'Russian Dossier' on Trump: How Fake Stories are Legitimized as Truth

© AP Photo / Evan VucciPresident Donald Trump looks up after signing the final of three executive orders, Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump looks up after signing the final of three executive orders, Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) - Sputnik International
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In January, CNN and BuzzFeed reported on memos which allege that United States President Donald Trump had been groomed and supported by Russian intelligence for several years. Among other issues, the report said that during a visit to Moscow in 2013, the US politician had allegedly invited prostitutes to a hotel.

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"The Russian dossier" on Donald Trump is a 35-page compilation of 16 reports marked with different datelines. The earliest report dates back to July 25, 2015, and the latest to December 13, 2016.

Sources in US intelligence told CNN that the document was compiled by a "former British intelligence officer" and US investigators have corroborated some of the communications detailed in it.

"The document raises a lot of questions. Why is it a former British intelligence officer?  If the US and Britain cooperate in intelligence why is US intelligence investigating information from the document? Why cannot London hand over the information to Washington to make the dossier public?" Igor Pshenichnikov, adviser for the president of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote in an article for RIA Novosti.

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The "Russian dossier" claims that Russia has been "cultivating, supporting and assisting" Donald Trump for at least five years, with the goal to "encourage splits and divisions" in the West.

The document also reads that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) allegedly collected compromising materials on Trump during his visit to Russia in 2013. The mysterious "former British intelligence officer" cited different "knowledgeable" sources, including a former Russian intelligence officer, a senior Kremlin official etc.

"Such a story can be easily made up by anyone who has a talent for writing, a fertile imagination and a knowledge of global affairs. The 'Russian dossier' on Trump is an almost ready script for a thriller. Just add some details, dialogues and the job is done," Pshenichnikov wrote.

Moreover, the expert emphasized that the document is not 100 percent fake when it comes to the names of countries, certain persons and their political or economic interests.

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"It is a well-known fact that it is much easier to believe in a lie if it is mixed with the truth," he noted.

Pshenichnikov pointed out that the logic of such disinformation pieces is extremely simple: "If Trump has been to Russia then he is a Russian spy." But this simplicity is what makes those fake "reports" and "dossiers" so attractive and difficult to criticize.

"What is also important is that the 'Russian dossier' has been reviewed in a series of publications in different respectable media outlets. But their essence is the same: Trump has ties with Russia and therefore he cannot be US President," the author concluded.

 

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