“There will be no weaponization at the FBI,” pledged Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee for director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, during his Thursday confirmation hearing. “There will be no retributive actions taken by any FBI [personnel] should I be confirmed as FBI director.”
I think he needs to be brought back to answer to this...
Justice Department leadership has directed Washington, D.C.'s top prosecutor, Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Martin, to fire prosecutors who were assigned to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to a memo dated Jan. 31, reviewed by CBS News and also confirmed by sources familiar with the matter.
Furthermore, the acting deputy attorney general, Mr. Trump's former defense attorney Emil Bovine, has ordered the acting director of the FBI to compile a list of all current and former FBI employees who were assigned "at any time" to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack investigation for review "to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary,"
In a statement, the FBI Agents Association, which represents active and former FBI personnel, said...
Dismissing hundreds of Agents would severely weaken the Bureau's ability to protect the country from national security and criminal threats and will ultimately risk setting up the Bureau and its new leadership for failure.
"These actions also contradict the commitments that Attorney General-nominee Pam Bondi and Director-nominee Kash Patel made during their nomination hearings before the United States Senate,"
This is purely partisan, weaponization. These are nonpartisan, FBI being pushed out. A gutting for purely political reasons and yet this is just one example of his exacting revenge. Project 2025 in action.
Personally, I believe that we are beginning a long stretch of weaponization that will make that of Hoover pale by comparison.
The Democrats started it, with their chasing of Trump through multiple courts in multiple years, and Trump is going to grow and continue it. I believe it will be many years before it dies out, and perhaps it never will. Our legislators and Congress may have grown too powerful for the idiots voting them into office to contain their power hungry methods.
Dan, So, I agree it seems like "weaponization" is here to stay. I've been thinking about whether, if used responsibly, it could actually benefit our country right now and eventually help us move past it, and get rid of it. The term "weaponization" refers to the use of government agencies or resources for political purposes, often to target specific groups or individuals. It was used on steroids to go after Trump.
But, considering the potential benefits of strategic use of governmental authority, I think about the possibility of holding individuals accountable who have previously exploited governmental power for personal or political gain. By addressing these abuses, the government could restore public trust and reinforce the principle of equal treatment under the law.
However, this approach carries significant risks. The concentration of power in the hands of a few could lead to further abuses, undermining democratic principles and potentially eroding the checks and balances that are fundamental to our nation's governance.
Trump may use it to "drain the swamp". The question is will it be abandoned when no longer needed?
These are nonpartisan, civil servants who work for the FBI. Simply doing their job. And since they are civil servants , they can't be fired without cause. I don't think retribution is an acceptable cause. Here come the lawsuits. There will be no trust given to a man who exacts petty revenge on those he feels wronged him.
And it would have been just okie dokie if Biden had come back into office and fired everyone associated with the investigation of his son? LOL... Just a little swamp cleaning huh?
It is unlikely to be abandoned. It is a drug of enormous potency, this weaponization, and just like other potent drugs carries a high probability of addiction.
IMO, the only to abandon such a drug is for someone outside to remove it (or remove the person from the drug). Unfortunately there are simply too many people, just voting citizens that are not using that particular drug, that are still addicted to its results. They approve of their heroic legislators using it for purposes they approve of.
Such as those millions of people cheering as Trump was persecuted for all these years. The ends justify the means to such people, and they WANT that weaponization...never thinking of the time when it will be applied to them.
Looks like DOGE is doing a pretty good job at uncovering a lot of swampy creatures. Trump is going to go into most likely every agency and make sure they are even needed, and if there is any form of unnecessary spending. Buckle up, he is doing what he said he would do.
DOGE is digging around in classified information when they don't have security clearances and then putting the people who are responsible for holding them accountable on administrative leave.... Is this weaponization or??
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/usa … -118365547
"The Democrats started it"
Seriously? Have they ever produced a Trump for republicans to react to?
No. No one in politics has ever produced a Trump. And after CHAOS 2.0 no one ever will again - if there is a country left.
Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll on Friday refused a Justice Department order that he assist in the firing of agents involved in Jan. 6 riot cases, pushing back so forcefully that some FBI officials feared he would be dismissed...
In a message that circulated widely among bureau personnel, an FBI agent summarized what happened as: “Bottom line — DOJ came over and wanted to fire a bunch of J6 agents. Driscoll is an absolute stud. Held his ground and told WH proxy, DOJ, to F--- Off.”
Who thinks this man will be out of a job shortly?
Do Trump followers realize that FBI agents don't get to choose which cases they work on? That they are assigned?
That's interesting, because whenever the FBI wishes to fire a lower-level employee of theirs for some ludicrous and unjust reason, that employee is vulnerable to whatever abuse the FBI higher-ups can dish out to them. I mean, look at what happened to Sibel Edmunds back in 2002. She was a good employee there, and her superiors all shafted her. On the other hand, FBI higher-ups who commit wrongdoing never seem to get punished. Regardless of whether FBI agents get to choose which cases they work on, their biased decisions end up ruining a lot of people's lives. I have no pity for any FBI agents and higher-ups that President Trump is trying to fire. They deserve what's coming to them. The FBI is a corrupt organization that needs to go away. There are other government agencies that can do their job better than them. For that reason, Kash Patel wants to break the FBI into five different government agencies. He has my blessing.
Trump 2.0.... cruelty is still the point
"Trump has rescinded former President Biden’s Executive Order 14011which created a task force to reunite families deliberately separated at the border by Trump. As many as 1,000 families remain separated because of that policy"
Oh well.
Not sure that this is being reported by the fox outlets... Most likely not so I'll go ahead and put it here.
"The Trump administration has placed two top security chiefs at the U.S. Agency for International Development on leave after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas to Elon Musk’s government-inspection teams, a current and a former U.S. official told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Members of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, eventually did gain access Saturday to the aid agency’s classified information, which includes intelligence reports, the former official said.
Access to classified material?
Musk's DOGE crew lacked high-enough security clearance to access that information, so the two USAID security officials — John Vorhees and deputy Brian McGill — were legally obligated to deny access.
And they were placed on leave?!
According to sources, personnel from the Musk-created office physically tried to access the USAID headquarters in Washington, DC, and were stopped. The DOGE personnel demanded to be let in and threatened to call US Marshals to be allowed access, two of the sources said.
The DOGE personnel wanted to gain access to USAID security systems and personnel files, three sources said. Two of those sources also said the DOGE personnel wanted access to classified information, which only those with security clearances and a specific need to know are able to access."
This is really just incredible...
https://www.komu.com/news/nationworld/s … ebd33.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/usaid-securi … 31246.html
There are many more sources if anyone cares to take a look.
USAID staffers told to stay out of Washington headquarters after Musk said Trump agreed to close it...
USAID staffers said they also tracked more than 600 employees who reported being locked out of the agency’s computer systems overnight. Those still in the system received emails saying that “at the direction of Agency leadership” the headquarters building “will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, Feb. 3.”
Neither Trump nor musk have the ability to close an agency that was created by Congress... Can only be abolished by congress. What in the actual hell is going on here?? This is illegal. Unconstitutional. WEAPONIZATION ... Closely watching our weenies in Congress if they decide to hand their power over...
What if . . .
What if Musk's USAID claims are true, would his actions still be simply weaponization?
GA
No proof has been given of any of his claims. But the fact remains, that Trump or musk cannot close an agency through their own action. If claims are true, they must adhere to the constitution in terms of making changes. I don't think it's okay that we have a civilian, without proper security clearance digging around in classified information and then basically firing those who point out what he's doing...
