At first, it was exciting. I never knew when her emails would come. Often, it was late at night, so I’d see them first thing in the morning. She was blonde and vivacious, and she always sounded so excited. She said she was married, her husband was much older and had gone senile, and their son was in some kind of trouble, but she was still full of plans for the future. In a way, I felt sorry for her, especially when her husband was having one of his bad days and couldn’t remember anything or would wander off midsentence. But then, she started to ask for money. Small amounts, sure, but it felt wrong. And then, she wanted to meet.

“Hi Dominic, Jill Biden here. Joe and I would like to meet YOU. So if you’re up for it, all you have to do is this: Pitch in any amount — even $1 — to Joe’s reelection campaign and you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to meet us in Washington, D.C.”