Using women as sexual weapons against Steve Wynn (or any political opponent you want to target)

On 1/26/2018, The Washington Post summarized casino magnate Steve Wynn’s reaction to the mob’s accusations against him:

In a written statement, Wynn strongly denied the allegations, saying they stemmed from an ongoing divorce battle with his ex-wife. “The idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous,” Wynn said. “We find ourselves in a world where people can make allegations, regardless of the truth, and a person is left with the choice of weathering insulting publicity or engaging in multiyear lawsuits. It is deplorable for anyone to find themselves in this situation.”

I have no way of knowing what Mr. Wynn did or didn’t do, but I know what it’s like to be frustrated with reporters’ willingness — even eagerness — to amplify allegations now and then ask questions later.

Just ask Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was accused of sexual assault by a hotel worker who was later found to be seeking free money from what she hoped would be an easy lawsuit settlement. Reporters reported without investigation; the IMF fired him without investigation; and the man’s pending campaign for the French presidency was aborted.

The lesson? If your political opponent is male, find a woman who could have reasonably spent a few minutes in private with the male, ask her to report an attempted or actual sexual assault, and if you need to ensure that her duplicity lasts more than a few days (which isn’t even needed in many cases), give her some money in order to ensure that she doesn’t out herself and you as self-interested liars.

The aforementioned political strategy works whether or not the woman’s identity is revealed. But media outlets almost always protect the identities of women who make sexual allegations, therefore providing a huge incentive for women to make sexual allegations for financial and/or political benefit.

As a libertarian, I’m not calling for laws that would tie the hands of reporters. But responsible news outlets should voluntarily agree to reveal the identities of both the accuser and the accused — or the identities of neither.