Yep, there is no proof yet. But, if we do get some (maybe in a "Twitter files-type" release) it will be monumental. If not, it would also be monumental. One side or the other will win big on this one.
I'm optimistic that Musk will have proof for his USAID claims. As Myesoteric likes to say; all one has to do is connect the dots (if they're there).
Cred is seeing "helter-skelter" chaos while folks on the Right are seeing "drain the swamp" chaos.
Musk's 'proof' might show who is right. As for the legality and constitutionality aspects . . . I dunno.
GA
The question remains whether Musk's zeal for reducing federal waste applies to all instances and is not merely political or partisan pursuits, hands off of the waste, fraud and abuse issues that Republicans are willing to look the other way regarding in any case.
It may well be necessary to put Trump's attack DOGE on a tighter leash as he continues to cross dangerous boundaries, in my opinion. We will see how far it is allowed to roam?
Yep, you're right, we will have to wait and see the proof. Until then, Musk still gets my benefit of the doubt. The USAID claims indicate a program of circular self-dealing. If that proves to be true it really will be an example of 'draining the swamp' as the Right claims.
GA
And how long will we have to wait? The proof should have followed the accusations.... Because currently, the accusations have been amplified by right-wing media. As a result, we have a lot of unwitting folks out here believing accusations that are currently baseless. But that always seems to be the point though doesn't it? The media doesn't really follow up once the desired narrative is released.
Ahhh, is that media cynicism I hear? Me too, but I temper mine with optimism. I'm still betting on Musk.
GA
Trump is in the oval office right now claiming that musk supposedly uncovered that we were sending 100 million worth of condoms to Hamas....
Am I supposed to take this seriously?
And this is the fraud that musk is supposedly uncovering? This is preposterous...
Yeah, I heard that too. The claim was (supposedly) debunked when it was $50 million and now he's doubled it to $100 million.
One debunking post offered this: USAID spokesman says condoms cost them $.05, so that's either one or two billion condoms. Even for Africa, that sounds like a lot. Plus, it is claimed the the "Gaza" they were sent to is in Mozambique, not Palestine. ;-)
It's a 'wheat and chaff' thing.
GA
lmfao... its been a while since we've seen that wit peek out
Well, I was in the exchange, so I had to come up with something. Even as hyperbole the condom thing was a pretty dumb statement.
GA
Elon Musk’s team is executing exactly what President Trump brought them on to do—cut waste, improve efficiency, and modernize federal agencies that have long been bogged down by bureaucracy. The reported savings of one billion dollars in just a week is proof that these efforts are yielding real financial benefits for taxpayers. DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) is clearly disrupting the status quo, challenging outdated systems, and forcing agencies to justify their spending.
As for whether they’ve overstepped boundaries, that would likely be reported if there were clear instances of misconduct. So far, the focus has been on cost-cutting and streamlining operations, which is precisely what was expected. Of course, resistance from entrenched government interests is inevitable—many bureaucrats and long-time officials don’t like having their budgets scrutinized or their influence reduced.
A well-considered “what-if” scenario here is: What if Musk’s team not only saves billions but also exposes systemic corruption or inefficiencies that previous administrations ignored or accepted as part of government bloat? The backlash from those who benefited from wasteful spending could be severe, and we may see attempts to discredit their work. But if the results continue to speak for themselves, it will be hard to argue against the success of this initiative.
musk has no authority to do what he's doing... And he has produced zero evidence for his outrageous claims.
He has presidential authority. Your question should be whether the president can authorize Musk's authority. I'm betting that he can.
GA
Presidential authority? Is it within the president's power to close an agency that was created by Congress?
Musk claims...
“USAID is a criminal organization,”
That is a huge accusation. He needs to back this up immediately. This is an incredibly irresponsible statement.
What if....
"Biden appoints Bill Gates to access classified information, says he does not need the requisite security clearance. Officials at the agency, following established regulation and procedure try to block him but are subsequently moved out of the way by being placed on administrative leave. Gates finds massive "*fraud* and calls for the agency to be immediately shut down...Biden agrees. Immediately shuts the agency down for the day and proceeds to put its employees on leave. All without consultation or notice to Congress.
How would that go over? Better yet, replace Gates name with Soros. LOL
Yep, Musk does need to show proof of his claim. The same answer applies to your Soros example.*
This shouldn't be a Left or Right issue, it should be an 'is or isn't' one.
*I have seen a lot of posts and memes—from the Right, of Liberal heads exploding over Trump issues, so the mental image of 'heads exploding' on the Right—if the name was Soros, came to mind and prompted a grin as I type this.
GA
They have 4 more years to track down, expose, validate, all the corruption.
I suspect MANY in Congress as well as many government Agencies are going to be exposed.
Today it is AOC and USAID... who knows what tomorrow's 'Twitter Files' release will show, or who will be caught being criminally corrupt.
It is exactly what this country has needed... for decades now.
Many people don't like it... pay attention to how adamantly they defend the corruption... many Americans suffer from Stockholm syndrome, they love the criminals that have made their lives and their country worse... and hate the people exposing that corruption.
I think we will see the 'proof' sooner, rather than later. And I think you're right about politicians being exposed. Lindsy Graham's name has already been tied to USAID monies.
An UNSAID version of 'Twitter files' is what I'm expecting.
GA
That is the view I'm hoping to hold onto, but it's gonna need some proof.
If the USAID claims are true, i.e. the Bill Kristall example, it will confirm a lot of the Right's 'swamp' claims. If not, the Left gets the win.
GA
Sheinbaum said she had struck a deal to delay tariffs after an absolutely scathing speech this morning. trump is no match for this woman. He is going to send in Little Marco to negotiate...
"Trump acknowledged that his tariffs, which cover countries that account for more than a third of the products brought into the country, could cause “some pain” for consumers."
LOL.... He saw the stock market plummeting this morning.
"FBI supervisors across the country have received questionnaires to distribute to certain agents in their field offices containing questions about the agents' possible work on Jan 6. Capitol riot cases, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
A source familiar with the matter told CBS News the questionnaires are being sent to more than 1,000 FBI agents and non-agent support personnel in field offices across the country, as well as FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C."
I am guessing we will see all these people fired? Just incredible. Agents, selected and targeted for the cases they were assigned to...civil servants. We will see an absolute deluge of lawsuits...
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-questi … -6-agents/
I would hope so.
The job of the FBI, and any agency in DC, is to follow the instructions of those who were elected by the People... not to try and undermine or overthrow them.
FBI IN REVOLT, Staff REFUSE Trump Orders, Plan Protest In DC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm3u8SFamCQ
I am sure many are in need of firing... I would say DC needs an enema.
Now we will see how badly this corruption and these criminals fight to maintain their power and control.
And your reasoning that FBI agents, civil servants, who were doing a job they were assigned should be fired? "Following instructions", as you put it.
Ken, I’m not sure why some people are surprised by the upheaval in several federal agencies. Trump campaigned on these very issues, promising to "drain the swamp." I fully expected what we’re seeing now—and honestly, I was hoping for even more. He’s coming in like a wrecking ball. Hopefully, the shake-up at the FBI will encourage many to come forward with what they saw and heard, exposing how the agency was weaponized.
