DONALD FIGHTS BACK – AT 11:21 A.M. ET:  You've seen the stories in the last day on the internet – absolutely unverified, with no evidence presented whatever.  The stories hold that Russia has damaging information on Donald Trump, including sex-soaked videos, and can blackmail the new president.  Even some journalists are wincing at the stories, or rumors.  Where are the facts?  Where is the proof?  Trump himself is fighting back.  From AFP: 

In an angry Twitter rant on Wednesday, US President-elect Donald Trump vehemently rejected reports that Russia had compromising information on him, including sex tapes, likening the unsubstantiated claims against him and the US intelligence response to “Nazi Germany.”

Trump, an avid user of the social media platform, termed the allegations “fake news,” and said he has no dealings with Russia. He also argued US intelligence agencies should have prevented the information from reaching the public.

Russia has also denied the reports, calling them a fabrication and claiming their purpose was to damage Moscow’s relations with Washington.

“The Kremlin does not have compromising information on Trump,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, calling the claims a “total fake” and “obvious attempt to harm our bilateral relations.”

In a series of posts to his Twitter account, Trump wrote: “Russia just said the unverified report paid for by political opponents is “A COMPLETE AND TOTAL FABRICATION, UTTER NONSENSE.” Very unfair!”

“Russia has never tried to use leverage over me. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA – NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!” he continued. “I win an election easily, a great “movement” is verified, and crooked opponents try to belittle our victory with FAKE NEWS. A sorry state!”

“Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to “leak” into the public. One last shot at me. Are we living in Nazi Germany?”

COMMENT:  Well, that's pretty angry stuff.  Maybe not the right tone for a president.  But I can understand Trump's fury.  There is an active attempt to delegitimize his election.  It is ugly.  It is based on little more than rumor.

The press has an obligation here to get at the facts and report the news.  But the press itself is under suspicion by large chunks of the American public.  Who do we go to for the truth?  It is a dilemma for us, created by the press itself, much of which has given up its credibility in exchange for "making a difference."

January 11, 2017