Summary
Donald Trump’s transition team has bypassed standard FBI background checks for key cabinet nominees, relying instead on private investigators, as reported by CNN.
This breaks decades-old norms meant to vet candidates for criminal history and conflicts of interest.
Controversial appointees include Matt Gaetz (attorney general), Tulsi Gabbard (director of national intelligence), and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (health secretary), all facing scrutiny for past investigations, pro-Russian views, or personal admissions.
Critics argue Trump seeks to undermine traditional vetting, with potential security risks tied to bypassing these checks.
A crook and convicted felon fills his cabinet with folk who probably can’t pass an FBI security screening? Color me shocked.
The robber barons are back, baby
Lemmy doesn’t offer a way to filter posts by words in the title do they? I’m over hearing anything about this waste of oxygen and his buddies.
I have a “muted words” option in Boost to filter out posts by title. Don’t know about any other clients. Sry
Let us know of you find out how. Heard others filtering but that might be on other platforms
Voyager app does… it’s how I don’t see most musk threads.
The Banana Republicans up to a good start.
Cadet Bone Spurs relied on (PAID!!!) a private doctor to give him bone spurs and completely avoided the military doctors who would have found his worthless fit for duty. How in the fuck can one avoid an FBI background check for any government position and contract work?
When you can’t drain the swamp, stuff the swamp with more swamp until unlimited swamp.
Gabbard is the biggest threat here, in my view.
You couldn’t dream of putting a spy in a better position than the DNI whose position is literally to oversee all intelligence agency silos.
Russia will know literally everything.
She is literally in a cult.
People need to know that and they don’t.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_of_Identity_Foundation
Not to defend those nutjobs but ‘religion’ (aka cults that reached critical mass) are far more dangerous, whether Catholicism or mainstream US Protestantism.
Not at all true. These are cultists who would happily march queer people into gas chambers and don’t make a secret about it.
This is a Nazi cult. This is super fucking dangerous.
Dude there are certainly more Americans that would happily march queer people into gas chambers and don’t make a secret about it while being Christian.
There already are “conversion” camps run by Christians for queer children. They are horrendous.
Were hatred against queer people not normalized by Christianity her cult would be unable to use her to persecute them.
Also, some Christian denominations are not troubled by someone being a Nazi.
Okay? And plenty of Christians are not like that at all. And I say that as a life-long atheist.
This is like saying the KKK isn’t extra dangerous because lots of non-Klan members are just as racist.
You’re really missing the point here.
Also, you don’t have to tell me about conversion therapy camps. We’re getting my daughter out of this country specifically because Trump selects people in dangerous bigoted cults to be in his cabinet.
But sure, she’s not dangerous at all. Not compared to 10 out of 10 Christians, all of whom hate queer people, including the Christians who are themselves queer.
I am not missing the point, you are, by miles.
That cult is less dangerous than Christianity. You don’t fear them, you fear an extremely anti-queer government. That government will take power due to Christianity’s influence. Those cultist might be invited along for the ride.
But sure, she’s not dangerous at all. Not compared to 10 out of 10 Christians, all of whom hate queer people, including the Christians who are themselves queer.
Not, all Christians hate queer people. It’s irrelevant if they do not seriously try to stop the ones that do from promoting hate. Which most Christian denominations officially do, for most of them any queerness is a sin. Which explains why even non hateful Christians will not seriously challenge the more extreme ones.
As for queer people who identify as Christians, that’s not an argument in your favor, for Christianity being less dangerous. Christianity has probably driven more queer people to suicide for not being “good” Christians than this cult could even dream of hurting. It gets people to run conversion camps and parents to send their own children there. It probably also keeps good people who would otherwise help queer people from helping.
So yeah Christianity is far more dangerous than some nobodies.
Some nobodies? Her genocidal cult is now going to be officially part of the U.S. government. Why does this not bother you just because there are lots of bigoted Christians as well?
Christians have been in charge of the United States since its inception. The current president is a devout Catholic. Queer people have been getting more and more rights despite that.
By your logic, queer people are in less danger now that this genocidal cultist can get all of their private information because she isn’t a Christian. Is that really what you think? Queer people will be safer under Trump? Or are you going to argue that Trump’s professed Christianity is genuine?
And your “queer Christians hate queer people” argument is also noted.
"Nikolai Patrushev, part of the Russian president’s inner circle and former Secretary of the Security Council, told the Russian newspaper Kommersant that Trump was duty-bound to act on his words.