Firing people who are doing their job, the job that they were assigned to, is wrong. It is pure vengeance.. sends a clear message to agents though doesn't it? If you are involved in working on any investigation or matter that dear leader does not like you will face a similar fate... Let me remind people that agents cannot choose their assignments.
FBI employees, such as agents are also governed by civil service protections... This is a huge overreach. These are not political appointees.
Haven't read anything about anyone being fired. I did read about the questionnaire. Waiting to see what happens.
I'm hoping that their names aren't released. That may be the ultimate goal of all of this. We currently have approximately 1500 "patriots". Freshly pardoned from assaulting law enforcement. Many, many of them have expressed desire for retribution. An opportunity may be handed to them...after all, they'd be pardoned again, right?
I can see it now... Someone leaks the names and fox/ the New York Post runs them on an endless loop.
"We currently have approximately 1500 "patriots". Freshly pardoned from assaulting law enforcement." Willow This is misinformation, only a small percent were charged with assaulting law enforcement.
Could you elaborate on the number that were pardoned from assault against law enforcement charges?
Maybe you or anyone else here would like to go on the record in terms of the names of the FBI agents who worked on j6 cases being released to the public?
Anyone okay with that?
Let me rephrase, we have 1500 so-called "Patriots" freshly pardoned from their J6 charges. Many of them have gone on record with their thoughts of retribution. Let's hope that trump or musk do not release the names of those who were assigned to those cases in the FBI.
Why would anyone on the left care?
Where was the shock and outrage with biden pardoned murderers and rapists and let them free. He commuted sentences of hundreds of murderers on death row.
The left said nothing. If the left is okay with that then pardoning the J6 is nothing compared to what democrats have done.
Again I keep hearing the words hypocrisy and double standards in my mind.
Those civil service protections never seemed to do anything to stop the FBI from wrongfully terminating Sibel Edmunds or sabotaging Coleen Rowley's retirement. Decent individuals like these two women who expose FBI corruption are always vulnerable to the abuses of their superiors. On the other hand, the FBI officials who intentionally misuse their political power to ruin the lives of others usually get away with their transgressions. Therefore, I see nothing wrong with President Trump stepping in and disciplining those same FBI officials with whatever powers are at his disposal, even if he has to boot them out of the agency. He's doing the job that those FBI officials' superiors have failed to do, period. Joe Biden should have been doing the same thing as President Trump in that respect when he was still in the Oval Office, but he simply didn't care.
Hopefully, Trump will take strong action to clean up the FBI. Too many whistleblowers have come forward with serious claims about what they've witnessed. While the President doesn't have the direct authority to fire individual FBI agents, he does have the power to appoint the FBI Director, who can manage and discipline agents, including firing them when necessary. I'm confident that the new FBI head will remove those identified as corrupt or as being weaponized by the Biden administration. It’s surprising that some are shocked by the idea of the FBI letting go of so many—Trump has made it clear that this would be part of his agenda.
The incoming FBI Director, Kash Patel, is already planning to take the 7,000 FBI officials at the J. Edgar Hoover building and transfer them to FBI field offices all over the United States so that they will actually have to do real law-enforcement work instead of spending all their time engaging in political warfare against our elected officials. He's going to relocate the FBI Headquarters to a different building in a different part of the United States. Then he's going to convert the J. Edgar Hoover building into a museum of the Deep State. Once that happens, I'll make a special trip to Washington, D.C. to tour that museum. I'd love to see what it will look like inside of it.
That would be a bold move and a much-needed shake-up. Decentralizing the FBI could help refocus it on actual law enforcement instead of political targeting. A museum of the Deep State? Now that would be something to see—hopefully, it would expose a lot of what’s been going on behind the scenes.
If that actually happens, it would be one of the biggest reforms in modern law enforcement. Moving agents to field offices makes sense in theory, but I wonder how much resistance there will be. The idea of a Deep State museum is interesting—wonder what they’d actually put in it.
In her bombshell memorandum to the then-FBI Director back in 2001, former FBI official Coleen Rowley warned us all about how broken and corrupt the FBI was insofar as it costed the lives of a number of Americans in the 9/11 attacks. Ms. Rowley is one of the few decent people who worked for that agency.
I wish that all the television shows that glamorize the FBI would be taken off the air. (e.g. Numbers, Criminal Minds, etc.) They provide an unrealistic image of what the FBI is really like.
They will get no pity parties from me.
Damn, the joke is on me but I still blame you tsmog.
The Musk connection snared me and I spent the last three hours checking his X timeline. Couldn't find this post.
Just as I was coming back to call it a 'deepfake' I remembered Google image search and found it was fake in 30 seconds. Geesh.
Yep, it's fake.
GA ;-)
Pam Bondi quickly falling in line...this is appalling. This is a coup.
Pam Bondi issued a directive on Wednesday, her first day in office, that could allow Justice Department lawyers to be fired if they refuse to advance legal arguments on behalf of President Donald Trump's administration.
The memo states that "any Justice Department attorney who declines to sign a brief, refuses to advance good-faith arguments on behalf of the Trump administration, or otherwise delays or impedes the Justice Department’s mission will be subject to discipline and potentially termination."
Hey, to hell with the law... Get on board with Trump's priorities, legal or not... Or face retribution. She is basically saying that the DOJ are Trump's personal attorneys... Heck a large number of them used to be.
Let me remind folks...
The DOJ, was intended to operate independently from the executive branch in terms of legal matters. The DOJ is meant to serve the public interest, not the personal interests of the president or any individual.
This is actually the purest, most alarming show of weaponization this country has probably ever seen.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps … 025-02-05/
The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription by National Archives
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/ … transcript
Yep. The Constitution does not explicitly grant the president the authority to tell the DOJ which cases to bring.... This will eventually end up at the Supreme Court.
"All new employees of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) must complete an Appointment Affidavit (SF-61) when they are appointed. This form is also known as the Oath of Office."
Appointments Affidavit / Form 61 / U.S. Office of Personnel Managment
https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdfimage/sf61.pdf
"A. I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
The Department of Justice serves to prevent terrorism and promote the Nation's security consistent with the rule of law; prevent crime, protect the rights of the American people, and enforce federal law; and ensure and support the fair, impartial, efficient, and transparent administration of justice at the federal, state, local, tribal, and international levels.
The President, now and in the past, helps set the DOJ's Strategic Plan, which is their goals and agendas, their focus.
The Attorney General (AG) of the United States has authority over the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The Attorney General is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and reports directly to the President, serving as a member of the Cabinet.
The President therefore sets the strategic goals for the DOJ and the AG executes them.
Biden, for example, chose to focus the DOJ and the FBI on 'Domestic Terrorism' and 'Trump Supporters' who were considered by Biden to be the single biggest threat to 'Democracy'.
The mission statement of "Prevent Terrorism and Promote the Nation’s Security Consistent with the Rule of Law" became 'protect Party interests and target those who are opposed, specifically Trump and his supporters'.
Hence why so much talk about the DOJ being weaponized by the Biden Administration.
How so, you ask?
Well... when the mission is to prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist operations before they occur... and the President of the United States, or those in his Administration working on his behalf... tell you the #1 threat to America are American Citizens, because they support a political rival...
That is, more or less, the definition of 'weaponization', in this context.
Combating terrorism is the DOJ’s top priority, am I right?
And President Biden publicly and often labeled Trump supporters the greatest threat to Democracy. He labeled them terrorists.
Biden warns ‘extremist’ Trump Republicans threaten US democracy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAFFIZBVyZQ
Just in case you forgot...
