Even by his standards, Donald Trump has had a tumultuous couple of months. And although he might have relished the idea of escaping all the accusations of corruption and sleaze by hitting the Scottish highlands and playing some golf with the guys, things are about to get a little more complicated.
And it’s all because of the ties that seemingly bind the Commander in Chief to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Guardian reports that after Trump’s name was spotted on a contributor list of Epstein’s friends and acquaintances for a 2003 book that congratulated the sexual predator on turning 50, things began to get a little sticky for the President.
Trump had previously denied he had anything to do with contributing a signed and sexually suggestive note and drawing to the book.
Although Trump and his supporters reacted with the trademark venom to the news reports about the birthday book and branding it fake news, where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire, and in this case, there’s a lot of fire.
Former President Bill Clinton is also listed under the “friends” group in the book, and although Trump is attempting to sue the Wall Street Journal, which unearthed the findings, for $10 billon and has banned Journal reporters from covering this weekend’s trip to Scotland, there’s also the small matter of Epstein’s long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell is currently serving 20 years in a federal prison for conspiring to sexually traffic children. Following an initial meeting on Thursdays, she is due to meet with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for another chat today, and who knows what can of worms, the disgraced British socialite, who is appealing her conviction, might open.
Before he left the Whitehouse for Scotland this morning, Trump was asked by reporters about possible clemency for the daughter of the late newspaper baron Robert Maxwell, and he simply said, “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.”
Yet the whole ongoing and sordid saga is bound to be playing on Trump’s mind when he tries to line up a putt on the fairways this weekend. The question is, will it affect more than just his swing?
The Independent reports that Trump was expected to touch down in the ancestral home of his mother this Friday evening to a peculiar mix of respect and ridicule.
Having their bonny shores graced by the presence of Trump is hitting the Scottish taxpayers where it hurts! The President’s visit to his beloved Scottish golf resorts requires a massive police operation and will cost the begrudging Scots millions of pounds.
Protests are planned throughout the weekend and Protestor Merle Fertuson exclaimed, “Why isn’t he paying for it himself? He’s coming for golf, isn’t he? It’s got nothing whatsoever to do with public money, either US or UK.”
In 2018, Trump’s four-day visit to the UK cost $19 million. Police Scotland would not give the exact figure this time round, only to say it was “considerable.”
“The visit will require a significant police operation using local, national and specialist resources from across Police Scotland, supported by colleagues from other U.K. police forces as part of mutual aid arrangements,” Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond said.
About 5,000 officers are about to take part in the operation as Trump tries to play some golf.
