# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/101 "2017-01-11T05:11:08Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > Finally having time to read the entire thing, I think it’s legit. That doesn’t mean everything is 100% accurate. Just… legit. Now, whether or not Trump was having golden shower parties or maybe he just stiffed some hookers that decided to make up the story is unknown, but this is a company that issues periodic intelligence papers to customers on subjects they’d be interested in and it’s filled with inner workings of Russian politics on a scale that would be tedious to fake unless you’re conversant on the inner workings of Russian politics. There is quite a bit that can be corroborated and substantiated given a little time. Yeah, exactly. Everything seems to suggest that there’s substance in the broad strokes:[ul] [li]Trump has been a project of Russia’s for some time;[/li][li]He is compromised on a personal level with Russia and on a business and political level with China;[/li][li]Russia has information on both Trump and Clinton, and strategically used that information to install Trump in the White House and keep him on side; and[/li][li]Trump campaign members used Russian intelligence to further their political goals.[/li][/ul] It probably hasn’t come to blackmail yet. That would only happen if Trump started making noise about Putin’s actions. ---
**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, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/102 "2017-01-11T05:16:57Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > Yeah, exactly. Everything seems to suggest that there’s substance in the broad strokes:[ul] > [li] **Trump has been a project of Russia’s for some time;** [/li][li]He is compromised on a personal level with Russia and on a business and political level with China;[/li][li]Russia has information on both Trump and Clinton, and strategically used that information to install Trump in the White House and keep him on side; and[/li][li]Trump campaign members used Russian intelligence to further their political goals.[/li][/ul] > It probably hasn’t come to blackmail yet. That would only happen if Trump started making noise about Putin’s actions. That’s some SPECTRE-level tin hat stuff there. Seems a long shot since in 90% of all other alternate realities, Clinton won\*. Hell, in 50% of them, Trump doesn’t even get nominated. \*Unless you’re insinuating the “Clinton chooses Trump as her opponent wiki stuff” was actually orchestrated by Russia too. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/103 "2017-01-11T05:23:02Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > You’re kidding, right? Perhaps not, but it’s child’s play to have that information. > > This is how the KGB worked in the bad old days, and there is no reason not to think it’s still how Putin, a former KGB officer, operates. When I traveled in Eastern Europe during the SSR days on a diplomatic passport, it was assumed that your hotel room was bugged, both with cameras and listening devices. Every time I went to Prague or Warsaw or any other bloc country, I was given the same hotel room each time. This happened to all of us who routinely traveled in that part of the world. When we went to restaurants, we were always given the same table, because that was one of the bugged tables for westerners. Nearly everyone who worked in hotels where westerners were directed to stay were KGB operatives, likely now FSB officers. > > The State Department thoroughly indoctrinates young officers and staffers as to what to expect and what to look out for in terms of compromising situations. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if all of this about Trump is true, because he has had no security training and probably believes that his wealth protects him somehow. I kept waiting for this to turn into a salacious and explicit memoir, but it never did… ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/104 "2017-01-11T05:26:49Z")
> [@skdo23](#): > > Um, no Chefguy I was dead serious. Especially about Putin not being able to spare $20.:rolleyes: Sorry, got whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/105 "2017-01-11T05:28:49Z")
…okay: lets for a minute assume that this dossier is true. What the fuck happens now? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/106 "2017-01-11T05:35:03Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …okay: lets for a minute assume that this dossier is true. > > What the fuck happens now? Business as usual, my friend. ---
**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, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/107 "2017-01-11T05:35:05Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …okay: lets for a minute assume that this dossier is true. > > What the fuck happens now? Trump gets inaugurated. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/108 "2017-01-11T05:38:00Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Trump gets inaugurated. But with even fewer Rockettes. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/109 "2017-01-11T05:41:59Z")
The FBI’s Comey has some explaining to do. Why was he sitting on this story and carrying on about Hillary’s emails which were less serious? ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/110 "2017-01-11T05:43:52Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > That’s some SPECTRE-level tin hat stuff there. Seems a long shot since in 90% of all other alternate realities, Clinton won\*. Hell, in 50% of them, Trump doesn’t even get nominated. > > \*Unless you’re insinuating the “Clinton chooses Trump as her opponent wiki stuff” was actually orchestrated by Russia too. Let me rephrase, firstly. They didn’t literally install Trump; they merely helped things along by helping to smear Clinton. I have absolutely no doubt that the FSB has plenty of salacious stuff on Trump. I also have no doubt that Trump being President suits their purposes. I’m less confident that the Trump campaign worked directly with the Kremlin, but I have no doubt that they worked indirectly with the Kremlin, possibly unwittingly. The memo alleges that since at least 2011, Russia has been working on Trump. Perhaps not coincidentally, this is when he first started his political ascendancy. What I mean by that is that Putin saw a possible opportunity at that point, not that they made it happen. I’d say they have many contingency plans in place. It’s not like they focused exclusively on Trump–it’s just that he’s the one who ended up winning. And as he kept progressing, they probably dedicated more resources in his direction. ---