The AG, acting primarily through the FBI, has principal investigative responsibility for all criminal acts of terrorism (18 U.S.C. § 2332b(f)).
The Biden Administration targeted them on Trump, and his supporters.
Those in the DOJ and FBI now, are not defending Democracy if they do not follow the orders of the President, or his AG, they are in direct opposition to it... they are choosing bias and ideology over Law and Order, standing against their democratically elected President.
The Halls of the FBI and DOJ... as well as all other Agencies answering to the Executive Office should be swept clean of any and ALL who do not want to follow the guidelines and goals set forth by the President.
The DOJ exists to serve the people , not act as the president's personal attorney. Bondi's agenda straight out of the gate is retribution with a bona fide enemies list and a threat to it's workforce that if they refuse to act in accordance or be fired. There's no guesswork here, they're saying the weaponization part out loud.
Nah... they are just going to target every DEI supporter and never-Trumper and remove them from the government ranks... in the DOJ and everywhere else they can reach.
Just like the Biden Administration did, cleaning out the military, the agencies... those that refused to take the vaccines, those that refused to accept Transgenders, those they accused of being white-supremacists, Trump supporters, anyone that didn't fit their ideology.
The Trump Admin is there to put like minded people in ALL positions of the government, while removing anyone that tries to 'fight' or 'resist'.
And hopefully do away with a great many positions and agencies, period.
Ken, It’s hard to see why this would surprise anyone. Trump ran on draining the swamp, so it’s only natural that there would be firings and resignations along the way. It’s great to see Congress moving quickly to confirm his team.
I was just listening to the Trump-Modi press conference—Trump isn’t wasting any time. He’s meeting with world leaders and pushing his agenda forward. These are exciting times, and it’s refreshing to see so much energy back in the White House. It feels like we’re being brought along for the ride almost daily, and I’m eager to see what’s next.
Joe Biden isn't playing with a full deck.
My oh my, what do we have here?
The interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and two officials with the federal public integrity unit all quit after the Justice Department ordered the charges against Mayor Eric Adams to be dropped.
The departures of the U.S. attorney, Danielle R. Sassoon, and the officials who oversaw the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, Kevin O. Driscoll and John Keller, came in rapid succession on Thursday. Days earlier, the acting No. 2 official at the Justice Department, Emil Bove III, had ordered Manhattan prosecutors to drop the case against Mr. Adams.
Ms. Sassoon, in a remarkable letter addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi, said that Mr. Bove’s order to dismiss the case was “inconsistent with my ability and duty to prosecute federal crimes without fear or favor and to advance good-faith arguments before the courts.”
“I have always considered it my obligation to pursue justice impartially, without favor to the wealthy or those who occupy important public office, or harsher treatment for the less powerful,” she said. “I therefore deem it necessary to the faithful discharge of my duties to raise the concerns expressed in this letter with you and to request an opportunity to meet to discuss them further.”
Ms. Sassoon, 38, said in her letter that the mayor’s lawyers “repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with the Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed.”
Mr. Bove accepted Ms. Sassoon’s resignation in his own eight-page letter on Thursday, in which he blasted her handling of the case and decision to disobey his order.
He told her the prosecutors who had worked on the case against Mr. Adams were being placed on administrative leave because they, too, were unwilling to obey his order.
Reminder...
Adams was indicted last year on five counts, including bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations, stemming from an investigation that began in 2021.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/nyre … adams.html
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/top-u-s-pro … e-766412d4
One thing is the charges were dropped with prejudice. This means the door to filing the charges again at a later date is possible.
The dismissal isn't guaranteed it is "subject to several conditions, including a review by the Southern District after the November mayoral election."
"The memo cites two reasons for ordering the dismissal: the Justice Department’s opinion that the case has been tainted by publicity and that it is impeding with Adams’ ability to do his job as mayor, including cooperating with President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“The pending prosecution has unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration,” writes Bove, a former prosecutor in New York himself.
In the memo there is no mention of a possible pardon.
"Ms. Sassoon, 38, said in her letter that the mayor’s lawyers “repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with the Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed.”
And the reason why Adams didn't get a pardon? So that the threat of the charges being reinstated hangs over his head if he does not do the bidding of administration.... Which he has quickly acted upon.
So you'd be ok with the DOJ entering an agreement with an individual awaiting trial for bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations to drop his charges if he will cooperate with the administration's agenda?
Lol... Isn't that the exact essence of weaponization? Using the legal system to promote a political agenda?
Update: now we have six prosecutors who have left.
And the administration is getting what they want out of Adams LOL
Mayor Adams says he'll use executive order to change sanctuary laws after border czar meeting..
Hop to it Adams!
Trump just can't resist a good quid pro quo can he?
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 … ove-1.html
I am not sure why or how you have involved the {President in this matter. I consider your post misinformation. And total defamation of the President. Just because you have a keyboard. I truly hope no one will respond to this kind of bait. The only way to stop misinformation is to stop it from being spread.
Now if you can back up your accusation be my guest--- this kind of accusation doesn't float anymore.
So was the president's personal lawyer (elevated to associate deputy AG by trump) acting on his own? Have you read the letters between the US attorney and Bovine? Have you read the entire letter by Sassoon?
Who directed the quid pro quo? The us attorney was pressed to comply. Are you saying she's lying?? Bondi better be opening and investigation into this immediately... Looks like the weaponization that she swore wouldn't happen.
We have a US attorney alleging a quid pro quo, she has resigned and so have seven others at this point.. and we should turn a blind eye?
Get lost certainly not getting in the mud with your conspiracy theory. Ya want conspiracy -- maybe this crew knew they were going to be canned. Hopefully, no one gives this O2.
Conspiracy theory? I suggest you read the attorney's letter...
Mayor Adams attorney offered a quid pro quo and Trump's DOJ accepted it
No interest in reading her letter or following another Democrat's poorly produced ploy. I will leave them to others. Like I said she probably knew she was going to be canned. I am hopeful Pam B. will clean the house.
This is a Democrat produced ploy? How so? Why on Earth would she even think she was about to be fired?
So like everything, this becomes a personal attack on the attorneys who resigned
My observation is that it is very noticeable that folks around this forum tend not to touch a topic when they really can't defend it
Sassoon...
"I attended a meeting on January 31, 2025, with Mr. Bove, Adams’ counsel, and members of my office. Adams’s attorneys repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed. Mr. Bove admonished a member of my team who took notes during that meeting and directed the collection of those notes at the meeting’s conclusion,”
And yet another attorney resigning this morning...
"Any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected official, in this way. If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file you motion. But is was never going to me,"
Hagan Scotten wrote.
As of this morning they have not found an attorney who will put their name to the Adams dismissal case...
Still too early for me to get my hopes up... but this crew seems earnest in its determination to hold these criminally corrupt scumbags (that's the child-friendly technically correct term for them) that have enriched themselves at OUR expense... accountable... these people need to be stripped of their wealth and power for their treasonous acts against the American citizens.
Perhaps their homes can be confiscated as well and turned in to shelters for the thousands of homeless American Vets living on the streets today.
Pam Bondi Leaves The Entire Congress SPEECHLESS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JM8loGPhkg
Has she launched all of those investigations into the "fraud, corruption and criminality". Elon has found?
Where is her response to the quid pro quo allegations in New York??
