NATIONAL SECURITY NEWS ALERT
RINGING THE ALARM: THE POLITICIZATION OF THE FBI
https://open.substack.com/pub/contrarian/p/national-security-news-alert
#FBI
#PATEL #Kash_patel
#GABBARD #TulsiGabbard
#ConfirmationHearings
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NATIONAL SECURITY NEWS ALERT
RINGING THE ALARM: THE POLITICIZATION OF THE FBI
https://open.substack.com/pub/contrarian/p/national-security-news-alert
#FBI
#PATEL #Kash_patel
#GABBARD #TulsiGabbard
#ConfirmationHearings
Washington’s Patty Murray grills unqualified HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Junior over his past behavior and statements
The former chair of the Senator Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions joined other Democratic senators in asking extremely pointed questions of the nominee during the second of two confirmation hearings.
#Politics #KashPatel #ConfirmationHearings
It’s not just Democrats concerns Patel. Way back Trump’s Attorney General Bill Barr rejected Patel as deputy director of the FBI, telling t Chief of Staff Mark Meadows that Patel would be appointed over “my dead body.” Strong words coming from man who complacently did Donald Trump’s bidding in most other regards. Then there’s Atlantic article ..as “many of the nearly forty” of Patel’s former Trump Admin spoke only do so if anonymous retaliation. JV
#Politics #KashPatel #ConfirmationHearings
“Senator Chuck Grassley told Patel, “Public trust in the FBI is low. Only 41% of the American public thinks the FBI is doing a good job … Mr. Patel, it’ll be your job to restore the public’s trust and return the FBI to its core mission of fighting crime.”
That’s going to be a heavy lift since Patel struggled with the truth today, having no recollection of unflattering details about his past and continuing to puff his resume…”
Joyce Vance
There’s someone at RFK Jr’s confirmation hearing wearing a respirator and holding a sign that says “vaccines save lives”
This is the way. Calm, cool & collected but sending a strong message that COVID isn’t over, no one is expendable and anti-science is dangerous.
Thank you Lone Masker!
When has a Republican NOT lied during confirmation hearings? Of course #RFKJr will say he won't take money from the drug industry, but of course WE all know he will, as soon as he can. #ConfirmationHearings #GOP #GOPLiars
What's the use of having #ConfirmationHearings if the confirmers are all sold-out lacky mindless drones?
#Politics #nationalsecurity #military #ConfirmationHearings #defence
“…Further, CNN national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand reported that almost an hour after Trump became president, “current and former Pentagon officials say they don’t know who is currently in charge of the Defense Department,” a key position to maintain U.S. security against adversaries who might take advantage of transition moments to push against American defenses…”
Heather Cox Richardson
What Dems SHOULD be doing with confirmation hearings. Advice from @cliffschecter & @emptywheel when she was on the @nicolesandler show.
https://digbysblog.net/2025/01/20/no-ms-bondi-i-expect-you-to-lie-what-dems-should-be-doing-with-confirmation-hearings-spocko-bsky-social/
@GottaLaff
@lolgop
#PamBondi #Bondi
#Hegseth #ConfirmationHearings
Mullin rises to defense of Hegseth during hearing https://freepressokc.com/mullin-rises-to-defense-of-hegseth-during-hearing/ #confirmationhearings #Sen.MarkwayneMullin #DonaldTrump #PeteHegseth #StateNews
#confirmationhearings #scottbessent #minimumwages
Show it to your maga friends, republicans want their people to be poor ;
“ Scott Bessent, President-elect Trump’s Treasury secretary nominee, said Thursday that he would not support raising the minimum wage.”
“ So you don’t think we should change the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour?” Sanders asked.
“No, sir,” Bessent responded.
The national minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009” https://thehill.com/business/5090420-trump-treasury-secretary-nominee-wont-support-raising-minimum-wage/
Republican Congressman Banks during the #Hegseth #ConfirmationHearings attacked #DEI (actually, he was attacking "political correctness", not DEI) in the "Miltary" [sic].
Moron.
One thing that occurred to me while contemplating the #confirmationhearings going on is that so many people are acting like most of these terrible #nominees will be in their jobs all that long.
#PresidentMusk loves to fire people, and so does #CoPresident #Trump. Even if confirmed, many of these people won't be in those jobs 6 months from now. We should be worrying about the likely replacements and how bad they'll be, especially the "acting" #Secretaries...
#petehegseth #ConfirmationHearings #trump #gop #secretaryofdefense
He failed miserably here;
“Sen. Tammy Duckworth, grilling President-elect Donald Trump's choice for defense secretary over whether he had the "breadth and depth of knowledge" needed to lead international negotiations, asked Pete Hegseth if could name one member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, describe what type of agreement the U.S. had with the countries and how many nations were in the bloc.
Hegseth responded at the heated Senate confirmation hearing that he couldn't tell Duckworth the exact number of ASEAN nations, but that "I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan in AUKUS (a pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S.) with Australia."
"None of those three countries are in
ASEAN," responded Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois. "I suggest you do a little homework."
https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-duckworth-asean-trump-cabinet-senate-d06bda55cfa19b2454c5cac0a6e897a5 Question on ASEAN stumped Hegseth at Senate hearing. What is it and why is it important?
#PamBondi takes Americans for idiots
____________
Via #Acyn @ 11:47 on Jan 15, 2025
Hirono: Are the felons convicted of breaking into the #Capitol on Jan 6th hostages or patriots?
Bondi: I am not familiar with that statement
Hirono: He said illegal #immigration is poisoning the blood of our nation
Bondi: I am not familiar with that statement
“Pete Hegseth is wildly unqualified to run DOD. He described yesterday the most people he had ever supervised was 100. The non-profit budgets that went broke under his stewardship were in the $10 million range. He has never supervised an audit yet claims he’ll be the guy who finally ensures the Pentagon passes one.”
https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/01/15/how-right-wingers-rushed-to-dei-hire-pete-hegseth/
What I just can't wrap my head around is how these people perceive current reality.
If he didn't lose in 2020, someone should ask her how he can have been legally elected for a THIRD time in 2024. She said he couldn't legally run in 2028 without a Constitution change, but that has to be based on a theory 2024 is his second win. Where is the logical consistency here?
This matters because she plainly thinks Biden rules by fiat. Does she think such fiat lawful? Should we fear that even of Trump can't be elected, he can use similar fiat to force his way in?
I don't get how she reconciles this.
#AlexWagner discussed the first day of #ConfirmationHearings of #PeteHegseth to be our Secretary of Defense and (as always when the nominee is a #Republican), many #Republicans pitched embarrassingly un-serious fawning softballs of such an unqualified & compromised candidate to lead the largest military on the face of the planet.
https://www.msnbc.com/alex-wagner-tonight/watch/hegseth-squirms-as-democrats-hammer-poor-character-weak-qualifications-to-be-defense-secretary-229334597757