So first, let me tell you about Cambridge Analytica.

Cambridge Analytica is a firm that scans and mines online data, for the purpose of finding potential voters, and uses Jedi mind tricks to influence voters.

Ok, maybe not Jedi mind tricks, specifically, but after pinpointing voters through social media, it does rely on psychology to woo voters, determining which voters are attuned to a which particular message.

This firm is employed by politicians, while they seek to get their message out to the voters during election seasons.

Now, to bring this around, the powerful Mercer family is heavily invested in Cambridge Analytica.

Robert Mercer is a hedge fund manager and backer of Republican politics. He supported Ted Cruz early, but jumped on the Trump train afterwards.

On Friday, White House financial disclosures were released, and it seems Steve Bannon, former Breitbart CEO and current chief strategist for President Trump brought home quite the tidy profit from Cambridge Analytica.

Bannon was working as a consultant for Cambridge Analytica, actually, and according to some tweets gathered over at Twitchy, is quite invested.

Per new disclosures: Stephen Bannon made 125k from Cambridge Analytica last year and owns $1-5 million stake.

— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) March 31, 2017

The kicker?

KEY dynamic: Cambridge was working for CRUZ during the primary but Bannon was boosting TRUMP at Breitbart… https://t.co/d9ed5FpTyL

— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) March 31, 2017

While Bannon was consulting for Cambridge Analytica, he was also using Breitbart to boost Trump and eviscerate Ted Cruz – all while Cruz was a client of Cambridge Analytica.

More interesting: He consulted for Cambridge Analytica, a vendor to the Cruz campaign, while running Breitbart, which gutted Cruz daily https://t.co/QOmiKscXpX

— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) April 1, 2017

Now, does this mean that the fix was in, and that Bannon was directing Cambridge Analytica to steer the Cruz campaign wrong, in order to give Trump the upper hand during the election?

No, not necessarily. However, when presented with the news, at least one Cruz adviser got that cold, dead knot in the pit of his stomach, which many of you reading this may be feeling, right now.

NEW: Cruz adviser responds, telling me: “It makes me sick to my stomach and may reach a new ethical low in politics…" https://t.co/9L3yboo4es

— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) April 1, 2017

I don’t know that anything could have stopped Trump’s rise. Not only did he have media treating him as if he were already president, presenting those optics to a disgruntled and otherwise politically disinterested public, but he may have had inside help, as well.

We may never know, but we are sure to see the effects for years to come.