Litmus Tests Likely Explain Who the Fuck is Pete Hegseth
Yesterday, Donald Trump picked a Fox News pundit, Pete Hegseth, to lead the largest military in the world.
Before I discuss that, note that Kaitlan Collins described that Trump has yet to pick an Attorney General nominee, candidates for which include people like Matt Whittaker, Senator Mike Lee, and Mark Paoletta. According to Collins, that’s because none of the candidates checks all the boxes for Trump. Paoletta already issued a manifesto about forcing the career employees to bend to Trump’s will, and yet he apparently is missing something for which Trump is looking.
That may be how Trump skipped over people like former Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller, longtime Trump national security aide Keith Kellogg, and Representative Mike Rogers, who were considered candidates. And tellingly, we know that Miller was willing to check the litmus test in place when he was picked in 2020: a willingness to invoke the Insurrection Act.
There’s something else that Hegseth is happy to do that the others are not. The possible choices are gutting the military of women, people of color, LGBTQ soldiers, launching nuclear first strikes, committing war crimes, and treating leftists as terrorists — all are things he has espoused before.
Today, Senate Republicans will vote for Majority Leader. I expect John Thune and John Cornyn will split the non-crazy vote and give the race to Rick Scott. But the race will presume Trump’s demand to allow Trump to install these candidates via recess appointment.
A Hegseth appointment is precisely the kind of pick that would test the Senate’s willingness to provide some kind of pushback to Trump. But if all three aspiring Majority Leaders have already given away advice and consent, that won’t happen.
Pete Hegseth Was Removed from Biden’s Inauguration, Labeled ‘Extremist’ https://www.newsweek.com/pete-hegseth-was-removed-bidens-inauguration-labelled-extremist-1984882 James Bickerton Pub Nov 13, 2024 at 5:06 AM EST Updated Nov 13, 2024 at 5:13 AM EST
https://x.com/JimLaPorta/status/1854612767644566005
2:51 PM · Nov 7, 2024
Links to:
2 Guard members made extremist statements about inauguration
James LaPorta, Lolita C. Baldor, Michael Balsamo Published 7:09 PM EST, January 19, 2021
Matt Gertz with VIDEO of Hegseth on the morning of J6:
https://x.com/MattGertz/status/1346805206277828609
8:05 AM · Jan 6, 2021
https://bsky.app/profile/nicholasgrossman.bsky.social/post/3las6jvp6a227
November 12, 2024 at 8:19 PM
Jesus H.
Also, see this THREAD from Leah McElrath:
https://bsky.app/profile/leahmcelrath.bsky.social/post/3las35k7mul2p
November 12, 2024
Congratulations, Harpie – you’ve managed a comment that’s even more horrifying than EW’s original post.
There are plenty of dubious right wing tattoos adorning Hegseth’s body as depicted in photos in DailyMail link. But it is probably “Deus Vult” which caused the particular problem, though 1776 in Roman Numerals and a US flag incorporating an assault weapon as the lower bars probably indicate an officer not entirely comfortable orthodox interpretation of his oath.
“Daily Mail 13 Nov 24 The tattooed TV presenter who’ll be in charge of the world’s most powerful military and its nuclear weapons: The controversial 44-year-old ex-soldier who will be Trump’s Defence Secretary
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14076783/amp/trump-pete-Hegseth-secretary-defence-fox-news.html
…
He has tattoos on his body including crosses as well as the Latin phrases ‘Deus vult’, meaning ‘God wills it’, and ‘Ne desut virtus’, which translates as ‘Let valour not fail’.
The slogan ‘Deus vult’ is said to have originated in the 11th century as a rallying call for Catholics during the First Crusade.
Hegseth has previously said: ‘I’ve got Deus Vult – God Wills It – which was the cry of the Crusaders, on my bicep.
‘My entire pec is a Jerusalem cross. Israel, Christianity, and my faith are things I care deeply about.’”
Deus Vult” is closely associated with the period of the Crusades, particularly the First Crusade in the late 11th century. When Pope Urban II called upon the people of Europe to embark on a journey to liberate the Holy Land of Jerusalem from Muslim control, “Deus Vult” became the rallying cry, symbolizing the righteousness and the will of God through human action.
In its era, “Deus Vult” represented the belief that every action, every decision in the Crusade was supported and guided by God. It was not just a war cry but also a reminder of reliance on divine will, a deep faith in a mission believed to be directly entrusted by God.
It sacrementalised killing the enemies of god and as a battle cry it represented granting no quarter.
It has become very much part of fascist mythologising of Christian identarian roots and the redemptive indeed sacramental place of violence as essential to that identity
When Adolf Hitler staged the Munich Beer Hall Putsch in November 1923, Houston Stewart Chamberlain wrote an essay for the Völkischer Beobachter entitled “God Wills It!” calling on all Germans who love Germany to join the putsch.
