this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
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Summary

Donald Trump’s transition team has bypassed standard FBI background checks for key cabinet nominees, relying instead on private investigators, as reported by CNN.

This breaks decades-old norms meant to vet candidates for criminal history and conflicts of interest.

Controversial appointees include Matt Gaetz (attorney general), Tulsi Gabbard (director of national intelligence), and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (health secretary), all facing scrutiny for past investigations, pro-Russian views, or personal admissions.

Critics argue Trump seeks to undermine traditional vetting, with potential security risks tied to bypassing these checks.

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[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 229 points 6 days ago (4 children)

How much corruption can we take before he's even installed? For real. This is way fucken nuttier than last time. It seems so malicious.

[–] whithom@discuss.online 128 points 6 days ago (7 children)

We will take whatever he gives. The US voters approved him. They want this. They chose this, and everything that comes from it.

[–] GlitchyDigiBun@lemmy.world 79 points 6 days ago (1 children)

This. There is no authority above the authoritarian. His word is law now. Whatever Our Glorious Cheeto wishes is now US doctrine.

[–] whithom@discuss.online 37 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] thevoidzero@lemmy.world 26 points 6 days ago (3 children)

I tried. I can't do anything.

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[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 25 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Thats not true. There are at least 71 million people here who voted against it. Thats a lot of people.

[–] whithom@discuss.online 42 points 6 days ago (2 children)

He won the popular vote, and the electoral college. Majority rules. (Unfortunately)

[–] SomeGuy69@lemmy.world 22 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Also people who didn't vote at all, are at minimum fine with Trump and not against him.

[–] ReCursing@lemmings.world 9 points 6 days ago (2 children)

...Assuming he actually did, and didn't just commit all the electoral fraud he kept talking about

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[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

There were even more who couldn't be bothered to get off their asses and vote at all. They stood by and allowed this to happen without caring enough to try and stop it.

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[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 22 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

This is why we’re supposed to have separation of powers. Any competent senate, even if the same party would insist in this before confirming. A senate full of sycophants on the other hand ….

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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 35 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

It seems so malicious.

I guess he was being honest about all that revenge talk, eh? I mean, it is actively and onerously malicious, but just like last time, everyone's just gonna let Trump steamroll them, because the federal government has long had hesitance to hold figures like presidents, senators, and supreme court justices to account, and this is just an extension of that.

I mean, we didn't prosecute Bush and Cheney for war crimes. Hillary Clinton was proud of her friendship with Henry Kissinger. Kamala Harris was proud of her endorsement by Dick Cheney.

"It's a big club and we ain't in it," but Trump and co. don't feel the need to put up the facade anymore.

[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 18 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

“It’s a big club and we ain’t in it,” but Trump and co. don’t feel the need to put up the facade anymore.

Bingo. Instead of "hiring" (paying off) politicians, they're just doing it themselves. They've lost any and all care about keeping up appearances. After all, what are we going to do? Sue them?

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[–] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 19 points 6 days ago (3 children)

The 4 years of Trumpsanity isn't starting in January, it's starting right now. For fucks sake, I'm not ready yet. I need to start stockpiling popcorn and booze. Except this time I'll probably need less popcorn and more booze because I don't think it's going to be as stupid funny as last time. It's already not funny, it's been nosediving into "could it get any worse?" and so far the answer has been "Yes!".

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[–] villainy@lemmy.world 174 points 6 days ago (5 children)

This breaks decades-old norms meant to vet candidates for criminal history and conflicts of interest.

Come the fuck on. The FBI background checks are a "norm" too? Do we have actual laws for anything?

[–] Soggy@lemmy.world 97 points 6 days ago

The actual laws also don't seem to matter, in all fairness.

[–] _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 59 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Up till now, we didn’t really need them because everyone agreed it was the smart thing to do.

We’re done with smart.

[–] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 4 points 4 days ago

"Up till now, we didn’t really need them because everyone agreed it was the smart thing to do"

That doesn't sound very smart to begin with.

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[–] clutchtwopointzero@lemmy.world 34 points 6 days ago

America: relies on tradition because laws are for the poor

[–] zaph@sh.itjust.works 16 points 6 days ago

And the party of tradition won't care

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[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 76 points 6 days ago (2 children)

So... About that "deep state" I kept hearing about for the past 30 years... Think maybe now it's probably the time, if there ever was one, to do something to preserve the world order.

Turns out the "deep state" are a bunch of rich people who don't want to pay taxes. Oops.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago

The deep state was always meant to mean the FBI, FDA, EPA, and other agencies that while not always forces for good are forces of career bureaucrats that keep the United States a functioning nation.

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[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 110 points 6 days ago

A crook and convicted felon fills his cabinet with folk who probably can't pass an FBI security screening? Color me shocked.

The robber barons are back, baby

[–] RagingRobot@lemmy.world 29 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It's crazy that all these things I thought were laws my whole life turn out to just be "norms" that can be totally ignored

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[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 88 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Gabbard is the biggest threat here, in my view.

You couldn't dream of putting a spy in a better position than the DNI whose position is literally to oversee all intelligence agency silos.

