Democrats' 'Oppo Research' on Trump Is Mostly Old News Stories

'Underwhelming,' declares Gawker after a deep dive
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 16, 2016 3:44 PM CDT
Democrats' 'Oppo Research' on Trump Is Mostly Old News Stories
Donald Trump pumps his fist after speaking at a rally at the Fox Theater Wednesday.   (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

So what are the secretive sources the Democratic National Committee uses to compile its opposition research on Donald Trump? In examining what is purported to be a DNC file obtained by hackers, Gawker reports that the sources are actually pretty familiar: The Washington Post leads the way with 75 references, followed by CNN (53), the New York Times (50), and, weirdly, Larry King (46). It seems the 200-plus-page file is made up largely of old news stories. A hacker who calls himself Guccifer 2.0 released the document to Gawker and to the Smoking Gun, but if there are any bombshells within, they have yet to surface. One thing of note: The Smoking Gun says it also received donor lists, which would contradict party officials' claims that no financial information was breached. The legitimacy of the documents has not been verified.

  • The Guardian lists its six favorite takeaways, including Trump telling King that he always wanted to be a filmmaker.
  • Paste offers a more ambitious list of the "28 best passages," including a newspaper interview with a former neighbor recalling a bratty young Donald.
  • NBC's take: "The dossier is mostly filled with previously reported on public comments and biographical information about the presumptive GOP nominee. But it also provides insights into where Democrats may view Trump most vulnerable, including the possibility of reviving his ex-wife's rape allegation."
  • A separate Gawker piece calls the research "underwhelming at best" and jokes that the best thing in it is the revelation that Trump has flip-flopped on his belief in heaven. (He's currently in the heaven-exists camp.)
  • Trump himself thinks the DNC faked the hack, reports CNN.
(More Donald Trump 2016 stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X