Michael Savage is not my particular cup of tea for a variety of reasons. Having said that, he is influential among a significant number of people who tend to vote GOP at election time. Savage has, for quite a while, been a major Trump supporter. Back in July he referred to Trump as the “Winston Churchill of our time.”

Yesterday, though, he said he might withdraw his support unless Donald Trump meets a single precondition.

SAVAGE: I want to focus on a story circulating in the media about Ted Cruz having had five extramarital affairs. Which Cruz calls garbage. I find this to be disgusting, by the way, because I have been a victim of assassination by innuendo my entire career. Both from those who pose as constitutional conservatives and smeared me day and night, and others in the media. They’ve assassinated me by innuendo and thus far I’ve survived it. It’s not pretty to live through this garbage. But when it comes from conservatives it is even more irking. Because I thought conservatives were better than liberals. But no, they’re not better than liberals. It’s just another business for most people.

Now I go where the truth is, so let me start with my opinion. This came out today from Fox32 News in Chicago based upon a National Enquirer story that just broke which says Cruz was involved in five extramarital affairs citing unnamed “political insiders.” Now Cruz vehemently denied the claims today. Do we have the sound of Cruz, Robert, if we do would you kindly play it?

CRUZ: The National Enquirer published a story. It is a story that quoted one source on the record, Roger Stone, Donald Trump’s chief political adviser. Let me be clear, this National Enquirer story is garbage. It is complete and utter lies. It is a tabloid smear. And it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen.

SAVAGE: Well, by what I have learned, and this is an exclusive to the Savage Nation, you’re not going to hear it from anyone else. Because no one has the source I have on this story, I have sources. And let me tell you something, I support Donald Trump but the scandal is false. That’s what I’ve been told by someone who has a source, someone who I, let us say, work with closelym who I would trust with my life, has a source inside the Enquirer. He called the Enquirer and he was told this, this was all anonymous, I’m quoting now. He said, “We don’t have it.” Meaning it’s all innuendo. And it was written very carefully, implying it without stating it, to smear Ted Cruz. So I asked who owns the Enquirer? And the source told me the Enquirer is owned by AMI. AMI is run by a David Pecker (I swear I am not making that up). David Pecker is a close friend of Donald Trump. David Pecker flies to Florida from New York on Trump’s private jet. I was told again, I can’t confirm it deny it, that Mr. Pecker, what a name, is personally involved in the anti-Cruz stories.

Now, I don’t blame Donald Trump, but if he finds out this Pecker is behind it he should get rid of this connection. Because this in not going to help him at all. David Pecker is chairman, president, and CEO of America Media Inc. AMI owns the National Enquirer, The Star, The Globe. So, my friends, in my opinion this is utter garbage and Cruz is rightly offended. This is assassination by innuendo. It’s important that you hear this, it’s real important that you hear this, because I go where the truth is. I’ve supported Trump and probably still will, but if he won’t disavow this guy Pecker and this story I may withdraw my support from anyone in this campaign. I’ll tell you right now, I’ll tell you right now, I have nothing to gain or lose personally from it, unlike many in the media who are tied at the hip to the candidates they support, I am not going to support anyone who engages in assassination by innuendo. So that’s all I’m going to say on that matter.

That is pretty strong stuff. As they say, money talks and bullsh** walks, and we will see within the next few days if Michael Savage is bought, rented, or a Trump ally of his own free will. If Trump doesn’t disavow his butt-buddy, Pecker, and Savage doesn’t withdraw his support, then we will know a lot more about Savage’s relationship with Trump than we did.

Doubts aside, this is what is needed to moderate Trump’s gutter crawling political instincts. Unless and until people close to him, people that he has not bought (assuming such people exist), start standing up and telling him to stop the third grade poop joke than he has made of this primary season.