sleaze factor

1. The element in a political party, administration, or other organization that is corrupt, controversial, or tainted by scandal. For example, I can't see myself making a campaign contribution to them—there's too much of a sleaze factor. This slangy expression derives from the adjective sleazy, which means “vulgar” or “tawdry.” The idiom was first used in politics in the 1980s.

Example Sentences

The so-called “sleaze factor” has eroded Mr. Johnson’s poll numbers, frayed his ties with his party’s backbenchers and raised questions about whether he might face an internal leadership challenge.

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Another aide, Anji Hunter, had warned that the government was "losing moral authority by the second", thanks to the "sleaze" factor.

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The Mail under Mr. Greig was especially unforgiving about the perceived “sleaze” factor in government.

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Now, Mr. Johnson faces a low-grade mutiny from his party over the second-jobs scandal, which has sent London tabloids into a feeding frenzy over the perceived “sleaze” factor in government.

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As special counsel Robert S. Mueller III moves toward the summation of his investigation — and whatever his eventual report produces — there is no escaping the sleaze factor that existed around President Trump before and during his campaign for the White House in 2016.

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