# Leaked report of Russian blackmail of Trump **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 10, 2017, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846 "2017-01-10T23:59:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/241 "2017-01-11T21:54:21Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Nothing short of multiple smoking guns demonstrating actual treasons or felonies will kill his administration. And maybe not even outright treason. As long as Trump will give Congressional Republicans what they want - elimination of the ACA, gutting of regulations, lots of pork, and social conservatism - they’ll overlook him being a gross weirdo. > > This “Trump’s doomed now!” is getting old. He is obviously not doomed because his supporters do not care. It was a matter of public record, known facts, that Trump was a liar and a pervert long before the election. Didn’t matter then. Doesn’t matter now. > > The Republicans would not impeach Donald Trump for anything short of videotaped evidence of him clearly, unquestionably committing treason. Nothing less. If incontrovertible evidence that Donald Trump had raped and murdered a woman a few years ago came to light, the GOP would refuse to impeach. After all, we know he brags about sexual assault; reasonable person would conclude it’s extremely likely he’s a rapist. You could have enough evidence to convict him ten times over; they would not impeach, because the Trumpists would not believe it was true, no matter what. And if they don’t believe it’s true, it won’t change their votes, and if it doesn’t change their votes, why would Republicans care if he was a serial killer? And really, I am totally serious; it would not matter if he turned out to be a serial killer. The Trumpists would pretend it wasn’t true. > > The sheer volume of things you have to believe are true that are not to be a Trump supporter is staggering; it’s just dozens and dozens of things that are not only lies, but _preposterous_ lies. It’s a post-truth world and it’s time to admit it. This latest revelation does not come anywhere near genuine harm to Trump even if it turns out to be 100% true. > [@RTFirefly](#): > > I dunno. Pence was looking like a political dead duck in _Indiana_ before he became the veep nominee, and he’d only look worse as President. The Republicans would miss Trump almost as soon as they got rid of him. > > No wait, they wouldn’t miss Trump because he wouldn’t go away: he’d be tweeting nonstop against them. And since their base would still like Trump more than they like the rest of the GOP, it would be a _yuuuuge_ problem for them. A GOP-initiated impeachment proceeding would be civil war inside the GOP, and the pro-Trump faction would win. Yes. The GOP will not lift a finger to prosecute Trump for any crimes he may have committed, no matter how well-documented. They certainly will take no steps to oust him for sexual misconduct. ONLY IF THE BASE becomes disenchanted with Trump will the GOP act. So the answer to _‘what could Putin have on Trump that Trump would do anything–no matter what Putin asks of him–to keep secret?’_ would be video/audio of Trump expressing contempt for his fans–Twitter followers, rally-attenders, and voters. And it’s not implausible that Putin has such footage. When Trump last spent substantial time in Russia (2013) he might have been asked about the fans who supported his Birther conspiracy–and expressed disdain for them in vocal and explicit terms. Or there could be something more recent that Putin’s agents acquired when Trump visited some other outside-Russia location. If the video and audio were quite clear, and if Trump expressed scorn and derision of his fans in unmistakable terms—it could hurt him. It would take away his Teflon armor. Then the GOP _would_ turn on him. The only other thing Putin could have on Trump that could conceivably hurt him–given his current immunity from GOP action–is something that would lead Trump himself to break down. And as I’ve posted before, I believe that something is clear, unmistakable footage of Trump hanging around the Miss Universe contestants in 2013, then leaving the room–and the women laugh at him. Long, hard, and derisively. If such video existed and it were played incessantly, Trump would call it faked…but it would wear him down. He would not be able to go on. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/242 "2017-01-11T21:59:54Z")
_If_ the claims in the report are true (which seems like a pretty big “if”, given that most reputable news outlets apparently consider them not fit to print), then I guess it’s good that it’s out in the open, but not because it will really weaken Trump’s administration in a tangible way. I believe his supporters either (A) won’t care, or (B) will overlook it for the sake of continuing to advance their own agenda --the same as when all the other, better-sourced horrible revelations have come out about him. The reason I think it’s probably a good thing that it’s out in the open, is that it’s one less thing the Russians can _threaten_ to release about him. The less blackmail material that Russia has on the U.S. President, the better. For the sake of our national security, let’s hope the leak of a video tape soon follows. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/243 "2017-01-11T22:05:29Z")
