Admin correction: This story’s original headline, “Is the KGB blackmailing the GOP?,” has been edited to more accurately reflect the content of Burchett’s remarks, in which unspecified ‘powerful people’ were accused of blackmail using a technique also employed by Russian agents.
It's not a stretch to think KGB (now FSB / GRU) might have Kompromat on the GOP. In a podcast1 on December 21, 2023 Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) said2 as much. But it got lost in the hectic holidays for the most part. But let's rewind a bit because it sure seems to explain a lot of GOP support of the Russian agenda.
Burchett said -
“You know the old honeypot. The Russians do that and I’m sure Members of Congress have been caught up. Why in the world would good conservatives vote for crazy stuff like what we’ve been seeing? Here’s how it works. You’re visiting, you’re out of the country or out of town or you’re in a motel or at a bar in DC and, whatever you’re into – women, men, whatever – comes up and they’re very attractive and they’re laughing at your jokes, and you’re buying them a drink.”
The KGB3 has a long tradition of blackmailing people with evidence of truly compromising situations. Kompromat4 isn't always pictures and video of sex, but it's been effective since the Stalin era. We've all heard the rumors of Trump's pee tapes, but at this point that and seemingly years of money laundering are overshadowed by the classified documents he may or might not have shared. (Yes, I'll be careful to give KOS plausible deniability.) Prior to running Trump's 2016 campaign Paul Manafort aided Russian apparatchik victor Yanukovych take the Ukrainian presidency5 in the questionable 2014 election - which ended in the revolution that inspired Putin's little green men to seize Crimea illegally. Manafort, after getting pardoned, admitted6 giving Russia information during said campaign. Collusion with Russia is top notch Kompromat.
The Stockholm syndrome works well with weak minds. Trump has made no secret of his adoration of Putin. Getting impeached for extorting Zelenskyy was barely a hiccup in his continuous advocacy of numerous Russian objectives. Reagan would be spinning in his grave at thousands of revs per minute if he were to see lurid spectacle of Republicans doing Putin's bidding and trying to pull the plug on supporting Ukraine. I'm like bruh - Russia has been our adversary since WW2. Russia is the reason NATO exists. This is the same Russia that has had an imperialist agenda since even before the 1500s, bombed Chechnya into rubble three years after signing a peace treaty, and has nuclear bombs aimed at you right now. Bringing their military to it's knees for less than 5% of two annual defense budget and nary an American life is a pretty good deal. Why are Republicans supporting Russia? Hmmm.
Burchett spelled it out when he went on to say -
“Next thing you know you’re in the motel room with them naked, and next thing you know you’re about to make a key vote, and what happens? Some well-dressed person comes up, whispers in your ear, ‘Hey man, there’s tapes out on you. Were you in a motel room on whatever with whoever? And you’re like, ‘Uh, oh.’ And they say, ‘You really ought not to be voting for this thing. And what do they do? It’s human nature."
The alt right has a long history of loudmouth Bill Cosby style sanctimony from the likes of anti gay marriage crusader Reverend Ted Haggerty7. His private tweaker lifestyle involved paying a male escort to top8 him while getting high on meth. Laughably, he insisted that it was “just massage and meth”. Then there's Mathew Cawthorn, anti-trans warrior “tough guy” overcompensating for a private life that involved crotch grabbing male aides, siphoning campaign funds9 to them and partying in lingerie. There isn't anything wrong with consenting adults wearing lingerie and enjoying, umm, non-procreative penetrative activities, but smoking methamphetamine and diverting campaign funds are illegal. And hypocrisy that actually hurts other people is as wrong as it gets. It's not a long walk to guess which politicians are more likely to eagerly jump at the opportunity for raunchy sex while out of town, right? Overcompensating much?
Sexpionage video is just the start, though for KGB operations. Traditionally, Russia's stick is often balanced by the carrot of generous campaign contributions, and treason is even better Kompromat. Sleazy sex videos might destroy families and careers, but the punishment for treason10 can include death.
Not that treason seems to bother the GOP lately.
Sigh
