I believe the Trump-Russia situation coming to light has made people hypersensitive (good when it's countering a desensitization) to this kind of blatant bad be

I believe the Trump-Russia situation coming to light has made people hypersensitive (good when it's countering a desensitization) to this kind of blatant bad behaviour. The fact that it was a Washington Post journalist may have been crucial to the level of shock it has, at least in America; a situation finally that can resonate close enough to home for us to feel some kind of impact, and in the current climate of authoritarian/totalitarian governments trying to breakdown democracy.