If the russians tried to turn donnie then why would he act so nice nice to them unless he was actually being influenced? Is the rebupkiss party line that they were trying to influence him without ever letting him know that they were doing it? How does that work? Is it that the CIA got the intel and that no influence was ever attempted? Then why go to the trouble, and how would they have ever known? ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/244 "2017-01-11T22:23:50Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > So the answer to _‘what could Putin have on Trump that Trump would do anything–no matter what Putin asks of him–to keep secret?’_ would be video/audio of Trump expressing contempt for his fans–Twitter followers, rally-attenders, and voters. > > And it’s not implausible that Putin has such footage. When Trump last spent substantial time in Russia (2013) he might have been asked about the fans who supported his Birther conspiracy–and expressed disdain for them in vocal and explicit terms. Or there could be something more recent that Putin’s agents acquired when Trump visited some other outside-Russia location. > > If the video and audio were quite clear, and if Trump expressed scorn and derision of his fans in unmistakable terms—it could hurt him. It would take away his Teflon armor. Then the GOP _would_ turn on him… That makes total sense. I had not thought about that. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/245 "2017-01-11T22:43:07Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Dismissing this as “fake news” is false equivalence. Yes, it may be wrong - but it’s coming because these documents were presented to the FBI by John McCain (famous liberal) and other parties involved in the intelligence community. That’s a little different from Drudge or Breitbart just making shit up, isn’t it? You’re being very credulous. If Mike Flynn hands Sean Hannity a piece of paper that says “there is evidence Barack Obama molested his daughters” and then Hannity reports it with no further work as “senior intelligence officers have claimed that …” he’s not being a journalist, he’s being a political hack – he knows what Flynn’s agenda is and can infer his motive for getting this claim out, but he chooses to be a puppet. McCains hostility to Trump is well-documented, as is that of the Intelligence Community, who have political (like the rest of the government 95% of them are center-left politically), professional (drain the swamp = fire people) and institutional (a less-interventionist foreign policy) reasons for opposing Trump. Virtually every high-ranking retired spook that was on record opposed Trump in the election. CNN putting this out there as if the the CIA etc all are somehow just neutral observers and not political actors is at the very least incompetence, if not actual malice (I suspect a mix of both). And no, the fact that they didn’t reveal the specifics of the document doesn’t make it better: that just makes it more of a classic Washington smear job – put out just enough to let people assume the worst, without going on the record yourself and making an actual accusation. Alao, the fact that this kind of thing is not uncommon nowadays and that both sides do it doesn’t make it somehow okay - rather it explains why nobody trusts the media in general any more, and Trump will continue to gain popularity by ripping them. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/246 "2017-01-11T22:54:01Z")
Trump’s approval rating was in the low 30’s, even before these reports. Which is, I believe, an historic low for a Pissident-elect. Curious just how teflon he is. If his polls drop more, the Republicans might just impeach him and go with the safe Pence choice. Pence, at least, has probably never paid a woman to piss on him. Specification of gender deliberate in that last sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/247 "2017-01-11T22:58:29Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > Trump’s approval rating was in the low 30’s, even before these reports. Which is, I believe, an historic low for a Pissident-elect. Looking at the polls, 62% believe he is not level headed. The 33% who disagree might just be the stupidest 33% of people on the planet. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/248 "2017-01-11T23:01:57Z")
> [@furt](#): > > You’re being very credulous. > > If Mike Flynn hands Sean Hannity a piece of paper that says “there is evidence Barack Obama molested his daughters” and then Hannity reports it with no further work as “senior intelligence officers have claimed that …” he’s not being a journalist, he’s being a political hack – he knows what Flynn’s agenda is and can infer his motive for getting this claim out, but he chooses to be a puppet. > > McCains hostility to Trump is well-documented, as is that of the Intelligence Community, who have political (like the rest of the government 95% of them are center-left politically), professional (drain the swamp = fire people) and institutional (a less-interventionist foreign policy) reasons for opposing Trump. Virtually every high-ranking retired spook that was on record opposed Trump in the