Derek Wittner lives in Kennebunkport.

There must have been some mistake. A wrecking crew showed up almost without notice, rumbling in the direction of the East Wing. I hope no one was inside when, unannounced, the crane stood astride the structure and embarked on its demolition directive.

It must have come as a surprise, even to the White House staff, since President Trump had assured everyone that the East Wing would be spared in his plan for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom he envisioned.

As with so many other assurances from him, Trump ignored his promise, and authorized the complete destruction of the east facade of the People’s House. The garish, gold-plated
monument that will replace the east entryway often used by guests and access to the headquarters of our first ladies aligns perfectly with the tasteless, gold-festooned Oval Office, reminiscent of tsarist vulgarity.

What the construction blueprint ought to have envisioned was an urgently needed upgrade to the septic system that serves the presidential suite. Remember the time the current occupant touted his agenda to “drain the swamp.” Instead, he has created a cesspool of corruption that dwarfs the misdeeds of any prior occupant.

The public reaction to the odor demands a thorough sanitizing to rid the residence of the stench.

Here is what a filter of the detritus would encounter:

• Acceptance of a $400 million (before retrofitting) jetliner from a foreign government that will land at the Trump library, such as it will be.
• A pardon for the world’s best known and wealthiest crypto felon, whose business
  dealings with the Trump boys will surely flourish.
• A crypto business deal with the UAE worth $2 billion, which will benefit the boys,
  the son-in-law and the pal, Steve Witkoff.

This doesn’t even account for the coins, Bibles, guitars, boots and, yes, even the Constitution, merch that could clog any heavy-duty filter.

All of this can be cataloged as unprecedented greed by an American president. It mirrors the behavior of Trump’s role model, Vladimir Putin: using power to line the pockets of family and oligarchs, in return for unconditional loyalty.

If this denigration of the office of president were the only waste to be encountered by a
White House septic system, it would overwhelm it. But, there is so much more.

Let’s recall Trump’s 2023 Rose Garden promise to be “the most transparent president ever.” The utter hypocrisy of that assurance is evident in his refusal to release visitor logs and tax returns (are they still under audit?), his restricting media access to those friendly to his administration and perhaps most tellingly, to his pressuring anyone he can not to release the Epstein files.

Why would he not support transparency, unless there was something to hide? Those emails released by the House Oversight Committee confirm, at the very least, a close relationship between these men, which, given Epstein’s nefarious activities, carries its own odor. The stench is so palpable that even MAGA supporters want to know the source.

That we are even seeking to determine if our president was aware of the sex trafficking operation of a person with whom he spent considerable time so demeans our country that it will take a long time to recover. To witness the complicity of Republican lawmakers attempting to suppress the information concealed in FBI and DOJ files only adds to the sordid story unfolding before our eyes.

As some defectors for whom the White House conduct is too revolting come out of their closet, we can only hope that some measure of accountability will result. It’s a long shot if we think about how successful Trump has been in intimidating his party’s senators.

And, even if they were to display uncommon bravery and vote to release the Epstein files, rest assured a veto awaits, relying, in all likelihood, on the claim that an ongoing investigation (which Trump initiated against Democratic notables using his law firm, the DOJ) prevents the release.

The sleaze is unending. When this president finally exits the White House (if there still is one), the Environmental Protection Agency should outfit the clean-up crew with hazmat suits for their own protection. It’s the least we’ll owe them.