The necessary background for this is in Andrea Ruth’s post from yesterday evening. Trump had phoned the dad of fallen soldier Sgt. Dillon Baldbridge, and the dad said that his ex was getting the Pentagon’s $100k death benefit, while dad was nearly broke. In a seemingly magnanimous gesture, Trump promised to pay the dad $25,000 of his own personal funds. Dad later opened the mail and saw a card of condolence from Trump — but no check. Trump’s spokeshole was asked about this and she said the check was, um, in the mail. Also: HOW DARE THE MEDIA POLITICIZE THIS DAMMIT?!?!?!

So when was it actually sent? You guessed it: yesterday. The same day it hit the news:

President Donald Trump sent a $25,000 personal check to the family of a fallen soldier the same day that The Washington Post reported that he had promised the soldier’s father a personal donation during a June condolence call but never followed through.

A White House official confirms to CNN that the President sent a personal check Wednesday to the family of Army Cpl. Dillon Baldridge Wednesday. Baldridge, 22, was killed in June by an Afghan police officer.

Had the Washington Post not reported it, he was never going to send that man a dime. Not one thin dime.

This would be shockingly tawdry behavior, if we hadn’t seen it before. Remember when Trump ran like a baby from confronting Megyn Kelly in the debate just before Iowa? He used a fundraiser for vets as his fig leaf, and promised a cool million to veterans’ charities. Trouble was, he never had any intention of actually paying. The checks were sent only after David Farenthold of the #FAKENEWSBEZOSPOST shamed Trump into it.

Donald Trump has the morals of an out-of-control three-year-old. I’d say he should be ashamed, but he lacks the capacity for it. The people who should really be ashamed are the people who defend him when stories like this break. But they obviously lack the capacity for shame too.

If you’re unwilling to condemn this as bad behavior, don’t ever talk to me about the behavior of any other politician from any party ever again. Criticize their policies all you like. But you have forfeited any right to be taken seriously on the issue of character, if you can’t stand up and say: “Wow. What a s**tbag this guy Trump is, with this particular move.”

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