Russia will know literally everything.

[–] TimLovesTech@badatbeing.social 34 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Trump is just putting a person between him and Putin this time around, Russia knew everything the first admin also. He hid meeting notes and visitor logs and nobody did shit, then the assholes voted him back in to finish selling us off because somehow that means "America First".

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 30 points 6 days ago (16 children)

She is literally in a cult.

People need to know that and they don't.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_of_Identity_Foundation

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[–] MIDItheKID@lemmy.world 14 points 6 days ago

"Nikolai Patrushev, part of the Russian president's inner circle and former Secretary of the Security Council, told the Russian newspaper Kommersant that Trump was duty-bound to act on his words.

Patrushev said: "To achieve success in the elections, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. And as a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them."

So yeah, sounds about right.

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 65 points 6 days ago (7 children)

No shit, one of his picks has white supremacist tats all over his body, one paid a minor for sex and gave them hardcore drugs, and the other is an actual Russian Agent.

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[–] cygnus@lemmy.ca 69 points 6 days ago (2 children)

This all highlights how many loopholes and deficiencies there are in a system that prides itself so much on checks and balances.

[–] jettrscga@lemmy.world 43 points 6 days ago

Apparently the balance was supposed to be one person with good faith checking one without. Now we see what happens when every dumbass stands on the corrupt side of the balance.

[–] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world 15 points 6 days ago (2 children)

No system of rules or laws can fully account for people acting in bad faith.

I think the founding fathers counted on social shame to limit bad faith actors in government. A dishonorable person used to become a social pariah and might even get killed in a duel back in the 18th century. People wouldn't associate with them, sign a contract with them, or lend them money. But now?

[–] cygnus@lemmy.ca 15 points 6 days ago (4 children)

You obliquely touched on a pet theory of mine. We s a society have for decades now rallied against public shaming and bullying and that kind of thing, but I wonder if we've gone too far with it —antisocial behaviours are left to run unchecked, whereas 100 years ago these people would have been mercilessly mocked to their face every day. Without the fear of that public mockery and ridicule, we get this.

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[–] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 12 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Tulsi Gabbard as the head of intelligence means the US intelligence community will have a blind spot in Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East. Plus many field agents are going to die. It’s going to be massive set back for Ukraine. And she’s probably going to relay everything to dictators like Putin and Assad. Mahalo Tulsi /s. And fuck your sPiRIt of alOHa

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Well duh. That's what's a convicted felon would want to do if they got into power.

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 21 points 5 days ago (1 children)

So, Cheeto is relying on private investigators...run by the Russian FSB. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, the Deep State is going to filled with neo-Nazis, religious nutters and Russian agents.

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Another “norm” that we thought was a requirement. The shittiest Civics class.

[–] nutsack@lemmy.world 26 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

to his supporters, this just looks like someone who gets things done. and they probably don't trust the FBI

[–] Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone 48 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I've needed FBI background checks for nearly every job I've ever had. If I need a background check to work in an elementary school, why don't these people need it to handle our nation's secrets?

[–] Magister@lemmy.world 33 points 6 days ago (2 children)

don't worry, DOGE will abolish the FBI, you'll be able to work wherever you want!

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[–] zeppo@lemmy.world 13 points 5 days ago

I assume if they’re investigating or vetting anything it’s: will they be loyal to Trump? Anything good to hang on to as blackmail or extortion material?

[–] Ebby@lemmy.ssba.com 32 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Bypassed standard FBI background checks ... to vet candidates for criminal history and conflicts of interest.

Those are features, not bugs now. They know exactly who they picked.

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[–] 100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it 8 points 5 days ago

It turns out that the erosion of rights will be done for fun during the real task of butchering the federal infrastructure and agenci6snd selling them to the highest bidding friend

[–] TWeaK@lemm.ee 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Given that last time they weren't even real proper investigations, they were directed by the White House and didn't actually look into things (in spite of Trump saying otherwise repeatedly), this is really only saving unnecessary spending.

[–] TheLowestStone@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

Well, the FBI agents are still getting paid and they are paying private investigators so I'm pretty sure these fake investigations are costing even more than the other fake investigations did.

[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 24 points 6 days ago

he'd just overrule anyway like he did jared and a couple dozen others before.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 4 points 4 days ago

Of course je did. How else is he going to appoint criminals and people with conflicts of interest ?

Well call this process "efficient" and say that Musk came up with it in his big brain

[–] psycho_driver@lemmy.world 14 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Lemmy doesn't offer a way to filter posts by words in the title do they? I'm over hearing anything about this waste of oxygen and his buddies.

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[–] Godort@lemm.ee 17 points 6 days ago

Moves to cut out the FBI appear to be in line with a pre-election memo drafted by his legal advisers and fits with Trump’s enduring suspicion that the agency is part of what, without evidence, he believes to be a “deep state” machine within the federal government bent on undermining him.

Trump administration does something obviously illegal and unethical

FBI: "Hey, that's illegal, you can't do that."

Trump: "Look at this deep state organization trying to prevent me from doing my job"

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