Social and other media is buzzing (so to speak) about a report in Buzzfeed that claims that the Russians have “compromising” information on Donald Trump, The report contains stories of Trump operatives making secret deals with Russian and that the President Elect had Russian prostitutes performing “golden showers” on him. The story started to fall apart within hours of its publication.
Indeed, the story was known to a number of news media outlets, but even the most stridently anti-Trump websites and newsmagazines refused to run the unsubstantiated charges.
One Trump lawyer named Michael Cohen reported to be in Prague meeting with agents in Vladimir Putin was, according to records, on the USC campus with his son at the time in question. As for the idea that Trump would allow himself to be urinated on by Russian working girls, the idea is unlikely as the man is a germaphobe who does not like to shake hands with strangers not to mention be anointed with body waste. Trump is also accused of paying bribes to Russian officials.
Why Buzzfeed would publish this kind of nonsense is a matter of conjecture, It is clearly too late to prevent his election as president. The idea may be to diminish him in advance of his swearing in. However, the gambit is likely to backfire as it is the rough equivalent of accusing current President Barack Obama of being a secret Muslim born in Kenya who has set about delivering America to Islamic tyranny. Trump has a Twitter account that he wields like a weapon, but he will hardly need to refute these allegations as they are so ludicrous. Trump’s silicon valley friend Peter Thiel, who took down Gawker for outing him as a gay man, has vowed that Buzzfeed is next.
Ironically, this gambit has made more credible attacks on Trump’s character and policies far less likely to be potent.
Trump and his supporters will just point to the Buzzfeed incident to shut any attacks down.
To be sure, the spectacle of Trump being subjected to fever-swamp conspiracy allegations is ironic, considering his history of conspiracy mongering. From his flirtation with Barack Obama birtherism to his accusation that Ted Cruz’s father killed President John F. Kennedy, Trump had not shied away from the fever swamps when it served his purposes. The difference is that he does it so much better and with a grin on his face. Buzzfeed is a pack of armatures by comparison.