**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, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/111 "2017-01-11T05:54:45Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > Let me rephrase, firstly. They didn’t literally install Trump; they merely helped things along by helping to smear Clinton. > > I have absolutely no doubt that the FSB has plenty of salacious stuff on Trump. I also have no doubt that Trump being President suits their purposes. I’m less confident that the Trump campaign worked directly with the Kremlin, but I have no doubt that they worked indirectly with the Kremlin, possibly unwittingly. > > The memo alleges that since at least 2011, Russia has been working on Trump. Perhaps not coincidentally, this is when he first started his political ascendancy. What I mean by that is that Putin saw a possible opportunity at that point, not that they made it happen. > > I’d say they have many contingency plans in place. It’s not like they focused exclusively on Trump–it’s just that he’s the one who ended up winning. And as he kept progressing, they probably dedicated more resources in his direction. The question is whether anyone in donalds campaign was contacted by russians and what did they do. It’s not a requirement that they were complicit in a plot. If it’s yes and the trail goes back to donnie in any way, I can’t see how he will not be impeached. I’m assuming that he will never step down. Donnie will have a hard time pinning this on an underling: He is a rogue candidate whose will was primary in everything that happened; and he has been laying carpets and plushy pillows for the russians over the last months (At least. That we know of) ---
**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, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/112 "2017-01-11T05:58:27Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > Let me rephrase, firstly. They didn’t literally install Trump; they merely helped things along by helping to smear Clinton. > > I have absolutely no doubt that the FSB has plenty of salacious stuff on Trump. I also have no doubt that Trump being President suits their purposes. I’m less confident that the Trump campaign worked directly with the Kremlin, but I have no doubt that they worked indirectly with the Kremlin, possibly unwittingly. > > The memo alleges that since at least 2011, Russia has been working on Trump. Perhaps not coincidentally, this is when he first started his political ascendancy. What I mean by that is that Putin saw a possible opportunity at that point, not that they made it happen. > > I’d say they have many contingency plans in place. It’s not like they focused exclusively on Trump–it’s just that he’s the one who ended up winning. And as he kept progressing, they probably dedicated more resources in his direction. I guess its not completely impossible, but it sure makes Putin start to reach Hannibal Lecter levels of foresight and intrigue. “No no Clarice, our Donny wasn’t a run of the mill piss fetishist. he was a piss voyeur. He hated to get his tiny hands dirty…or wet.” ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/113 "2017-01-11T06:05:45Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > The question is whether anyone in donalds campaign was contacted by russians and what did they do. It’s not a requirement that they were complicit in a plot. > > If it’s yes and the trail goes back to donnie in any way, I can’t see how he will not be impeached. I’m assuming that he will never step down. I agree. There’s a possibility that the campaign used Russian intel because, why not? It doesn’t seem at all crazy to think that there’d be a kind of “win at all cost” mentality and that they could use such intel without any consequences. I mean, we already have footage of Trump publicly begging the Russians to hack the Democrats ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/114 "2017-01-11T06:05:51Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Seems a long shot since in 90% of all other alternate realities, Clinton won\*. Some people claim that it’s impossible that anyone ever WINS the lottery - the odds are 100 million to one! You seem to be claiming that no one would ever even PLAY the lottery - the odds are 10 to one! Cmon. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/115 "2017-01-11T06:19:08Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > I guess its not completely impossible, but it sure makes Putin start to reach Hannibal Lecter levels of foresight and intrigue. > > “No no Clarice, our Donny wasn’t a run of the mill piss fetishist. he was a piss voyeur. He hated to get his tiny hands dirty…or wet.” Well, he’s a former high-ranking KGB operative and someone who no doubt knows how to play his cards (or chess pieces, perhaps). And it really doesn’t require foresight, just an understanding of how to employ strategic thinking. That said, the golden shower stuff is really a distraction from the real substance of the allegations. I’ll also add that I’m not a “U.S.A. = good, Russia = evil” sort of person: I’m an Australian with a Russian heritage. But it seems clear that Putin has been playing a very long game and wants to get the U.S. out of his way. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/116 "2017-01-11T06:21:03Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > The question is whether anyone in donalds campaign was contacted by russians and what did they do. It’s not a requirement that they were complicit in a plot. > > If it’s yes and the trail goes back to donnie in any way, I can’t see how he will not be impeached. I’m assuming that he will never step down. > > Donnie will have a hard time pinning this on an underling: He is a rogue candidate whose will was primary in everything that happened; and he has been laying carpets and plushy pillows for the russians over the last months (At least. That we know of) Don’t forget [Paul Manafort.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Manafort) > [@](#): > > Manafort is best known for his \*\*lobbying efforts on behalf of pro-Russian Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych as well as for dictators \*\*such as Ferdinand Marcos and Mobutu Sese Seko and guerrilla leader Jonas Savimbi. He was an adviser to the presidential campaigns of Republicans Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bob Dole, and was the **national chairman of the presidential campaign of Donald Trump** , as well as being a senior partner in the firm Davis, Manafort, and Freedman. ---
**Author:** ![CatandMouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@CatandMouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatandMouse)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/117 "2017-01-11T06:32:32Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Have we still not learned anything from the Republicans? > > Run with this story as hard as you can. If evidence comes out later demonstrating it’s conclusively false, _keep running with it._ Bring it up constantly. Use it as a rebuttal to everything, regardless of how absurdly out of context. Hold hearings on it. Lots of hearings, over and over and over. Doesn’t matter if they all reach exactly the same conclusion. It’s not the answer that matters, it’s the show. > > That’s how you win elections in this country. Truth? Truth is for losers. Literally. Exactly! And if it doesn’t grow legs, we can bury it, then dig it back up in 3 years. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/118 "2017-01-11T06:38:30Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > This whole thing started as a hoax on 4chan /pol/ : > > [https://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/95568919/#95571329](https://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/95568919/#95571329) > > A lot of people are going to get fired 🙂 This is bullshit. The only piece of evidence is a post from November 1 that says: \*"So they took what I told Rick Wilson and added a Russian spy angle to it. They still believe it. Guys, they’re truly fucking desperate - there’s no remaining Trump scandal that’s credible. "\* I don’t even know what this is supposed to prove. Did this person write the part about golden showers, or did they write all 35 pages of the memos? It doesn’t reference anything in the memos. In fact, it doesn’t reference anything at all. It’s not quoting an article or another person’s post. You’d think that you could just scroll up and see what he’s talking about, but there’s nothing related upthread either. This quote is completely unrelated to anything in the thread in which it appears. Well, what’s the thread about to begin with? The first post is just a junk link dump for Trump rallies, anti-Hillary stuff, links to the Trump campaign, etc. That’s it. The whole thread is about nothing. The replies are just Trump cheering, fake news links, and nothing else in particular. A couple people sort of reply to each other about how much they hate Hillary’s voice, a couple others about whether Trump will win NC. Some of the posts quote posts from other threads. It’s basically a thread of nonsensical, random posts. That quote could be in regards to Trump being a reptilian alien. But you know what, there were no news stories about Trump being a reptilian alien on November 1, nor were there any news stories about these memos on Nov 1. This single post appears to be pre-planted in a junk thread for a special occasion when someone needed to cast doubt on a news story. It would work for any news story since it doesn’t give any details. The only supporting piece of evidence is an image of a post that was written today after the memos came out that repeats the claim. Not the actual post itself, just an image of a post created today. I was impressed with the speed with which you were able to post the first quote, but then I realized it was nothing compared to the speed with which it circulated on right wing sites and reddit. It’s kind of interesting to see how fast some of the smaller right wing sites quickly attracted an abnormally high number of commenters that linked to that single post as concrete proof than 4chan fooled the CIA. If I didn’t know any better, I might suspect this of being an indication that something in the memos has someone worried. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/119 "2017-01-11T06:46:06Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/120 "2017-01-11T06:49:14Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Hold hearings on it. Lots of hearings, over and over and over. Doesn’t matter if they all reach exactly the same conclusion. It’s not the answer that matters, it’s the show. Yeah, right on. The Dems can use their congressional and senate majorities to keep Trump’s balls firmly in the fire for as long as it takes. Oh, wait… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846.md?page=7)