Yes, That Trump Story

By now, the story has been well-reported on the allegations from a British spy that Russia has scandalous sexual material on Donald Trump that they can blackmail him with, and it's serious enough -- though unverified -- that the FBI and CIA have briefed both President Obama and Trump himself.

I, of course, have no idea on earth if the story is true.  And I have no basis on which to guess whether or not this specific scandal is true.  What I feel comfortable saying, since I've said it here in the past, is that one is foolish if they don't believe that Russia not only hacked Trump during the election, along with the DNC, but have also likely been hacking his emails and wiretaping his phone not just during the election but for years, most especially on his trips to Russia during his business career.  And for the Republican Party to dismiss the charges of Russian hacking against Democrats because -- ha, ha! -- it only happened to them is a disaster for the GOP waiting to happen.

In fact, in its recent intelligence report, the CIA did say that the Republican-affliliated targets were hacked, along with the DNC, but that only material on the Democrats was released.  [Earlier, I had written that the RNC was hacked, though this may not have been the case.]  So, it's not really going out on a limb to say one believes Trump himself was hacked.  In fact, based on his history in Russia and working in business with Russians, it's even probably fair to say that it's more likely that Trump himself has been directly and regularly hacked by Russia rather than Hillary Clinton personally has been..

It's even more fair and likely to believe this given that over all those years Trump was in Russia on business that he was just a private citizen and not using any heavily-protected private server or highly-protected government server.  Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me to find out he was simply using the basic Wi-Fi his Russian hotel was providing or Russian host.  And that when he made phone calls he was either using the hotel phone or house phone, or his mobile phone, and not some secure line.  Or the Cone of Silence.  Or for that matter, even forget hacking or wiretapping -- the Russians probably only had to put hidden mics in the lampshade or behind their lapels and talik to Trump openly at parties as he bragged about himself and his illegally screwing other people in business and his sexual activities.  So, forget the proverbial 400-pound kid in his basement who could have hacked him (or wiretapped him, or just recorded him) -- you could have.

What information the Russians have on Trump, who knows?  But I think it's pretty clear at this point that this is not someone who is circumspect in what he says, or how he says it.  And moreover it's profoundly clear that this is someone who utterly loves talking about himself almost to the exclusion of talking about anyone else more than anyone you know or have ever known or likely will ever know.  So, whatever he's done illegally or immorally in business, or of a sexual nature, or that's personal, or deeply private...he's probably talked about it and written about it.  And the Russians -- who've been doing business with him for a long time -- probably have it all.

So...do the Russians have this particular material that is being talked about in the press and which the FBI and CIA are briefing the President and Trump himself?  I have no idea, nor do I care -- because I am near-certain that they have something.  In fact, I'm sure that they have a LOT of something.  And I even think it's reasonable to think that Trump knows they do -- which, at least in part, is why he is so openly lovey in almost all he says about Russia.

I think he's in big trouble.  And alas, if this is not taken seriously by Republicans eventually, and not only Democrats, so too could we all be.  The good news is that I think the Republicans in Congress will figure this out -- because it's not very hard to.  And being creatures of self-preservation they will come around to eating their own.

​Most of the rest of the country will have gotten there long before them and waiting.