Also, the possibility of extortion is real. It is very one-sided because the Progressive media has been able to define what a scandal is.
Consider the enormous resources available from foreign sources such as China, for purposes of reducing the power of the United States. The easiest way for such powers to influence the U.S. political structures is by supporting Leftists, who tend to agree that the U.S. has too much power. This has been directly documented with the Clintons.
Thus, threats of exposure to Conservatives are very potent, while threats of exposure to Leftists can generally have been laughed at.
The rise of alternate media to the dominant Progressive media has been changing that.
This is a good point. Nothing could be easier than for a pretty little intern to get a male politician into a compromising situation on behalf of her real bosses. Given that most politicians seem to have the morals of an alley cat, the Epstein maneuver would be as effortless as hot knife into soft butter.