Axios has a rather breathless “scoop” that Trump thinks he’ll select a total of four Supreme Court Justices by the end of his first term.

This is what the set up looks like:

Father Time and the actuarial tables say that three is a safe bet and four is a definite possibility (this is counting Gorsuch as the first, not saying there will be four in addition to Gorsuch.)

Asked how he comes to that jaw-dropping number, Trump mentions the obvious: he’s already replaced Antonin Scalia with Neil Gorsuch, and there are rumors Anthony Kennedy will retire.
<“Ok,” one source told Trump, “so that’s two. Who are the others?”
“Ginsburg,” Trump replied. “What does she weigh? 60 pounds?”
<“Who’s the fourth?” the source asked.
“Sotomayor,” Trump said, referring to the relatively recently-appointed Obama justice, whose name is rarely, if ever, mentioned in speculation about the next justice to be replaced. “Her health,” Trump explained. “No good. Diabetes.”

I am horrified. I am outraged. Why, where does that orange creature get off doing that? He is probably colluding with the Russians on this. There, I hope I’m back in the good graces of the hate-Trump club.

Seriously. It is a story that Trump is handicapping his chances for picking more Supreme Court justices? Is this the first time this has happened? I don’t know whether secret information was divulged about Sotomayor’s health but it is known that she has Type I diabetes and that cuts years off life expectancy. Britain’s National Health Service says it shortens life expectancy by 20 years. US studies indicate 13 years lost. Sotomayor, statistically, has about 18 years of additional life expectancy at her age before the decrement for diabetes. It is a safe bet she is also hypertensive based on her body shape.

If there is a third nomination, it is as likely to be Clarence Thomas as Sotomayor.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Trump doing this. There is a great deal wrong with leaking this kind of private conversation. There is no reason to leak it for other than malicious reasons. Then one has to wonder who, exactly, would Trump trust enough to say this to who would then leak it? And the words “no one” keep popping up.