Evidence that the tape might be real isn’t limited to Trump’s phony alibi. In their book “Russian Roulette,” the investigative journalists David Corn and Michael Isikoff report that five months before the pageant, Trump and his entourage, including his Russian associate Emin Agalarov, visited a louche Las Vegas nightclub called the Act. It was later shut down after a judge issued an injunction against the “lewd” and “offensive” performances it was known for.

Among its regular performances, Corn and Isikoff wrote, were at least two involving women simulating urination, a fairly specific kink. We don’t know what took place when Trump was there, but his presence at the club tells us he may not find this sort of thing unbearably disgusting.

Most of us do, which may be why this anecdote hasn’t received as much attention as other details in the Trump-Russia story. Trump benefits from the fact that looking too closely at his behavior, sexual and otherwise, feels soiling. This leads people observing him to construct elaborate theories to avoid admitting what seems to be staring us all in the face.

Consider a recent Washington Post scoop about Trump’s rage at feeling manipulated by aides to get tough on Russia. After America expelled more Russian officials than France or Germany last month, it said, Trump was “furious that his administration was being portrayed in the media as taking by far the toughest stance on Russia.”

The piece described how Trump reluctantly agreed to sell antitank missiles to Ukraine on the condition that it be kept secret, and was apoplectic when the news leaked, even though he was lauded for the decision. A puzzled senior administration official told The Post, “For some reason, when it comes to Russia, he doesn’t hear the praise.” The article considers a number of potential reasons for this, but doesn’t raise the rather obvious possibility that Trump is being blackmailed.

Like Comey, none of us know what really happened at the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow, and we may never find out. As outlandish as the rumor is, however, the idea that Trump would shy away from good press out of principle is far more so. To seriously discuss this presidency, you have to open your mind to the truly obscene.