DL Open Thread: Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Another Day In The Life Of A Fascist State.
President Musk Claims To Have Uncovered Massive Federal Fraud. Provides no proof:
The billionaire Elon Musk said in an extraordinary Oval Office appearance on Tuesday that he was providing maximum transparency in his government cost-cutting initiative, but offered no evidence for his sweeping claims that the federal bureaucracy had been corrupted by cheats and officials who had approved money for “fraudsters.”
Answering questions from the media for the first time since his arrival in Washington to run the Department of Government Efficiency, Mr. Musk stood next to the Resolute Desk and asserted that his work was in the interest of the public and democracy. President Trump sat behind the desk, chiming in with approval as he let the world’s richest man expound for roughly 30 minutes on the rationale for the drastic overhaul of the federal bureaucracy.
I could seriously quote the entire article. But finally some journalism that places Musk’s takeover of the government in perspective. Read the whole thing. Then try to unsee that photo.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk, the world’s richest man who has been given enormous power by the president, have been dismantling federal agencies across the government. Mr. Trump has fired top officials and pushed out career employees. Many of them were leading investigations, enforcement matters or lawsuits pending against Mr. Musk’s companies.
Mr. Musk has also reaped the benefit of resignations by Biden-era regulators that flipped control of major regulatory agencies, leaving more sympathetic Republican appointees overseeing those lawsuits.
At least 11 federal agencies that have been affected by those moves have more than 32 continuing investigations, pending complaints or enforcement actions into Mr. Musk’s six companies, according to a review by The New York Times.
The article has a chart. Remember, kids, when someone accuses the government of massive corruption, the accuser is especially likely to be engaging in massive corruption. Which is legal in a fascist state.
Josh Marshall States The Obvious. Musk is the President:
I don’t think it’s too much to say that it puts Musk functionally in control of the U.S. government. I know that sounds pretty wild. And that may not apply to high-profile policy — two budget bills or one on Capitol Hill, plans for Gaza. But let me explain what it does.
A DOGE operative, called a “DOGE Team Lead,” will be assigned to every agency, department, etc., of the federal government. That team lead, who will presumably report to Elon Musk since Musk is the head of DOGE, will be in charge of all hiring and firing decisions at their particular department. The EO lays out a government downsizing plan in which only one new government employee can be hired for every four who leave service. It adds various new reasons for termination. And it puts the overall plan for the downsizing in the hands of DOGE, which is to say, Musk.
The Daily Petty Trump Shit Roundup. Trump fires independent US inspector general for USAID, who had the temerity to write a critical report:
“Look what happens when you write a report critical of this administration: They fire you the next day,” said Michael Missal, former inspector general at the Department of Veterans Affairs, who was among those fired by Trump last month. “This chills independent oversight, and that’s exactly what we need right now.”
Martin, 65, declined to comment. He has served four decades in the federal government, including stints as a staffer at the U.S. Sentencing Commission, as counsel at the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office and as the NASA inspector general for 14 years, before spending the past 14 months at USAID.
The termination of Martin follows his office’s publication of a widely read report warning that more than $489 million in food assistance was at risk of spoilage or potential diversion after the Trump administration implemented its aid freeze and stop-work order.
A fascist state cannot function with an independent bureaucracy. Thou Shalt Not Call It The Gulf Of Mexico. Add Gaza to Greenland and the Panama Canal. Like Hitler, only with luxury hotels to peddle. His delusional behavior is only delusional if he cannot will it into reality. Time to restart Israel’s wanton destruction of the region. (Yes, I know that will trigger Israel’s only two apologists on the blog. They deserve to be triggered.)
Ho-kay, let’s take a break from fascism for the day. Or at least try to.
Giant Schnauzer Wins…I just can’t do it. Not on a day where Tulsi Gabbard (!!??) will be put in control of, irony alert, national intelligence. Yet another successful attempt to remove truth from the equation.
Ted Nugent For Kennedy Center Head? Why not? He meets the sole criteria:
Conservative rock musician Ted Nugent said he endorses the Trump administration’s early push to round up illegal immigrants and deport them.
“Everybody I know — all my ranching buddies, private landowners — we’ve got our borders secure,” Nugent, a Texas resident, said Tuesday on NewsNation’s “On Balance.”
“The least that we could expect is that our government would do what we the people do and what we the people demand: Secure my effing country,” he added.
“We don’t have the responsibility or the time or the effort to decide who might be dangerous or who might not be. Once you’ve invaded our country, you’re a bad guy,” he told host Leland Vittert.
He added: “This is war.”
Sounds like a future cabinet secretary to me.
I’ll try to get back to a more balanced Open Thread tomorrow. Emphasis on ‘try’. I know I’ve been neglecting Delaware news the last few days. And we do have the elections of Dan Cruce and Ray Siegfried to…I just can’t do it.
What do you want to talk about?
Trump is BS’ing about a US takeover in Gaza, so that whatever Netanyahu comes up with will look more palatable by comparison (“You don’t like my deal? Maybe you would like Trump’s deal better?”). But none of the parties in the region wants Trump’s Gaza fantasy.
In the meantime, it’s fun to pretend the Trump family will build luxury towers in Gaza. Or as Hamas calls them, “targets” (and I would agree with them on that).
I’m looking forward to the removal of Hamas and Likud – in that order.
Hegseth Puts Finger On Scale–For Russia:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/02/12/hegseth-ukraine-russia-nato-trump/
Yesterday was a big day for Joint Finance with some interesting clips available online from the Elections Department and elected official offices. Bethany’s cronies tried to put the Auditor in the hot seat for protecting tax payer dollars — backfires big time. She was calm and collected and at least one other Senator looked frenetic. Auditor ends up sharing that she believes the Port Corp has NEVER been audited!
Surprise, surprise. More and more will come to the surface on what was actually happening behind the scenes with taxpayers money and the port. Are people actually surprised no audits had been done? Is there a reason people wanted certain people elected, there is a reason so much money was spent to beat certain people and there is a reason the appointments to the board are being pushed? Glad people are starting to pay attention. My final thoughts or the day, the same people pushing the port are also advocating for the Offife of the Inspector General, peculiar or just a coincidence? 🤔
I am listening now. I don’t believe that the Auditor said that the Port has never been audited. It has not had a performance audit conducted. I’m certain that there are a number of organizations that haven’t had a performance audit done.
Wonder if anything within the Secretary of State’s office has ever had a performance audit done. So that we don’t have depend on the likes of Bullock and Geisenberger to dismiss any questions out of hand.
Plus, who in the State of Delaware, prior to THIS Auditor, would have even thought of having a real audit of the Port done? Certainly not Wagner or McGuiness.
How many “organizations” had a speed deposit of 200m made during the “tenure” of an accidental governor who simultaneously is attempting to pack the Board of said “organization”?Only someone with something to hide would oppose an audit given these inconvenient facts.
We’re officially living in BizzaroWorld: Tulsi Gabbard is YOUR new Director of National Intelligence. 52-48.
“Never been audited”? Just what the new Governor should demand a forensic audit of the Port Commion’s finances and all it’s tentacles.
As well as the FEDERAL MONIES that come into Delaware’s coffers for the two terms Carmey was Governor. Just so they don’t stick this new Governor with Carney’s management practices? Nothing wrong with starting with a CLEAN SLATE.