Good read but I disagree about the nature of the Komprmat being financial and not sexual. His (supposed) financial prowess is what his dedicated followers like about him, what look up to him for. That he may have broken a few financial rules with Russian oligarchs would just cement his reputation as being some kind of business cowboy who thumbs his nose at the ‘deep state’ like a character in movie. The ONLY thing financial of value might be that he is flat broke, or close to it.
The interesting thing about ‘sistema’ is the ambiguity. If you’ve ever been involved in a group of people who are selling drugs then you kinda know the feeling of kompromat - everyone knowing who is involved, should the cops start rounding everyone up - but at least you know what they have on you. According to that, in Russia these guys don’t know who was what on them and that ambiguity is the controlling force, the glue that holds the whole thing together. So Trump, who has not only done a lot of untoward and illegal shit - financial, sexual, moral - but can’t keep his goddamn mouth shut about anything, is now totally beholden to these Russians and ‘sistema.’
What an asshole..