# Are the elites blackmailing Trump now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 13, 2018, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348 "2018-04-13T13:15:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/81 "2018-04-16T16:14:32Z")
> [@Jim\_Peebles](#): > > Trump’s attorneys office got raided. Now suddenly he indicates he wants back in to the TPP talks. And he is talking about retaliating against Assad for a chemical weapons attack which it would have made no sense for Assad to do. I wouldn’t have expected any of this from Trump. Could it be that the elites are blackmailing Trump with info revealed from the raid on his attorney’s office? Or is this “4D chess” on Trump’s part? Or all just coincidence? Or this all seems more weighty than it is? > [@Jim\_Peebles](#): > > I’d be happy to investigate that for half the money you are paying Mueller’s team to figure out who the Russians are. You are the one talking about these elites. I’m just curious who that is, I thought you might know since you brought them up. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/82 "2018-04-16T17:04:34Z")
> [@Jim\_Peebles](#): > > No. Maybe you should start off your investigation on spec, so we can pay you after we think you’ve come up with something good. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/83 "2018-04-16T18:05:46Z")
Well, there’s the confession. Il Douche has already admitted total innocence. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/84 "2018-04-16T21:08:57Z")
> [@Jim\_Peebles](#): > > Who are the unknown secretive Russians who colluded with Trump? Millions of dollars have been spent on an investigation that has been going on for almost a year. So who are they? Who are the unknown secretive elites who are blackmailing Trump? Who are they? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/85 "2018-04-16T21:18:51Z")
If we knew who they were, it wouldn’t be a secret, now would it? The Illuminati is just a front for the real conspiracy, I dare not say more. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/86 "2018-04-16T21:35:00Z")
> [@Jim\_Peebles](#): > > Who are the unknown secretive Russians who colluded with Trump? Millions of dollars have been spent on an investigation that has been going on for almost a year. So who are they? In February 2018, Mueller’s team issued indictments of 13 individuals, mostly Russians. They were charged with conspiracy in an attempt to impair enforcement of election law, wire fraud and bank fraud. Some of these Russians have come into contact with Trump officials, though so far there are no allegations that any American was a knowing participant in law breaking. [What Mueller's Indictment Reveals - The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/mueller-roadmap/553604/) American patriots support attempts to punish those who break our laws and attempt to subvert our 220 year experiment with democracy. The continuing investigation may indeed uncover illegalities within the Trump campaign: upthread I documented that Trump campaign officials (specifically Donald Trump Jr) were positively _eager_ to collude. The Feb 2018 indictments were but one thread, one accomplishment of the Mueller team celebrated by patriots across America. Further investigation should uncover the extent and depth of the 2016 Russian attacks and their consequences. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/87 "2018-04-17T04:33:56Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Who are these guys? Elite what, athletes? I’m going out on a limb and saying that I believe that elite athletes are not blackmailing Trump. Congratulations. You’ve fallen for their ruse. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/88 "2018-04-17T05:02:04Z")
Nikki R. Haley, the US’s Ambassador to the UN, announced expanded sanctions on Russia on Sunday. Trump [rolled back that proposal today](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/16/us/politics/trump-rejects-sanctions-russia-syria.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news). Trump seems to have a policy on Russia that nobody else in his administration or in Congress supports. That’s pretty unusual. Lots of people in Washington support TPP. Lots of people oppose it. So it’s understandable that a hypothetical dimwitted President might take both sides of that issue, if he was easily swayed by the last person he spoke to. But basically nobody cuddles up to Putin like Trump does. Well, I suppose Manafort did as well, but he’s no longer a governmental employee and is under indictment. Basically Donald Trump is Putin’s protector in DC. The fundamentals follow: given Trump’s business adventures what are the odds that he wouldn’t be noticed by a half-way competent Russian intelligence service? Low. If Russian intelligence conducted routine forms of entrapment and tradecraft, what are the odds that Trump would be prudent enough not to fall for it and smart enough to inform the FBI? Fairly low I say. Trump has his skillset, but well-tuned discretion isn’t part of it. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/89 "2018-04-17T10:47:12Z")
