I mean a year and a half does put this somewhat close to starting right after the election. I doubt they thought there was much of a need to dedicate those assets before the election. Most everyone assumed he was going to lose, and any work done wouldn’t matter by the time it finished. As for the time? I don’t know, I feel like a year and a half is a reasonable time for three reporters to gather, sift, and interpret this much information. No doubt the timing is quite beneficial, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this report took about that much time to compile. Part of the article talks about Trumps ability to talk himself up at the right times, and to maintain silence at others. The majority of his businesses are brand name centric. He built his visual empire on self image, he’s definitely not just lucky with PR