Cambridge Analytica’s bribery and sex worker scandal just blew Trump-Russia scandal wide open

| 4:46 pm EDT March 19, 2018
Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.

Yesterday Palmer Report brought you the story of how Mercer-controlled Trump campaign data analysis firm Cambridge Analytica was working behind the scenes to try to prevent British television network Channel 4 from airing an undercover expose about the company. That report has predictably surfaced anyway, and it includes the leaders of Cambridge Analytica giving away the company’s dirtiest political secrets, in a development which has just blown the entire Trump-Russia scandal wide open.

The Channel 4 News report includes footage of Cambridge Analytica senior executives admitting to the tactics they’ve used to win elections, which have included everything from bribery to Ukrainian sex workers (link). This creates several problems for Cambridge Analytica, all of which in turn create new problems for Donald Trump.

First, Cambridge Analytica will have a difficult time refuting these revelations, as they’re on tape admitting to them. Second, many in the court of public opinion will conclude that because the firm used these kinds of tactics in other elections, it must have also used these tactics on Trump’s behalf as well. Third, this casts doubt on the legitimacy and effectiveness of the firm’s data analysis, as it’s had to resort to cheating tactics to pull off its various victories. Fourth, because the firm has admitted to corrupt tactics, it lends credence to the theory that it was getting its voter data from the Russian hackers who hit the voter registration databases in several U.S. states.

Perhaps most importantly, the exposure of this kind of scandal creates several new potential cooperating witnesses for Special Counsel Robert Mueller. If he didn’t already know about Cambridge Analytica’s bribery and sex worker tactics, he does now. He’ll target the company’s lower level employees, as well as outside henchmen, or perhaps even the sex workers themselves, for plea deals against the company’s leaders. He’ll then look to flip them against Donald Trump and his campaign.