Without wishing to stretch the imagination too much....

Picture a turd that thinks he's a 'winner'.
Now, suppose that the turd faces ridicule and scandal on a near-daily basis.
Turd decides that he could attack the credibility of those speaking out against him if could just DISCREDIT one person. He just needs someone as unprincipled as himself, a stooge, that would be prepared to make a claim with little to back it up.

Hey presto!