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Donald Trump's campaign has been telegraphing for a couple days that they've got a response to the bevy of recent sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations against the GOP presidential nominee—and it's (hopefully) not just going to be airplane armrest trutherism. Instead, he's going back to his old workhorse: blaming Mexicans.


A Trump adviser told The Wall Street Journal that, as early as today, Trump's campaign will begin a coordinated attack again Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. Slim is in many ways a perfect foil for Trump: he owns about a fifth of The New York Times Co.—which publishes the paper that reported two of the latest accounts of alleged sexual assault by Trump—and also donates to the Clinton Foundation.

And, of course, Slim is a "foreigner"—a word the Trump adviser used to the Journal to describe what a great target Slim would be for Trump:



Attacking the Mexican billionaire would allow Mr. Trump to hit several targets. He could slam the “failing” New York Times, which he says had to be “rescued” by a “foreigner”—Mr. Slim, the adviser said.


Yesterday, during an unhinged speech at a Florida rally, Trump denounced his various accusers and said the media was working in "concerted, coordinated" way with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. "This is a conspiracy against you, the American people," Trump said, "and we cannot let this happen or continue."

Speaking to the Journal about the reportedly forthcoming allegations of Slim's involvement in this conspiracy, New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., said Slim had "never sought to influence what we report.” Slim's spokesperson said the allegations were "totally false," adding, "We aren’t even active in Mexican politics.”

This is not Slim's first go-round with conspiracies that he uses the Times to attack politicians. In Mexico, supporters of President Enrique Peña Nieto have suggested that Slim is behind the Newspaper of Record's sometimes critical coverage of the most unpopular Mexican president in more than 20 years.

Ali Gharib is a journalist based in Brooklyn. Sometimes he writes about bars and broke down cars.