You know, just saying the quid pro quo part out loud...
https://x.com/ArtCandee/status/1890417000649830889
Adams is now a patsy for the trump administration. It’s disgusting. Adams is just smiling away most likely thinking, “I got away with it!”
Can you say weaponization?
Federal prosecutors faced an ultimatum on Friday, agree to dismiss the charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s criminal case – or else.
Emil Bove III, the No. 2 in the Justice Department and President Donald Trump’s former criminal defense attorney, issued the directive after being stonewalled a day earlier on the same request. He had pushed for dropping the bribery case, but Manhattan federal prosecutors resigned instead of signing it themselves. That led to the Friday showdown.
On Friday, Bove told prosecutors in DOJ’s public integrity department they had an hour to decide who would sign the motion, or be fired, according to Reuters. That is when Ed Sullivan stepped in and signed the motion to dismiss to take the pressure away from his colleagues, according to Reuters.
Wow, I bet Mr Sullivan gained some points.
And Barbie's response? She made it clear that lawyers who do not sign their name will be “subject to discipline and potential termination.”
Cool way to run the DOJ?
Weaponization is a bad thing as seen here. But which American president really start it?
Oh we have never seen weaponization like this in our history... The things that they called weaponization under the Biden administration proved to be absolutely laughable and just look at what this bunch is doing with Eric Adams.
If weaponization has never occur in American history, then it materialized when the FBI start to target ex-President Donald Trump, as the later walk out of the White House. Biden publiclly put Trump in bad light searching for secret documents, when the FBI invade his homes. When such similar papers were with biden in his garriage. I think what is going on at the moment under DOGE, is just an investigation. Thing must be put in order. And I hope Trump, is not attacking any individual.
Thousands upon thousands are losing their jobs because of doge. Departments and programs are being gutted, abolished with absolutely no concern for the long-term consequences. And it is all being done by people who have very little understanding of what they are destroying
It will not take long before everyday People feel the pain of their actions though and there will be a rising up... It's already quite evident on elon's platform that discontent is brewing... I predict the hashtag "eat the rich" will trend again
What is your opinion - do we have too many federal employees? Do we need those millions of workers to do what the federal government is supposed to be doing?
Or has the govt. over reached it's responsibilities, has it failed to operate efficiently in what it does and could the work be done by fewer people?
What do YOU think?
I say, who is saying that we have too many federal employees besides Trump?
Giving a blind man an operating chainsaw is not the way to deal with excessive federal spending and bloat
That is what I think.
Uh oh, you're not going to like this. Once again, an open door . . .
Just addressing your question: 'Who else besides Trump?': Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama . . .
It's a (don't cringe) Jesse Waters presentation, but the video clips are real. Also, It is said to have been 270,000 jobs cut, not 400,000. Still . . . REGO vs DOGE?
But here's some salve for those burns.
GA ;-)
For me, currently, it boils down to efficiency versus efficacy.
Seems that the current focus is solely on efficiency.
A company might prioritize efficiency by automating certain jobs , but if the automation leads to a decrease in product quality or customer satisfaction, then the efficiency gains are not worth the loss in efficacy
Efficiency is important, BUT it should not come at the cost of efficacy. I do not think we currently see that balance.
Efficiency is important, BUT it should not come at the cost of efficacy. I do not think we currently see that balance.
You’re right, we don’t….
You're right - we don't. Currently we have neither efficiency OR efficacy. Perhaps Trump will shift it one way or the other, perhaps not...but the current overspending on everything we do, without results, is untenable.
So, you say, but efficacy means that my check is the mail on time. Acting without forethought on matters like this is the mark of an irresponsible idiot.
It does. But all too often "efficacy" means your check is delivered by someone knocking on your door with the check and a box of chocolates, all at 8 AM (or whatever time you would like it to happen).
While we like and appreciate such things, they are not affordable as a country. Not, anyway, until we quit demanding that someone else pay the cost for those things we want but don't want to pay for. You could, for instance, hire someone to open your PO box, but a box of chocolates and bring it all to you on a specific day and time, but you don't want to pay for it.
It is a matter doing the job, making sure recipient checks are received on time without error and that is what I pay for, that is not waste.
How about gouging the bloated defense budget if you need to show savings rather than screwing over people out of what they are owed?
That's a fair point to argue. I was just answering Cred's question.
GA
Does the country need 10,000 chevrolet's or 200 Rolls Royces? That's your efficiency vs efficacy in a nutshell, and the answer is 10,000 chevrolet's. We cannot afford top quality or top customer satisfaction in everything we do.
What in the world do you mean? Nothing has been completed as of yet. It would be wise to wait and see just what is found, what can be changed, and what can be just plain canned. You are so far ahead of the end game. It is very clear DOGE is finding lots of overspending, I have not heard of them even looking at overstaffing. There is no balance as of yet this project has just started.
My post was about efficiency versus efficacy. I don't want to "wait and see" if agencies remain efficacious.... That may mean a whole lot of suffering. Care should be given, before cutting costs, to determine possible outcomes, negative impacts related to that agency's. functioning in an in an efficacious manner. I have no evidence that such care has been taken.
"My post was about efficiency versus efficacy. I don't want to "wait and see" if agencies remain efficacious...." Willow
Are you joking? That statement doesn’t make much sense. 'I don’t want to wait'—but here’s the thing: President Trump’s DOGE team was tasked with evaluating government agencies to improve both efficiency and efficacy. Their goal wasn’t just to ensure that policies and programs were effective (efficacy) but also that they were carried out with minimal waste of time and resources (efficiency). By pinpointing where agencies were underperforming in both areas, the team aimed to streamline operations and solve problems more effectively. It’s all about getting results—doing things the right way and doing them well. However, it’s important to understand that when making changes, some patience is required to see the results. I can truly see why some prefer the status quo, just looking the other way—perhaps they’re afraid of change or maybe just impatient with the process.
Still, I note you never address what is being uncovered by DOGE. You ruminate on all that could, or might go wrong--- but are unwilling to look at what already did. DOGE has pulled back the curtain, and there is no way to hide what they are finding.
"Are you joking? That statement doesn’t make much sense..."
My statement..
"A company might prioritize efficiency by automating certain jobs , but if the automation leads to a decrease in product quality or customer satisfaction, then the efficiency gains are not worth the loss in efficacy
Efficiency is important, BUT it should not come at the cost of efficacy. I do not think we currently see that balance."
I stand by that. I will illustrate my concern with just one point but the same can be applied to all of elon's actions: 1000 employees were fired at the veterans administration. I, along with many others in this nation are very concerned with the impact that will have down the road. What that will mean for that agency's programs. Will there efficacy suffer?
Again, Elon posting program names and the amount of money he has slashed is meaningless if people do not accurately understand the purpose of the Program and any potential fall out we could see in the future as a result. It's far too simplistic for folks were looking at it in a critical manner.
On top of that, he often makes misleading statements about these programs. Some of it borders on lying actually.
"By pinpointing where agencies were underperforming in both areas, the team aimed to streamline operations and solve problems more effectively.
Is this your interpretation of what they're doing? Because I see no evidence of this? I see, what looks like toddlers running around with hammers. The Doge website, a long with its x page and elon's account are all very unprofessional, juvenile even.
As far as what's being "uncovered" ... Am I supposed to be aghast? I continue to see that they don't provide any evidence of fraud or criminality. They're cutting programs that they don't like. That's it.
Trump served for four years as president and apparently, he and Musk did not realize that the Department of Energy is responsible for maintaining and protecting our nuclear stock pile.. Musk fired 300 peoples from the agency. The good news is someone must have told him and Trump who they were and they were hired back the next day.
