Every once in a while is get to feel the same way that political writers had to feel during the Clinton administration.

Donald Trump’s long-time bodyguard, Keith Schiller, spoke with the House Intelligence Committee and some of it quickly leaked…though in view of the story that is to come, leak is not a good word. Schiller was asked about parts of the Trump Dossier where he might be knowledgeble, in particular everyone’s favorite vignette:

After a business meeting before the Miss Universe Pageant in 2013, a Russian participant offered to “send five women” to Donald Trump’s hotel room in Moscow, his longtime bodyguard told Congress this week, according to three sources who were present for the interview.

Two of the sources said the bodyguard, Keith Schiller, viewed the offer as a joke, and immediately responded, “We don’t do that type of stuff.”

The two sources said Schiller’s comments came in the context of him adamantly disputing the allegations made in the Trump dossier, written by a former British intelligence operative, which describes Trump having an encounter with prostitutes at the hotel during the pageant. Schiller described his reaction to that story as being, “Oh my God, that’s bull—-,” two sources said.

The conversation with the Russian about the five women took place after a morning meeting about the pageant in Moscow broke up, two sources said.

That night, two sources said, Schiller said he discussed the conversation with Trump as Trump was walking back to his hotel room, and Schiller said the two men laughed about it as Trump went to bed alone. Schiller testified that he stood outside Trump’s hotel room for a time and then went to bed.

One source noted that Schiller testified he eventually left Trump’s hotel room door and could not say for sure what happened during the remainder of the night.

Two other sources said Schiller testified he was confident nothing happened.

Schiller said he and Trump were aware of the risk that hotel rooms in Moscow could be set up to capture hidden video, two sources said.

I’m not sure any sane person ever believed this particular story (my commentary at the time). And Schiller’s story sounds right to me. The last place in the world that you’d ever cavort with hookers paid for by someone else is a Moscow hotel because you know everything is being captured for posterity.

Somehow being able to report that the future President of the United States DID NOT party with five Russian hookers provided gratis by some Russian “businessman”–or that the claim was merited Congressional investigation–doesn’t feel like much of a victory.