seems like Putin would enjoy releasing it and demoralizing Trump.

Continuing his disruption campaign against the US? That's different.

He posits that what Putin has on Trump is evidence that Trump's election was illegitimate. That he was NOT elected. He posits that Putin told Trump that in the private Helsinki meeting, and that explains Trump's beaten-down look as they came to the press conference. He posits that Trump is now doubly blackmailed by the Kremlin: Trump acted in collusion to affect the election, and then Russia acted on its own to affect the vote tally.

He's clearly fine with winning at all costs, and he's clearly fine with cheating. Exposing the cheating doesn't take away the presidency so what does he care.

Personal financial carrots and sticks he cares about. Surely Russia has plenty of that.

Only political kompromat he cares about would be something that severely tarnishes his brand. Cheating on the election doesn't do that. It's pretty much factored in to his image already.

Trump's conspiracy with Russia is/was right out in the open we know now given the news Cohen can confirm Trump knew about and approved the June 16 Trump Tower meeting and that Trump and Putin may well have concocted the cover story about it together.

along with proof of money laundering and the like implicating the whole damned family. I also suspect he has enough to destroy the GOP in its entirety.

so the better play to maximize our division and disarray and distraction -- which it Putin's goal after all -- is not to burn Trump.

If Putin really truly exposed Trump you'd get a deep division w/in the GOP between Trumpists and GOP-loyalists. But that would likely result in a unified Dem governance. Right now, there is a deep division within nation, with a toady/puppet as icing on the cake. That's a better state of affairs for Putin.

They probably have many , many video's , tapes and criminals acts on him to expose, and the worse ones are probably against younger girls, and then his treason against his own country will be a major high crime , but it may not matter when the Mueller investigation proves it all before putin (who is pissed at trump now) will expose him . Even if he fires Mueller it will only make it worse for everyone involved as everything is exposed on him. It'll be so overwhelming that even seasoned prosecutors will be shocked he hasn't been stopped before this. Everyone around trump will turn on him, especially all those close to him. They really, really hate his guts, and will talk knowing he'll throw them under the bus in a minute to save himself, even his own family members. They also know they'll be locked up for a long, long time if they don't. Putin dictated what HE wanted to trump , and clearly is taking orders from him now, but he's unable to do much for him, and its got putin pissed at him now. Putin really wanted those people on HIS list to be handed over, and his real goal was to then put on it Hillary Clinton accusing her of something made up for putin to use against her, and is probably why trumps attacked her, all for putin, because he owns trump.

...but at some point the chaos his exposure would cause may become greater than his usefulness. The nation is already paralyzed, but Putin may seek more than that.

If payment is actually required or communication released, it would ruin his family.

This is what I have always felt.

Russia is more powerful since Trump took office. Putin isn't in this for a popularity contest.