Musk has said he suffers from Asperger's Syndrome. He said this while attending the Worlds Summit Organization in Dubai.
“I think we do need to delete entire agencies, as opposed to leave part of them behind, because if you leave part of them behind … it’s kind of like leaving a weed. If you don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back. But if you remove the roots of the weed, it doesn’t stop weeds from ever growing back, but it makes it harder.”
Musk said he suffers from Asperger's Syndrome. In doing my research, I found that many of those with that syndrome can make the world seem like a very unpredictable and confusing place to live. Many engage in repetitive behaviors, which can bring a sense of order....I'm just saying, maybe that is why he is deleting entire agencies..
People or workers who stay in a certain agency or work place for years, are addicted to that organization, and things therein. Sending some of them especially the top level, elsewhere and bringing in others to take their place can produce nice resuls, provide the new comers were induct into new or reform ways of doing things. That said, it destroyed the old weeds and roots. I have seen it happen in a government organiza, before I retired as a Chief Administrative Officer. In addition, they should be some new rules to modify the old order. Otherwise you find the new crop of workers being by the old order.
“I think we do need to delete entire agencies, as opposed to leave part of them behind.."
This statement from musk is so troubling
Maga's refuse to consider the consequences of such actions. Musk and doge never address the impacts of dismantling these agencies. They cheer the cuts in mass firings today not understanding the real negative impacts that could be felt later.
For example, Trump says he wants the Department of Education shut down "immediately..."
Folks who clap like seals for this either don't understand or don't care about IDEA and Title 1 disappearing with DOE.
"Folks who clap like seals for this either don't understand or don't care about IDEA and Title 1 disappearing with DOE."
Or they look at actual results from the DOE (as opposed to political pandering) and recognize that the department is causing more harm that not. They look at see the pathetic performance of our education system, with the department carrying nearly 100% of the blame.
I have to say it is the people that clap like seals over political posturing by the department that don't understand. Or maybe just want a country of more trained seals to do their bidding.
Back to my point... Trump wants the Department of Education shut down "immediately."
Maybe I missed it but what is the plan for the programs that millions of families rely on..IDEA and Title one?
"Folks who clap like seals for this either don't understand or don't care about IDEA and Title 1 disappearing with DOE." Willow
DOGE has made no changes or taken any action regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They have not reported any recommendations regarding IDEA.
You are presenting an If Come. Realistically, the closure of a federal department requires congressional approval. While the President has asked DOGE to have a look---review the department for cost reductions, the actual closure would necessitate legislative action. This is just a fact.
Trump...Trump Says He Wants the Department of Education Closed ‘Immediately.’
Asked by reporters how soon he would like the department closed, Trump responded: “Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately. The Department of Education is a big con-job....
Con job?
But as far as the process of how things normally happen in terms of Congress being the only body able to shutter an agency... I really don't know if rule of law is going to hold anymore in this country.
Particularly in light of Vance's statement about Judges and now with Trump quoting Napoleon. They are introducing the idea to the American people that maybe the administration doesn't really need to follow the law. If ignoring laws is in the service of helping the country then by all means ignore the law...
"He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” ~Trump
Almost anything could be construed as saving the country couldn't it?
It is no secret Trump has shared he wanted to dismantle the DOE. Point made. My point was he can't --- period. Trump never said he could shut it down. EVER
You ignored this part of my comment --- it was actually what I was curious about. Why do you feel this could occur? DOGE has made no changes or taken any action regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They have not reported any recommendations regarding IDEA.
Why you posted this "Folks who clap like seals for this either don't understand or don't care about IDEA and Title 1 disappearing with DOE."
"My point was he can't --- period. Trump never said he could shut it down. EVER"
I am not convinced that Trump believes anything is off limits in terms of the actions he wants to take.
Why make the Napoleon quote?
""DOGE has made no changes or taken any action regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They have not reported any recommendations regarding IDEA."
Probably because Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire for it to be shut down. You noticed that none of them ever talk about where the funding for those two large programs would go?
Good point. With all the reduction in federal government wastes, and salaries, shouldn't our federal taxes be reduced as well? If they are not, where is our tax money going to go?
"With all the reduction in federal government wastes, and salaries, shouldn't our federal taxes be reduced as well? If they are not, where is our tax money going to go?
We all know that's not going to happen. All of the "savings" will be used to offset the spending in the Republican budget... Primarily his crown jewel, the tax cuts for the wealthy. Regular people won't even get lowered egg prices. Hope they're happy with themselves.
" You noticed that none of them ever talk about where the funding for those two large programs would go?"
No one has said it will be unfunded so why would there be a need to talk about it at all?
This is a joke, right? Trump was declared mentally ill before ever being elected, now his right hand man is mentally ill and unable to truly function in society.
Is that the best you can do?
Can you believe this? This guy is doing so much! Just watch his press conferences—he doesn’t even need a little card with pictures to know who he can call on. And he's available to the press every single day! TDS is still around, but I’m noticing fewer people falling for it. Some will just be counted as casualties.
They should probably pull him back a little and do less press. He makes a lot of mistakes and is not clear on a whole lot of information. Plus he amplifies elon's bs.
Did you agree with his Napoleon quote that he posted?
That’s your perspective, but I believe the press appreciates having a president who is willing to meet with them and be openly transparent. He certainly shares his personal views—something he has every right to do—and that may be part of why he was voted back into the White House. Like it or not, he’s upfront about where he stands. That’s Trump—there’s nothing phony about him. He’s a man of the people, and I respect that. Personally, I love that he makes sure to share not just his thoughts, but also what he’s doing and what he plans to do.
Maybe a Commission is needed. Or a bi-partisan panel, or . . .
GA ;-)
LOL That's what we need - a bipartisan panel so that nothing will ever happen!
Yes, let's start looking for just the right group to handle our issue--- and maybe in about 4 years, they can offer us some well-deserved answers. This would be wonderful, our taxpayer money being spent well. Yes, we have had some great results on all the great investigations we have paid for in the past 10 years.
I did not say that I oppose cutting government waste fraud or abuse, but you first have to determine that this is what you are cutting, instead of just blindly swinging the chainsaw in whatever direction.
I get social security benefits, I want those delivered on time and a certain minimum amount of personnel needs to be on hand to do that. Regarding that, I have a bone to pick with the DOGE, has it taken the time to consider these things?
Like Willowarbor, you raise a fair question. And none of us know the answers yet. As for the lack of supporting 'evidence' (as yet), maybe some student of history could answer whether Pres. Clinton and VP Gore had released the same data in their REGO press conference.
GA
The same video you posted shows the difference. From what I read, that report was the data. It took the team 5 months (from March to Sept) to do the study. That, before they started acting on it. That's not the same, no?
https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/20 … 49ec02.pdf
CRS Report for Congress
The National Performance Review
and Other Government Reform Initiatives:
An Overview, 1993-2001
You see, I knew someone would find out.
GA ;-)
Yes! Thank you for pointing this out.
"The REGO initiative was launched on March 3, 1993, shortly after Bill Clinton's inauguration. Six months later, Clinton and Vice President Al Gore presented a report on the administration's "national performance review," outlining how the government could save $108 billion over five years.
March 1998, the fifth anniversary of REGO, agencies had achieved $137 billion in savings'
It was methodical, it was well thought out... Nothing like what we are seeing from Doge today.
