--- title: "\"Putin Has Something on Trump\": Clinton Links Moscow's Concessions to Kompromat and Epstein Files" description: "In the High Stakes podcast, Hillary Clinton suggested that Trump's concessions to Moscow are linked to Putin's kompromat, citing resistance to releasing the Epstein files as evidence." date: 2026-10-21T22:34:30.486Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/hillary-clinton-kompromat-trump-putin-epstein tags: [hillary-clinton, donald-trump, vladimir-putin, epstein-files, ukraine-war, us-russia] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "Putin Has Something on Trump": Clinton Links Moscow's Concessions to Kompromat and Epstein Files ![Hillary Clinton at a podium speaking with microphones against a blue background](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/21/hillary-clinton-kompromat-trump-putin-epstein/hillary-clinton-kompromat-trump-putin-epstein-1.webp) ## Key Points - Hillary Clinton suggested on the High Stakes podcast that Putin holds kompromat on Trump, linking it to Washington's concessions to Moscow. - She cited Trump's resistance to releasing the Epstein files as "proof." - Clinton reiterated that Trump is "Putin's puppet" and outlined a scenario of dividing the world into spheres of influence. - The statements followed Trump's freezing of a Russia sanctions bill and a diesel fuel supply agreement. - Zelenskyy called Washington's moves an attempt to push Ukraine to capitulate in a Bloomberg interview; the WSJ reported Putin's proposal for a trilateral summit without Ukraine. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking on the *High Stakes* podcast hosted alongside journalist Kara Swisher, suggested that recent concessions by US President Donald Trump to Moscow could be explained by kompromat that Vladimir Putin allegedly holds on the American leader. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the podcast recording. Clinton named several reasons for Washington's easing of pressure on Russia, pointing to possible kompromat as one of them. ### "Photos, Video, Anything": Clinton's Phrasing Responding to Swisher's question about why Trump is easing pressure on Russia right now, Clinton stated, "I still believe Putin has something on Trump." According to her, this could involve "photos, video, anything." The former secretary of state emphasized that this is her personal assessment based on observations of the US president's behavior, rather than confirmed documents. ### Epstein Files as "Proof" of the Hypothesis Clinton cited Trump's stubborn resistance to releasing the Epstein files as the main argument supporting her hypothesis. In her logic, the US president operates on a simple principle: keep Putin "happy" so he does not release what he is believed to hold. Thus, Clinton linked two seemingly unrelated storylines—policy toward Russia and the publication of materials in the Epstein case—into a single chain of motives. ### "Putin's Puppet" and Dividing the World into Spheres of Influence Clinton once again called Trump "Putin's puppet," just as she did during the debates ten years ago when she was a presidential candidate. According to her, she warned about Trump's ties to the Kremlin back then, and now, in her view, the world is witnessing confirmation of this "in real time." Furthermore, she suggested that Trump aims to divide the world into spheres of influence: the US would get North and South America, Putin would get Russia and Europe, and Xi Jinping would get the rest of the world. Clinton also warned that, in her opinion, Putin will not stop in Ukraine. ### Context: Recent Washington Moves Toward Moscow Clinton's statements came against the backdrop of several steps taken by Trump toward Moscow in recent weeks. According to RBC-Ukraine, he froze the sanctions bill against Russia, explaining it by a reluctance to push Moscow away from negotiations, and shortly before that approved an agreement on supplies of Russian diesel fuel. It was precisely these actions that prompted Swisher to ask about the reasons for the easing of pressure. ### Kyiv's Reaction and Putin's Initiative Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Bloomberg that Washington's moves look like an attempt to push Ukraine toward capitulation. According to him, Trump has good relations with Putin, but the US president cannot force him to end the war. Concurrently, according to The Wall Street Journal, Putin proposed that Trump and Xi Jinping hold a trilateral summit to discuss ending the war without Ukraine's participation. These circumstances form the backdrop against which Clinton builds her assessment of the US president's motives. ## Fact-Check & Sources - ["У Путина есть что-то на Трампа": Клинтон связала уступки Москве с файлами Эпштейна](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/putin-mae-shchos-trampa-klinton-pov-yazala-1792620478.html) - The primary source confirms that Clinton made these statements on the High Stakes podcast with Swisher. The content (kompromat, "puppet," spheres of influence) consists of her personal assessments and assumptions, not confirmed by independent evidence. Contextual facts (freezing the sanctions law, diesel fuel, Zelenskyy's Bloomberg interview, Putin's initiative per the WSJ) are cited in the article as reported by respective sources. ## FAQ ### What exactly did Hillary Clinton say about Trump and Putin? On the High Stakes podcast, Clinton stated that, in her opinion, "Putin has something on Trump"—photos, video, or otherwise—and linked this to Trump's concessions to Moscow. She also referred to Trump as "Putin's puppet" once again. ### What "proof" did Clinton provide? She pointed to Trump's stubborn resistance to releasing the Epstein files, reasoning that the US president's logic is to keep Putin happy so he doesn't reveal the materials he holds. This is her personal interpretation, not a verified fact. ### What political context accompanied these statements? According to RBC-Ukraine, in recent weeks Trump froze the sanctions bill against Russia and agreed on a Russian diesel supply deal. Zelenskyy called Washington's steps an attempt to push Ukraine toward capitulation in a Bloomberg interview, and the WSJ reported Putin's proposal to hold a trilateral summit with Trump and Xi Jinping without Ukraine.