Was Petraeus the "Sex Scandal" Drudge was Teasing on October 31

[alcibiades_mystery]

Drudeg had a big ole siren teaser: Sex Scandal Hits Campaign," released at 7:30 or so October 31. We know Cantor went to FBI Director Mueller with the information on...October 31.

There's some delay, then Drudge releases the lame "scandal" about Bob Menendez at 2am on November 1.

It always struck me as off.

Now, to be fair, Drudge often teases complete bullshit and then ends up with something as lame as this. But this time the whole thing looked odd.

The tease - "Sex Scandal to Hit Campaign" - is utterly vague.

Menendez (single, by the way) is a well-known womanizer, which is why the reported scandal fizzed out in less than a news cycle. But here's the hypothesis: Cantor leaks this to Drudge, who teases it. Then Cantor, maybe after talking to Mueller, pulls back hard - no, no, no. So Drudge comes up with the utterly lame Menendez story, which had probably been sitting in a Daily Caller vault since summer.

I would be looking at contacts between Cantor's people and Drudge on October 31.

[Horse with no Name]

1. Drudge is definitely "in the loop"

and it was speculated here before that that particular salacious claim just died.

Cantor put politics before national security and he should be prosecuted for that.

[leveymg]

2. Good catch, (or maybe a fish story). But, something tugged the line.

Definitely interesting.

[BlueToTheBone]

3. Does that mean Drudge knew before the President?

That is really interesting.

[ret5hd]

4. Maybe. Why do you think the president wasn't told?

[BlueToTheBone]

5. Because I keep forgetting everyone lies. n/t

[ret5hd]

6. So you think the president was told?

[marlakay]

8. I have a hard time believing he didn't know

and saying the WH didn't will come back to bite them in maybe years of wasted time like Clinton in hearings….

[ret5hd]

10. Even tho since nixon it was a requirement to NOT tell the president?

[marlakay]

11. What requirement is that?

I have never heard of it…shouldn't our leader be informed if head of CIA could possibly have a security problem? If for no other reason then he should watch things he says to him for awhile...

[BlueToTheBone]

12. Who knows? Everyone lies. n/t

[ret5hd]

13. You, for example?

just askin'.

[BlueToTheBone]

14. and you for sure. n/t

[Spazito]

7. I think so...

the timeline fits and the lame 'fill-in' of Menendez didn't fit the 'election changer' breathless alert by Drudge even by scumbag Drudge standards.

I think Cantor or someone else, maybe the shirtless FBI guy, whispered sweet nothings in Drudge's cruddy ear about this, Drudge did the flashing red light thing and then was called off the story because it wouldn't hurt the President but would hurt the repubs.

[hrmjustin]

9. That is a great point. What about cantor position here? That needs to be explored.