Okay, Trump isn’t really going to be pee-boarding anyone (darn it), but just because a story isn’t true is no reason not to report it.  At least, in 2017 that seems to be the prevailing journalistic philosophy after a number of news outlets, with varying degrees of enthusiasm and hyperbole, published reports that the Russians were ready to blackmail Donald Trump with secret videos of the billionaire in a Moscow hotel room, paying prostitutes to perform a “golden showers” scenario (peeing) on a bed once used by Barack and Michelle Obama.

The only problem is that there’s no evidence whatsoever that this ever happened. None. It’s complete and utter claptrap, and less believable than the rumor that the Russians have video of the night the Obamas used that hotel room and someone ended up getting a “dirty Sanchez.” (If you don’t know the term, for the love of all that’s holy don’t look it up.  Let’s just say it’s a sexual act invented by liberals who really, really deserve to be turned into pillars of salt.)

At a press conference on Wednesday, Trump quickly dismissed the preposterous tale – and subsequently refused to take questions from a CNN reporter because that organization was one of the purveyors of this “fake news.” Score one for The Donald!

The so-called “Trump Blackmail” dossier has apparently been kicking around for months, with many people in government and media aware of its existence, but unable to do anything with it since none of the accusations held up to scrutiny. Which is frequently the case when a story is complete and utter bullcrap.

Still, the fictitious scandal developed a life of its own behind closed doors. If we’re getting the story right (which seems quaint, doesn’t it?), the dossier found its way into the hands of John McCain who was so stunned by the scatological accusations that he spat out the acorns he’d been storing in his cheeks for winter.

McCain then gave the report to FBI Director (and unindicted Hillary co-conspirator) James Comey, who – instead of burning the report and suggesting that McCain check into a 12-step program –  apparently slipped the information to perennial lunatic Harry Reid, who demanded the allegations be made public to derail Trump’s run to the White House. This is, of course, the same Harry Reid who gleefully boasts about lying his ass off regarding Mitt Romney’s taxes as an act of political sabotage.

(And on a side note, Harry, absolutely no one believes your story of getting your face battered and bruised by an exercise rubber band gone rogue. Rather, we strongly suspect that person or persons unknown beat the living tar out of you, then disappeared into the shadows before we could offer to buy them several rounds of drinks.)

Passed around as indiscriminately as Bill Clinton’s DNA, the report eventually found it’s way to the NBC-affiliated “news” website Buzzfeed (so named because Buttfeed was apparently already taken) which printed every scurrilous word online – kicking off a massive “me too” campaign of other alleged news organization linking to the story without even pretending to fact-check.

As alleged actress Meryl Streep said only days ago, “Disrespect invites disrespect” and “when the powerful use their positions to bully, we all lose. We need the principled press to hold power to account, to call them on the carpet for every outrage.”

So far, the real outrages seem to be generated by a press which has deserted anything remotely like principle.

This article is republished with permission from our friend Stilton Jarlsberg at Hope n’Change