"It was methodical, it was well thought out... Nothing like what we are seeing from Doge today."
Did you inspect the cost benefit analysis of REGO before it was ever established? Before any reports had been made? Before you even knew what they were doing?
Because that's what you are demanding from DOGE - that they make years long analysis and publish it just for you before they take any steps to save. Whereupon the politics will have swung and nothing will happen no matter what is found.
If there is no analysis, how do you take an action without a good degree of confidence that your action will not cause a more significant problem than what you currently have?
I think all of us research our financial decisions, especially when they're large, before we make a decision... At least trying to avoid a bad decision that we will pay for into the future. Sort of just common basic sense.
REGO took years and did publish information all along the way. What we have right now is just a haphazard effort that is generally fueled by misinformation and lack of information.
Question for all, are there any Americans who are currently being negatively impacted by the actions of musk?
What make you think it is a blind swing of the chainsaw? That you don't know their thinking or facts, or that you disagree with them?
Or that you simply don't like Trump or anything from Trump?
Island said in a post that a previous administration spent a few months of time assessing what is waste verses what is not. How can the DOGE do this sort of critical assessment in a matter of days?
Everything that has been presented by Trump thus far sucks, so so far everything from Trump I have disliked intently. But, you already know that.
"How can the DOGE do this sort of critical assessment in a matter of days?"
Some of it so extremely obvious that it doesn't take more than a few seconds of thought. Check out the lists being provided of what USAid is spending your money for and you will see a lot of those kinds of things.
That's what I said; everything Trump does sucks because that is how you have defined it. It comes from Trump - it sucks without further mention needed.
I am not going to deny that there may be a disconnect between what Congress appropriates and how it is actually spent. But, Trump had better first go to Congress with his issues and leave his chainsaw on the bench until they are involved in making corrections.
He does not have the power of the purse in his position and I don't trust him to use his chainsaw in an impartial and non-partisan way.
And, YES, I don't trust Trump for the time of day. I assume that his every move is malicious until clearly demonstrated otherwise. That should be old news by now.
Doge is. And so far I agree with them: that we have even a single employee teaching Arabs how to support transgender people is too many.
I understand that is what you think, but then the thought is rooted in hatred of Trump, not in any facts about how our government operates or where the money actually goes.
And what are your thoughts based on? Is it a carte Blanche for everything Trump says without any evidence that he knows what he is doing? You don’t know anything more about how the government works than I do, since when have you become the prescient sage?
My thoughts are based on America First. Fix our own needs first, and quit trying to change the world into what we think it should be.
Trump has, and continues, to make poor decisions IMO. He has also made, and continues to make, some really good ones. Only time will tell which side the ultimate verdict comes down on, a verdict based on fact not your bias.
No one is providing any justification for the actions that are being taken. Surely all these brilliant business people can show me a cost benefit analysis? Show me that there will not be negative consequences to all the smash and slash going on?
What's going to happen with all the "cost savings'? LOL
How is it going to help the American Tax payer??
Willow, I don't know why I ask you questions, why I think I might get an opinion from you. This post is all too representative: I asked a simple question and you totally sidestepped it, going on to something else you would rather talk about.
Oh, well.
I'm sure they can. Do you demand it before any action is taken - are you then the judge of whether it should be done or not?
Or is Trump?
My opinion is irrelevant on this matter as I am not privy to the inner workings of government staffong. Can government agencies be tweaked for efficiency? Yes I'm sure they can but I'm not sure that what is currently happening is appropriate either. Doge simply throws out numbers every day of program expenditures and basically calls them fraud... I need more than that to be on board. I need, what amounts to a cost benefit analysis of their work. I need them to provide some sort of justification that cuts today don't equal catastrophe later. It's pretty basic. Don't know what else to say.
Well, you are missing an important half of the view IMO. We put people in charge of making rules and spending our money - Congress. Congress then put others in charge, without ever looking at what was being done, and we (including you) accepted it as reasonable.
But it wasn't, and it grew to what we see today - a massive overspending and massive spending programs outside of what our government should be doing. Now we see Trump making the choices as to what we should be spending and you want to second guess every move he makes. Kind of late for that - you should have been doing that 40 years ago.
Trump firings cause chaos at agency responsible for America's nuclear weapons...
Scenes of confusion and chaos unfolded over the last two days at the civilian agency that oversees the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile, as the Trump administration's mass firings were carried out before being "paused" on Friday.
Of course this is all safe though? Right? Did anybody check?
Oh my, quick update...
Energy Department scrambles to rehire nuclear bomb experts...
DOGE apparently didn’t understand the workers’ role, or how important they are to national security, sources told Bloomberg News
The National Nuclear Safety Administration was struggling Friday to rehire some of the nation’s top nuclear specialists after they were fired by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency in an apparent massive mistake, according to reports that triggered security fears.
DOGE staffers apparently did not realize that the agency oversees America’s nuclear weapons stockpile when the employees were fired Thursday.... Wondering if it was Big balls fault?
We're in real trouble.
Note to right-wing “media” and all the fantasists who believe them: This is what judicial sleaze actually looks like...
Bondi has ordered that corruption charges, painstakingly assembled over a years by prosecutors in New York’s Southern District, be dismissed...Why? Well, your average fair-minded person would assume that bondi and her people had discovered new information that exculpated the mayor. That’s how justice works, right?
But not here. In fact, Bove’s memo admits the opposite! It reads: “The Justice Department has reached this conclusion without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based.” Couldn’t be clearer. Bondi’s decision had nothing to do with evidence. So what did it have to do with?
Bondi ordered, because it’s distracting him from doing his job!...
“The pending prosecution has unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration.”
This is, to put it politely, not how the law works in this country. Remember that the Supreme Court ruled, unanimously, that even a sitting president can’t be immune from civil litigation on the grounds that it will distract him from his duties. But that was about Bill Clinton, a scourge of the right. For a darling of the right, the rules appear to be different.
Except that the dismissal of these charges carries a big asterisk. They were dismissed “without prejudice,” meaning they can be refiled anytime Bondi, or trump wants them to be. In other words, Adams is too busy fighting crime and immigration, but only for as long as Bondi and Trump think he’s fighting it their way. Once he’s not, cuff him!
Barbie has proven in a week that she will corrupt the office to any point and in any way that Trump desires. Don’t take it from me. Take it from Sassoon...a Republican and a Federalist Society member who, far from thinking Adams innocent, was about to file a superseding indictment charging him with even more corruption, including tampering with evidence. And take it from the five Justice Department prosecutors who followed Sassoon with their resignations.
Maybe instead of guessing one should look at what DOGE is factually doing. DOGE.gov
"Department of Government Efficiency
@DOGE
·1h
US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled:
US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled:
- $10M for "Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision"
- $9.7M for UC Berkeley to develop "a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills"
- $2.3M for "strengthening independent voices in Cambodia"
- $32M to the Prague Civil Society Centre
- $40M for "gender equality and women empowerment hub"
- $14M for "improving public procurement" in Serbia
- $486M to the “Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening,” including $22M for "inclusive and participatory political process" in Moldova and $21M for voter turnout in India
- $29M to "strenghening political landscape in Bangladesh"
- $20M for "fiscal federalism" in Nepal
- $19M for "biodiversity conversation" in Nepal
- $1.5M for "voter confidence" in Liberia
- $14M for "social cohesion" in Mali
- $2.5M for "inclusive democracies in Southern Africa"
- $47M for "improving learning outcomes in Asia"
- $2M to develop "sustainable recycling models" to "increase socio-economic cohesion among marginalized communities of Kosovo Roma, Ashkali, and Egypt"
2:43 PM · Feb 15, 2025
·
Department of Government Efficiency
@DOGE
Roses are red, violets are blue,
Today, DOGE and 10 agencies made 586 wasteful contracts bid adieu!