I think Trump’s nature makes him somewhat impervious to bribery and blackmail. You can’t successfully bribe someone that has no capacity for gratitude and you can’t successfully blackmail someone that has no capacity for shame. It doesn’t mean that no ones tried, though. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/90 "2018-04-17T10:53:22Z")
Well, Putin certainly has some form of leverage on Trump, in any event. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/91 "2018-04-17T12:25:33Z")
Maybe he’s a victim of latent homosexuality, and all that grabbing random nookie, all that fitful and desperate womanizing is all about denial. Like that famous racehorse, served as stud for years, and when he died, they did an autopsy and discovered he was totally gay. Black capsule. Only answer. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/92 "2018-04-17T13:56:15Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Maybe he’s a victim of latent homosexuality, and all that grabbing random nookie, all that fitful and desperate womanizing is all about denial. Upon review, the allegations do not explicitly state that the “golden showers” prostitutes were _female_… a tape of Trump playing cross-the-streams with Muscovite leather daddies might actually shake the resolve of two or three of his weaker-minded zealots. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/93 "2018-04-17T19:06:02Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I think Trump’s nature makes him somewhat impervious to bribery and blackmail. You can’t successfully bribe someone that has no capacity for gratitude and you can’t successfully blackmail someone that has no capacity for shame. > > It doesn’t mean that no ones tried, though. The substantial payoffs to Stormy and others, and the machinations to keep the story out of the press dating from at least [2011](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/stormy-daniels-sketch-threat) show definitively that Trump is susceptible to blackmail. Before the Stormy tale broke, that was a reasonable comment regarding the [Steele dossier](https://www.vox.com/2018/1/5/16845704/steele-dossier-russia-trump). That Trump is indeed vulnerable to blackmail is psychologically interesting. I either had or at least wondered about your take before Stormy came forward. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/94 "2018-04-17T19:19:42Z")
Trump has no policy beliefs, no ethical values, and no practical knowledge of any kind to support any values or beliefs. He constantly changes positions, sometimes while speaking in public without having to take another breath. Why would you think that his having changes positions on this would imply blackmail? Not to mention that “changing” positions has almost no meaning for someone who doesn’t really have any positions in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/95 "2018-04-18T03:15:42Z")
He has two constant positions: 1. What’s in it for me? 2. Don’t piss off Vlad. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/96 "2018-04-18T03:32:40Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > The substantial payoffs to Stormy and others “Substantial” according to whose definition of the term? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/97 "2018-04-18T04:06:06Z")
Trump just came out against the TPP on twitter, 5 days after saying he might rejoin it. Not especially surprising. [x.com](https://twitter.com/MaxBoot/status/986440581994942464) > [@Ambivalid](#): > > “Substantial” according to whose definition of the term? Mine of course. More seriously, Trump is a cheapskate: he appears to have reimbursed Cohen out of campaign funds for example. [Or not](https://twitter.com/TheViewFromLL2/status/971538152367251457). While he promised $100 million to his campaign, [he didn’t exactly follow through with that](http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-gave-only-31000-to-his-campaign-in-october-2016-10). So yeah, I’d say $130,000 for each bimbo isn’t chump change, even for Trump. And we don’t know how many recipients are involved. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348/98 "2018-04-18T04:32:32Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Trump has no policy beliefs, no ethical values, and no practical knowledge of any kind to support any values or beliefs. He constantly changes positions, sometimes while speaking in public without having to take another breath. Why would you think that his having changes positions on this would imply blackmail? Having a plank changed in the Republican Party platform that might be viewed as belligerent toward Russia by Russia. Delaying Congressionally-approved sanctions by eight months on the transparent excuse that ‘they’re not needed.’ (I expect that was enough time for those Russian plutocrats to transfer their money to overseas accounts.) Nearly constant praise of Putin…even when he criticizes Russia as a nation, he never says anything negative about Putin. Giving top secret information to Russian contacts. For literally anyone else, that would be called espionage. Numerous ties to Russians, including highly questionable meetings during and after the campaign. Need I go on? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-elites-blackmailing-trump-now/812348.md?page=4)