the presidency.

Government officials including Trump's vice president, Mike Pence, somehow ended up staying repeatedly at Trump's properties when they traveled. The U.S. Air Force put up pilots at Trump's Scotland resort, which was neither the most convenient for them nor the best deal for the taxpayers. Lobbyists and foreign dignitaries racked up the room nights at Trump's Washington hotel, probably believing that spending money there could get them in good with the president - a belief he did nothing to contradict.

Trump even tried to get a G7 global economic summit held at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort, backing down only after rare pushback from Congress. Despite that defeat, Trump's companies still managed to bill the U.S. government for at least $2.5 million during his time in office.

Trump's exit from office hasn't ended his fleecing of the taxpayers. Providing security for life to ex-presidents is a sad necessity in today's world, but squeezing that arrangement for an ex-president's personal enrichment isn't. The Washington Post's review of expense records from the time Trump q left office on Jan. 20 until the end of April found the Secret Service had paid Mar-a-Lago a total of $40,011.15 during that time alone for room rentals of $396.15 nightly the entire time. That was for one room that Secret Service agents used as workspace while Trump stayed at the property.

Trump is, by his own assertions, a multibillionaire, whose tax-funded spending as president on his constant travel to his own properties already was likely unprecedented, and who is now entitled to taxpayer-funded protection for life. Given all that, it wouldn't seem a terrible sacrifice to set aside a works Former President Donald Trump, who spent four years milking U.S. taxpayers as if they were hapless marks for one of his scammy business ventures, is still at it. The Washington Post reports that Trump this year has charged the Secret Service more than $40,000 (so far) to work from his Florida club while providing his post-presidential security.

Trump shouldn't be required to provide free space to his Secret Service detail, but Congress should look into requiring that former presidents cannot charge more than the normal governmental rates to their protectors.

Trump began his presidency with a sham vow that he would stay out of directly running his businesses while in office - then he put his adult children in charge, meaning he kept control. Then, for four years, he blatantly and repeatedly violated the Constitution's prohibition on profiteering from the presidency.

Government officials including Trump's vice president, Mike Pence, somehow ended up staying repeatedly at Trump's properties when they traveled. The U.S. Air Force put up pilots at Trump's Scotland resort, which was neither the most convenient for them nor the best deal for the taxpayers. Lobbyists and foreign dignitaries racked up the room nights at Trump's Washington hotel, probably believing that spending money there could get them in good with the president - a belief he did nothing to contradict.

Trump even tried to get a G7 global economic summit held at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort, backing down only after rare pushback from Congress. Despite that defeat, Trump's companies still managed to bill the U.S. government for at least $2.5 million during his time in office.

Trump's exit from office hasn't ended his fleecing of the taxpayers. Providing security for life to ex-presidents is a sad necessity in today's world, but squeezing that arrangement for an ex-president's personal enrichment isn't. The Washington Post's review of expense records from the time Trump left office on Jan. 20 until the end of April found the Secret Service had paid Mar-a-Lago a total of $40,011.15 during that time alone for room rentals of $396.15 nightly the entire time. That was for one room that Secret Service agents used as workspace while Trump stayed at the property.

Trump is, by his own assertions, a multibillionaire, whose tax-funded spending as president on his constant travel to his own properties already was likely unprecedented, and who is now entitled to taxpayer-funded protection for life. Given all that, it wouldn't seem a terrible sacrifice to set aside a workspace at the sprawling resort at no or reduced cost to the taxpayers.

Congress can't force such reasonableness on this historically unreasonable and selfish president - but it could require that the standard rates that government is normally allowed to pay for hotels and travel would apply to post-presidential security as well. It's time, at last, for the taxpayers to close this blank checkbook. pace at the sprawling resort at no or reduced cost to the taxpayers.

Congress can't force such reasonableness on this historically unreasonable and selfish president - but it could require that the standard rates that government is normally allowed to pay for hotels and travel would apply to post-presidential security as well. It's time, at last, for the taxpayers to close this blank checkbook.

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