Patrushev said: “To achieve success in the elections, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. And as a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them.”
So yeah, sounds about right.
Trump is just putting a person between him and Putin this time around, Russia knew everything the first admin also. He hid meeting notes and visitor logs and nobody did shit, then the assholes voted him back in to finish selling us off because somehow that means “America First”.
It’s amazing how Republicans manage to brand all their shit as the complete opposite of what it really is.
Maybe because the whole fucking thing is a rat king of tangled conflicts of interest. If I were them I wouldn’t want anyone with half a spine to so much as look at me.
do we really even need to do a background check on gaetz to know that he’s a bad idea? i’m pretty sure they’d find even more skeletons if they background checked him, but there should already be more than enough information to know he’s a bad candidate.
It’s crazy that all these things I thought were laws my whole life turn out to just be “norms” that can be totally ignored
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No shit, one of his picks has white supremacist tats all over his body, one paid a minor for sex and gave them hardcore drugs, and the other is an actual Russian Agent.
Citation for “Actual Russian Agent”?
(Hillary Clinton said so doesn’t count. )
Whether she has a direct chain of command from Russia or not, she is a Russian Asset by her actions.
She has been non-interventionist and spoke positively of Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad for decades.
Gabbard promoted party division during the 2016 elections by supporting Bernie Sanders for president even after Sanders asked people to vote for Hillary Clinton. This aligns with Russian psyops on social media at the time.
When Russia Invaded Ukraine she parroted Kremlin Newspapers on the false claims that the USA operated 36 Biolabs in Ukraine.
She sued Hillary Clinton for calling her a Russian Asset for some good press but then dropped the suit shortly after announcing it to the news. Meaning she thought Hillary could have actually won such a case if it went to court.
She has been non-interventionist and spoke positively of Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad for decades.
Diplomatic can often be confused with positivity
Gabbard supported Bernie Sanders for president even after Sanders asked people to vote for Hillary Clinton.
When Russia Invaded Ukraine she parroted Kremlin Newspapers on the false claims that the USA operated 36 Biolabs in Ukraine.
Well, The US did fund biolabs in the Ukraine.
She sued Hillary Clinton for calling her a Russian Asset for some good press but then dropped the suit shortly after announcing it to the news. Meaning she thought Hillary could have actually won such a case if it went to court.
Meaning value was gained in publicity and saved in legal fees.
Fucking tankies, bro…
Diplomacy supporting war and death is not a good thing.
You linking to before doesnt argue the point.
She had a lot more to gain by successfully suing Hillary. The only reason to drop the case already filed would be because the allegations were true enough that the opponent could provide evidence and the supposed victim couldn’t demonstrate otherwise.
Diplomacy reduces the war and death.
Supporting Sanders over Clinton could be exactly why she started the “Russian Asset” lazy mudslinging.
The only reason to drop the case already filed would be because
Winning a case, quickly, cleanly and cheaply is impossible.
It certainty doesn’t prove guilt.
Diplomacy with fucking Assad certainly never reduced war or death. I bet 80+ years ago you would have been the type to advocate the USA allying with actual Adolf Hitler.
I’ve got an idea to win the case quickly and cleanly: not have anything to do with Russia and having the court send Clinton the bill (pun not intended).
Diplomacy with fucking Assad certainly never reduced war or death.
Gabbard said they discussed her meeting with Assad and stressed the importance of meeting “with adversaries or potential adversaries, not just our friends, if we are serious about the pursuit of peace.”
Asked if she viewed Assad as an “adversary” of the US, Gabbard demurred and said it was important to look at who posed a threat to the US and how the interests of other nations compare to those of the US.
Pressed on the point, she said, “You can describe it however you want to describe it.”
When asked later in the interview if she thought Assad was a good person, Gabbard said, “No, I don’t,” and asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin was an adversary to the US, she responded, “Yes.”
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/06/politics/tulsi-gabbard-syria-assad/index.html
I bet 80+ years ago you would have been the type to advocate the USA allying with actual Adolf Hitler.
Gabbards stance against Assad is exactly equal to America’s in 1945.
I’ve got an idea to win the case quickly and cleanly: not have anything to do with Russia and having the court send Clinton the bill (pun not intended).
That is a shitty, and ironically slow and expensive, idea.
We still control the executive, make them vote on it.
#TeamAsteroid …
My only confidence and hope is that these guys are such monumental fuckups that they won’t be able to string together enough executive function to realize their dark vision.