election. > > CNN putting this out there as if the the CIA etc all are somehow just neutral observers and not political actors is at the very least incompetence, if not actual malice (I suspect a mix of both). > > And no, the fact that they didn’t reveal the specifics of the document doesn’t make it better: that just makes it more of a classic Washington smear job – put out just enough to let people assume the worst, without going on the record yourself and making an actual accusation. Alao, the fact that this kind of thing is not uncommon nowadays and that both sides do it doesn’t make it somehow okay - rather it explains why nobody trusts the media in general any more, and Trump will continue to gain popularity by ripping them. You really need to provide a cite that the intelligence community is 95% “center-left” He had the FBI dancing to his tune. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/249 "2017-01-11T23:09:31Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Yes; Rubio, apparently, isn’t going to roll over and play dead when it comes to Trump’s drive to please Putin, the way most of his GOP colleagues plainly intend to do. Good for Rubio. Serious question: Why is it bad to please Putin but okay to shovel millions every year to regimes like Saudi Arabia and Qatar? ---
**Author:** ![Donald\_Rump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Donald\_Rump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donald_Rump)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/250 "2017-01-11T23:16:29Z")
> [@furt](#): > > You’re being very credulous. > > If Mike Flynn hands Sean Hannity a piece of paper that says “there is evidence Barack Obama molested his daughters” and then Hannity reports it with no further work as “senior intelligence officers have claimed that …” he’s not being a journalist, he’s being a political hack – he knows what Flynn’s agenda is and can infer his motive for getting this claim out, but he chooses to be a puppet. > > McCains hostility to Trump is well-documented, as is that of the Intelligence Community, who have political (like the rest of the government 95% of them are center-left politically), professional (drain the swamp = fire people) and institutional (a less-interventionist foreign policy) reasons for opposing Trump. Virtually every high-ranking retired spook that was on record opposed Trump in the election. > > CNN putting this out there as if the the CIA etc all are somehow just neutral observers and not political actors is at the very least incompetence, if not actual malice (I suspect a mix of both). Lousy journalism =/= “fake news” though. No one on this board accusing CNN or Buzzfeed of “fake news” has demonstrated the term fits. ---
**Author:** ![nate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nate/32/13085_2.png) [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/251 "2017-01-11T23:24:36Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > You really need to provide a cite that the intelligence community is 95% “center-left” > > He had the FBI dancing to his tune. If anything, I would be more apt to believe the inverse. Most people attracted to FBI/CIA/NSA/DI jobs are going to be right leaning. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/252 "2017-01-11T23:29:28Z")
Don’t forget the CTU! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/253 "2017-01-11T23:33:13Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Don’t forget the CTU! Don’t laugh. There are 17 different spy agencies in the federal government. I’ll bet most people can’t name even 5. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/254 "2017-01-11T23:36:03Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Serious question: Why is it bad to please Putin but okay to shovel millions every year to regimes like Saudi Arabia and Qatar? One could certainly make a case that we should not play nice with Saudi Arabia (I’m not too familiar with our relationship with Qatar), but that’s a whole different thing than letting Putin’s Russia take over Eastern Europe again, which is what they want Trump to do. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/255 "2017-01-11T23:41:57Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Serious question: Why is it bad to please Putin but okay to shovel millions every year to regimes like Saudi Arabia and Qatar? You’re saying they can’t _both_ be bad? Why not? …also, what Procrustus said. …also, also: thanks to Maastricht. It does seem likely that Putin has _something_ on Trump besides Trump’s obvious hunger for compliments. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/256 "2017-01-11T23:43:14Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > One could certainly make a case that we should not play nice with Saudi Arabia (I’m not too familiar with our relationship with Qatar), but that’s a whole different thing than letting Putin’s Russia take over Eastern Europe again, which is what they want Trump to do. Is NATO going to roll over? Abandon the countries that joined? Dissolve if the US doesn’t honor its agreements? I guess that could happen. I’ll look into it. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/257 "2017-01-11T23:50:37Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Don’t laugh. There are 17 different spy agencies in the federal government. I’ll bet most people can’t name even 5. FBI CIA NSA…CTU…OSI? The guys who made the Six Million Dollar Man, right? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/258 "2017-01-12T00:10:57Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > This is a storm in a teacup. Nothing of any substance is going to happen. The only way anything of this nature could significantly damage Trump would be if there is (a) evidence of conduct by Trump that was so bad that the Republican congressmen and senators couldn’t stomach it and (b) the evidence is so clear it is unobfuscatable (I think I just made that word up). > > Kinky sex isn’t going to do it. Trump’s supporters already think of him as a wild boy. Generalised evidence of Trump being friendly with or receiving assistance from Russia isn’t going to do it. Anything Trump did to beat the bitch and win is going to be applauded by his supporters. Evidence of shady personal business dealings with the Russians isn’t going to do it; Trump is already applauded by his supporters for being a shady (pardon me: “smart”) businessman. > > Maybe, just maybe, evidence that Trump was actually on the Russian payroll and had actually promised to take definite steps against what even Trump supporters would agree was US interests might do it. > > But even then, it would have to involve HD video of Trump himself getting a bag of cash and admitting the deal. Anything less and he will just deny and obfuscate and his supporters will accept his view. > > Even if the Republicans have to permit some form of inquiry, unless the wrongdoing and evidence are utterly simple, clear and undeniable, the inquiry will just bumble along impeded by the Republican majority and the executive for eight years or however long it takes without getting anywhere conclusive. > > These sorts of “revelations” might be relevant during an election campaign. They would undoubtedly be relevant if they were accusations against a President facing a hostile Congress. In the present circumstances they aren’t going to change a thing. The lengths that people would go through to deny this being true (if, in fact, it _is_ true. I’m not convinced either way yet) remind me of the [“R Kelly Trial”](http://www.cc.com/video-clips/5uemlz/chappelle-s-show-celebrity-trial-jury-selection---uncensored) bit from **Chappelle’s Show** (the pertinent part starts at about 1:45. NSFW, obviously): > [@Chappelle's Show](#): > > Prosecutor: Mr. Chappelle, what would it take to convince you that R. Kelly is guilty? > Dave Chappelle: Okay, I’d have to see a video of him singing “Pee On You,” two forms of government ID, a police officer there to verify the whole thing, four or five of my buddies and Neal taking notes, and R. Kelly’s grandma to confirm his identity. > R. Kelly’s Grandma: That’s my Robert, always peeing on people. > [@madmonk28](#): > > I bet they have evidence he’s fucked Ivanka. I live in Kentucky. To the Trump supporters in the eastern part of this state, this wouldn’t be unknown territory. This is the “south,” after all. Where a girl is a virgin if she can outrun her brother, and hides behind “Uncle Dad.” ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/259 "2017-01-12T00:14:20Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > John McCain presented what he believed to be credible evidence of Russian blackmail of Trump. John McCain. Republican Senator. This is a newsworthy event. The fact that there’s a document and John McCain presented it for investigation is worth reporting. Do you seriously disagree with this? Do you think that it’s “fake news” if they report on that? The fact that you’re peddling this idea that because John McCain-- who is, mind you, a senile old man-- believed it that it then must have been a credible news source is laughable, especially given this board’s view of John McCain over the years. Who cares whether or not John McCain believed it? Does that somehow make fake news unfake? Of course it doesn’t. It’s actually irrelevant. A million people can believe something-- that doesn’t make it any less fake news than if one person does. > [@](#): > > They didn’t create this story, they reported on AN ACTUAL EVENT INVOLVING AN ACTUAL DOCUMENT BY AN ACTUAL REPUBLICAN SENATOR. CNN and Buzzfeed did not make up the existance of John McCain, nor the fact that he turned this in, nor the fact that he believes it to come for a credible source. Nor did they fabricate the contents of the document. CNN didn’t even release it at all - they said they were investigating - Buzzfeed released it but with the caveat that it should be read as unconfirmed. I never said anything about “creating the story”. I said, and I’m quoting myself here, “Both CNN and Buzzfeed are objectively anti-Trump. Since the left cannot stop Trump from becoming President (and God knows they tried), they’ve devolved into trying to delegitimize him by posting every last bit of sensationalist “news” that they can get [their] hands on” (grammatical errors fixed). I would like for everyone to take note that you, at no point, addressed the above quoted. And why would you, given that (1) CNN and Buzzfeed are both objectively anti-Trump (would you