There have been documented cases of rich people being informed they will have accusations thrown at them in the public eye if they do not pay out. Every time a public figure criticizes a politician to the point of possibly swaying some public opinion, I promise you that their team is working overtime to find any dirt possible to shut that person up. There’s a whole industry around it where firms are paid big money to dig up (and less scrupulously, fabricate) shit on people who go against their interests. It’s not that far fetched.