With a ceiling value of $2.1B and $445M in savings secured,
A perfect Valentine’s gift for all taxpayers—well-earned and deserved!
Today’s batch includes a $8.2M USDA contract for “environmental compliance services for the implementation of pilot projects developed under the partnership for climate-smart commodities”.
Why is someone here wondering like this? Trump campaigned to do things in matter of days. And that mattered much to him. Those that don't vote or vote for him should or must welcome that. Or elso what can their do? Suit Trump? Let them go ahead. Good for them.
Doing things and doing things correctly are two different things, I would think that Nigerians would appreciate the difference as well….
Agreed. But what's not correct that Trump, or Musk under DOGE is 'doing'?
For those who scoffed at dictator references, something to ponder...
"He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” ~Trump
So if it "saves the country". It's not illegal?
Lol, the quote is generally attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte.
Wonder who told Trump this is what Napoleon said just before he seized power??
He certainly did not get it from books, everybody knows that Trump hates to read.
Republicans in Congress are sycophants afraid of being primaried. They are under his thumb. He has placed fools and cowards in cabinet positions who will blindly carry out the agenda. I think Trump was feeling fairly confident in his ability to bully his way through anything...until the deluge of court cases began throwing up roadblocks.
The judicial branch is looking like the only thing that will save this country and he realizes that. God help us.
Such cowardice, they all deserved to be hanged at the yard arm. By cowering to Trump they risk their very positions as well.
Even the Judicial branch is dangerously weak, Trump will run to the Supreme Court and have his right wing accessories rule for him over a skinned knee. The Constitution be damned.
Speaking of running to the Supreme Court...
The Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to permit the firing of the head of the federal agency dedicated to protecting whistleblowers, according to documents obtained Sunday.
Unbelievable. Trump making sure whistleblowers will be chilled.
The courts will be the only check on this administration until the midterm. Let's hope they realize what is at stake here. None of this is normal.
Willow, I may have spoken prematurely, there may well be good news on the horizon, this is an excerpt from an Atlantic Monthly article.
———
And now the court orders are coming, blocking the administration from pushing forward, or at the very least slowing its speed.
Courts have prevented Trump from dismissing a government watchdog without explanation and granted restraining orders barring the administration from slashing funds for crucial scientific research. They have prevented Musk’s team from meddling with Treasury Department systems and insisted that the government halt its transfer of an incarcerated transgender woman to a men’s prison. Four separate judges have issued orders requiring the government to stand down on its effort to dismantle birthright citizenship.
Litigation has also proved to be a valuable tool for prying loose key information from the administration, like the specifics of just what access Musk’s aides were given to the Treasury Department, and as a means of making legible to the public what Trump is trying to get away with. “It has become ever more apparent that to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals,” Judge John Coughenour commented when issuing an injunction against the birthright-citizenship order. But, he went on, “in this courtroom and under my watch, the rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow.”
——-
Either the brakes are applied or its helter-skelter. I would give you the entire article but there is a paywall and I am a subscriber.
Why? Does he chew the wrong flavor gum?
Reporting such a momentous event, without reasoning/reasons behind it, is not of much value. Outside, of course, the emotional impact on those with TDS that will not consider the "why" and just assume it should not be done because Trump is doing it.
Anndd...once more you fail to answer the question. You don't even address it! Here: I'll repeat it for you.
What was the reason Trump wants to end the work contract (lay off, fire, whatever) with Dellinger? You didn't give his reason, the link doesn't give the reason; what was it? He chews the wrong flavor of gum?
Beyond that, I don't know where he works, but most states are "right to work" states now, wherein no reason is needed to lay off an employee. How does that tie in with Dellinger? Is he under a union contract? What reason is given to keep him on? That he is needed to fill a job that thousands of other people could do?
"Dellinger, filed a lawsuit Monday in Washington, D.C., federal court after receiving a termination email Friday night.
That email made no attempt to comply with the Special Counsel's for-cause removal protection," Dellinger's suit reads. "It stated simply: 'On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Special Counsel of the US Office of Special Counsel is terminated, effective immediately.' "
Federal law says the special counsel may be removed by the president "only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office."
No cause. He was Senate confirmed last year to serve a five-year term.
He is the office leader of The Office of Special Counsel which investigates and prosecutes violations of "prohibited personnel practices" like whistleblower retaliation, enforces ethics laws like the Hatch Act, and protects employment rights of military veterans.
The Special Counsel should be removed as the law say, for 'inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office '. His removal by the President, without no reason being given is wrong. This type of action put a president in bad light before the law and the public. It inform he was acting above the law. It good that he be drag to the courts and stopped.
So Dellinger either doesn't know or isn't saying why he was let go. And you take that as no one knowing.
That's quite a jump, and not one I would make. I do find it interesting, though, that the govt. is required to hold that job open and occupied for 5 years even if we decide we don't want it anymore. Pretty stupid thing to do, but that's pretty common for liberals.
"So Dellinger either doesn't know or isn't saying why he was let go. And you take that as no one knowing."
No, I actually do not.
He was not given a specific reason as to why he was fired...
He was informed by the administration in an email...it stated:
"On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Special Counsel of the US Office of Special Counsel is terminated, effective immediately.' "
"Federal law says the special counsel may be removed by the president "only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office."
You will notice that he was fired for none of those...
AND the administration wants so badly to get rid of this guy that they are taking it to the Supreme Court...
A source on that would be great, it was news to me. Perhaps it's just a keyboard insult? It's great to have keyboards, we can say just about anything.
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/thomas-j … -briefings
Here's a source, but he does like to watch tee-vee
"everybody knows that Trump hates to read."
"Everybody" knows a lot about Trump...and 99% of it is false to fact, coming from bias and hatred rather than truth, honesty and fact.
I know I read somewhere, I'd have to look for it but one of his cabinet claimed that they pretty much had to convey many things to him with pictures.
But I think the point was Trump statement last night...
"He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” ~Trump
Agree?
In Trump's first term, Trump lied and misinformed over 30,000 documented times. He is lying now more than ever, because he has successfully contrived the government so that he has no accountability. He is free now to violate all the laws he wants in the name of Saving his Country.
He is a master at evading accountability for everything he has done by laying off and shutting down those agencies like the FBI and Justice Department that can make him accountable, including putting in his own Attorney General and stacking the SCOTUS in his favor. The only person that can stop him now is God and with the Evangelicals, he even has God on his side.
I understand he has an investigative committee investigating the original Jan. 6 committee looking for 2 million unregistered votes. There is no end to what he will do to protect himself. That will probably go on for years and will never come up with anything, just like the GOP did with Hillary.
He and Musk make quite a pair. He suffers from extreme narcissism and Musk suffers from Asperger's syndrome. And then we have RFK Jr. with a worm in his brain and that he can barely speak to understand what he is saying. What a team!!!
I believe most of it is true. He proves to be a jerk in my eyes everyday. That is all the truth, honesty and fact that I need.
A gave a link to Sharlee, see for yourself.
America, God's own country? Humans express unique feature.
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