I am high on the same copium in order to avoid a complete breakdown.
How much corruption can we take before he’s even installed? For real. This is way fucken nuttier than last time. It seems so malicious.
It seems so malicious.
I guess he was being honest about all that revenge talk, eh? I mean, it is actively and onerously malicious, but just like last time, everyone’s just gonna let Trump steamroll them, because the federal government has long had hesitance to hold figures like presidents, senators, and supreme court justices to account, and this is just an extension of that.
I mean, we didn’t prosecute Bush and Cheney for war crimes. Hillary Clinton was proud of her friendship with Henry Kissinger. Kamala Harris was proud of her endorsement by Dick Cheney.
“It’s a big club and we ain’t in it,” but Trump and co. don’t feel the need to put up the facade anymore.
the federal government has long had hesitance to hold figures like presidents, senators, and supreme court justices to account, and this is just an extension of that.
Because if they start holding others in similar offices to account, they might have to hold themselves as well, and that ain’t happening.
“It’s a big club and we ain’t in it,” but Trump and co. don’t feel the need to put up the facade anymore.
Bingo. Instead of “hiring” (paying off) politicians, they’re just doing it themselves. They’ve lost any and all care about keeping up appearances. After all, what are we going to do? Sue them?
He called Putin for a reason
We will take whatever he gives. The US voters approved him. They want this. They chose this, and everything that comes from it.
This. There is no authority above the authoritarian. His word is law now. Whatever Our Glorious Cheeto wishes is now US doctrine.
Void help us all.
I tried. I can’t do anything.
Did you check your pockets for a time machine? I bet you left it there and could make a quick pop back to the 90s and correct the timeline.
Gore?
Yeah, there’d be plenty of that
Thats not true. There are at least 71 million people here who voted against it. Thats a lot of people.
He won the popular vote, and the electoral college. Majority rules. (Unfortunately)
…Assuming he actually did, and didn’t just commit all the electoral fraud he kept talking about
Plenty of voter suppression in swing states, like unenrolling people from voter registration lists. Also the ongoing issues like 4 hour lines in urban areas, due to not enough voting facilities and machines, and short or no lines in rural areas and suburbs. Also, how it’s easier for people with certain types of jobs to go vote but hourly workers etc have a harder time getting there since voting day isn’t a holiday.
There is that…
Also people who didn’t vote at all, are at minimum fine with Trump and not against him.
There were even more who couldn’t be bothered to get off their asses and vote at all. They stood by and allowed this to happen without caring enough to try and stop it.
I have a friend who says “I’m not political” and I’m just what? So you don’t have any opinion on whether immigrants should get fucked or gay people should have rights? His position is “I see so many families and friends torn apart by disagreements so I’m just not political”. Okay. It makes me think he’s kind of a dolt. I don’t feel like it’s possible to not have an opinion on social issues at the least.
He got more votes than he ever did in the previous elections, and won the popular vote for the first time. God damn.
Rigged!!! /s
I’m not even sure what world be the worse outcome, more fraud and cheating from Trump or that so many people genuinely voted for him.
Sadly my gut tells me that real votes are the worse situation, and also the true one.
Yup. There will be lots of opportunities to say “well, I hope you didn’t vote for trump if you wanted ______”
Healthcare, retirement, any kind of social service, etc etc.
This is why we’re supposed to have separation of powers. Any competent senate, even if the same party would insist in this before confirming. A senate full of sycophants on the other hand ….
The 4 years of Trumpsanity isn’t starting in January, it’s starting right now. For fucks sake, I’m not ready yet. I need to start stockpiling popcorn and booze. Except this time I’ll probably need less popcorn and more booze because I don’t think it’s going to be as stupid funny as last time. It’s already not funny, it’s been nosediving into “could it get any worse?” and so far the answer has been “Yes!”.
It annoys me a lot when people I know say “Trump is funny”. Not really… he’s a whiny, conceited asshole. He might be somewhat amusing if he wasn’t the President. As it is, this isn’t funny at all.
Trump himself wasn’t funny, but he would come across as funny because he would say the stupidest things or act in an unprofessional way. For example when he said the experts should look into if showing light inside a human body would kill COVID or maybe injecting disinfectant might work, that was stupid funny. There were others like the “who knew healthcare is so complicated” statement
It’s funny in a way but still horrifying since someone that narcissistic and ignorant is in charge of the government.
Things are going to be FAR worse than anyone has imagined thus far.
I just know it.
Please don’t tell my intrusive thoughts that
