Donald and Vladimir: Are they breaking up? Or is this just a lover's tiff?

See post below. Looks like I was not the only one to come to these conclusions.

Meanwhile, on the hacking front: See here. Apparently, the person arrested in this case is someone other than Sergei Mikhailov (discussed in a previous post), although one cannot be entirely sure at this point.

But the virtually simultaneous appearance of at least four prominent news reports on the hacking and several related arrests, citing numerous anonymous sources, suggests that the normally opaque Russian government intends to reveal more information about the matter, though it is unclear why.

I've been thinking the same thoughts. In fact, I'm starting to suspect a rift between Donnie and Vladdie.

Novaya Gazeta, a respected Russian opposition newspaper, reported Friday that the internal investigation led to two other arrests, and that all of the detentions were related to American investigations into Russian hacking during the election.

The newspaper’s report, based on unnamed sources, said the F.S.B. began the internal investigation after news media reports that a United States cybersecurity company, ThreatConnect, had linked the election hacking to a Siberian server company. That company, King Servers, was otherwise used largely for criminal and marginal cyberactivities, such as distributing pornography and counterfeit goods, by the admission of its owner.

The report said the investigation led to Mr. Mikhailov, a senior officer involved in tracking criminal cyberactivity in Russia.

Both Novaya Gazeta, an outlet for the liberal opposition, and Tsargrad, a hard-line nationalist publication, reported that the F.S.B. made a brutal show of his arrest.

The hints suggested to some analysts that the Russian government may be signaling that it might, however indirectly through a treason trial, reveal details of election hacking, which have the potential of damaging the administration of Mr. Trump.

“They are suggesting it is true, and furthermore, they can prove as much,” Kenneth Geers, a former cyberanalyst with the Department of Defense and an authority on Russian signals intelligence tradecraft, said of the Russians possibly revealing details of their own operation.

See? Perhaps Donnie, having attained power, is now unwilling to bow before his Russian master.

What could have caused a falling out? Maybe this.

Donald Trump '100% behind NATO' after Theresa May talks

The theory of a rift crossed my mind when I learned of the Wisconsin hack, and of the Russian hackers who literally signed their work. That seemed deliberate.

I think that the ultimate revelation here won't be the "pee-pee" video. I think that the really damning piece of kompromat involves the hacking of the voting tabulators.