care to deny this?) and (2) the left has been trying to delegitimize Trump since the election (first it was the “not my president!” protests/riots, then it was whining about the popular vote, then it was demanding recounts and whining about Russia, now it’s #goldenshowers, etc.). Hiding behind, “Well, they included a caveat!” is intellectually weak. Do you believe that either CNN or Buzzfeed would have reported on the story if it was about, say, Obama? Whether or not you want to openly admit it, we both know the answer to that question, and the answer is an emphatic no. > [@](#): > > No, I wouldn’t, because that would be fucking retarded. I might say “the report is probably fake fake” or “it’s implausible” or something like that if it were out of the blue, but **I wouldn’t call it fake news when news agencies reported on the fact that high level officials are having discussions about a document which they think needs investigation**. This never happened. I included the link for you the first time, only for it to be ignored, so I’ll do it again ([Cite](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/trump-cites-nazi-germany-rejects-dossier-alleged-russia-dealings-n705586)). > [@](#): > > Two U.S. officials told NBC News that materials prepared for Trump in advance of last week’s intelligence briefing included damaging allegations from the memorandum — unverified by American intelligence agencies — about his dealings with the Russians. > > Officials prepared a two-page summary of the memo for Trump’s briefing Friday at Trump Tower in New York. The summary was an “annex,” or addendum, included in the “supporting documents” that accompanied the classified briefing report. > While multiple officials say the summary was included in the material prepared for the briefers, the senior official told NBC News that the briefing was oral and no actual documents were left with the Trump team in New York. During the briefing, the president-elect was not briefed on the contents of the summary. > > \*\*“Intel and law enforcement officials agree that none of the investigations have found any conclusive or direct link between Trump and the Russian government period,” the senior official said. > > According to the senior official, the two-page summary about the unsubstantiated material made available to the briefers was to provide context, should they need it, to draw the distinction for Trump between analyzed intelligence and unvetted “disinformation.”\*\* > [@](#): > > “Obama turns into a lizard and eats a baby” is fake news. **“John McCain presented a document to the FBI that he believes to be a credible”** is not fake news. The bold is not what was posted by either CNN or Buzzfeed, and you know this. > [@](#): > > I already said that in the post you’re responding to. > > “Compare this to right wing actual fake news where they know from the start that what they’re publishing is a lie, they made it up themselves, and they tell their readers it’s the absolute truth.” This is nonsensical. Fake news is not fake news simply because the people who report on it knows it’s fake from the start. Obama deciding to ban the recital of the pledge of allegiance is fake news. The people who read, report, share, tweet and retweet it might believe it to be true, but that doesn’t make it any less fake than if no one believed it. Your definition of “fake news” is completely self-serving, and seems to exist only to rationalize away why the left can never be guilty of doing the very thing you have no qualms with blaming the right for. > [@](#): > > What? They treated crazy anti-Obama stories like they were real debates all the time. The birther thing was around for years. The media is so afraid of being called liberal that they give right wing clap trap way too much credibility instead of just junking it like they should. What? This is, quite frankly, false. Which major media outlet treated the birther movement-- or even the claim that Obama was a Muslim-- with anything other than derision? They were dedicated solely to proving those allegations as false. Furthermore, the idea that the “the media is so afraid of being called liberal that they give right wing clap trap way too much credibility instead of just junking it like they should” is, again, quite frankly ridiculous. Did you pay attention to nothing this election cycle, when the media quite openly engaged in the cheerleading and peddling of Democratic talking points? > [@](#): > > You have absolutely no evidence of your assertion. You, yourself, are so partisan that you can only view my opposition to you in this instance as being the opposite side of the same coin. It simply isn’t true. I have never displayed the sort of behavior you’re accusing me of, and you have absolutely no evidence that I have. Read what you’ve typed here. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/260 "2017-01-12T00:23:29Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Is NATO going to roll over? Abandon the countries that joined? Dissolve if the US doesn’t honor its agreements? > > I guess that could happen. I’ll look into it. I can’t see France wanting a war with both Putin and Trump to protect Ukraine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846.md?page=14)