The 1st CCNN Division “Dio lo Vuole” (“God wills it”) was one of the three Italian BlackshirtsDivisions sent to Spain in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War to make up the “Corpo Truppe Volontarie” (Corps of Volunteer Troops), or CTV.[22]
And for recent embrace of the Crusader symbolism by fascists and so called patriots
The Capitol Riot and the Crusades: Why the Far Right Is Obsessed With Medieval History | Teen Vogue 13Jan 2021
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/crusades-trump-supporters-history
Deus Vult: Fantasies of medieval masculinity in extreme right radicalisation to violence – Rachel E. Moss
https://rachelemoss.com/2023/10/10/deus-vult-fantasies-of-medieval-masculinity-in-extreme-right-radicalisation-to-violence/
Oh yeah, Jesus Christ, the one known as ‘The Prince of War’.
Have you found whether Hegseth has a security clearance already or had one during service? I believe he might have during Guantanamo detention service. He’s a Princeton grad. The politics of a background check if needed now might be fraught with disagreement.
I lost interest when he moved to FOX, but saw his activity before that – he was a Koch propagandist/activist with Concerned Veterans for America, will try to find a link.
It doesn’t matter whether or not he has a security clearance. The Trump transitition team will do all the vetting through private companies, and Trump assign security clearance of whatever degree just be order on Jan. 20, 2025 — as I read elsewhere. Unfortunately I didn’t keep a link to the source.
But it seems very probable that he will repeat the way of clearance of whoever is concerned by the way he cleared his son-in-law in 2017.
“he will repeat the way of [venting] of whoever is concerned by the way he [vented Kavanaugh].”
Send the FBI all your tips and Meadows will burn them in the WH fireplace.
Adding a couple more things here:
1] Matthew Taylor:
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1856785877403361524.html
2:47 PM · Nov 13, 2024
2] What’s the Deal With Pete Hegseth’s Crusader Tattoos? Donald Trump’s potential secretary of defense hasn’t been straightforward about the violent symbolism of his ink. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/whats-the-deal-with-pete-hegseth-crusader-tattoos Annika Brockschmidt and Thomas Lecaque Nov 14, 2024
Anyone who was hoping the disorganized mind would rule has overlooked the useful idiot for the kings behind the throne. The zealots running the show were not going to allow the same mistakes made the last time when He was in better shape, regardless his disinterest and laziness They will keep him in there and under wraps as he discombobulates. Shady will be much harder to control.
I’m sure it will get worse. Biden may be a Zionist but he’s not Mike Huckabee. Pity the country, here, there, everywhere. It will take them a while to set up the camps.
Yep. On a related note I’d really love it if people here stopped invoking the 25th amendment.
Why? Has it suddenly disappeared from the Constitution, like presidential accountability?
Trump has more in common with King Lear, and Vance with Iago than either would care to admit. The political intrigue inside their administration will be of Byzantine proportions. Dealing with the 25th is inevitable.
Because you and I both know it will never happen, not least because of whatever “judicial review” *ahem* applied by the Supreme Court, that’s why. It stands about as good a chance as surviving that as the 3rd article of the 14th Amendment did, ie. none at all.
It’s the worst kind of wishful thinking hopium that gets repeated incessantly without any realistic vision for how it would “work.” It’s a distraction from the truly important and difficult tasks ahead, most of which involve us being prepared — especially to help those who will be the obvious targets (in some cases, literally targets of state-sponsored violence) starting in January.
“You and I both know” nothing of the kind. Regardless, it won’t change the incessant Byzantine politics of Trump’s White House.
I certainly would not categorize the possibility of the 25th as “hopium”. Vance is more dangerous than Trump; the billionaires are backing him and Trump has zero attention span.
They’re both dangerous. The only difference is that one is young.
And no, there will not be any invocation of the 25th by anyone with fealty to Trump. It’s utterly unrealistic in general but in the light of how the “transition” is entirely about TFG appointing nominees whose only qualifications are their loyalty to him — and threatening to somehow do so without Senate approval — in what world would any of these kkklowns enact the 25th?
The only path forward is to be realistic about what we face, even with how incredibly daunting it is. Everything else is a colossal waste of time and resources.
“They will keep him in there and under wraps as he discombobulates.”
That seems right. It looks like there will be end times and rapture accelerators galore running the country.
But, they also need Trump in office. He is the one that keeps the American brownshirts (and the masses) at the ready, with just a perfectly worded “truth”. Noone else on the right has quite enough pull to keep everyone in line. So they need him to fulfill their dreams.
I *think* (ready to be smacked down on this) Senate rules are such that a Leader must win a majority of their party’s votes, meaning 27 of the 52 or 53 ballots cast (pending PA results). In other words, it isn’t like (say) a gubernatorial election where two center-left candidates can lose to a corrupt right-winger who got only 40% of the vote.
But since, as EW writes, all three candidates for Leader have basically endorsed the concept of taking recesses on demand to get nominees through without any vetting whatsoever, it won’t make much of a difference out of the gate.
There are two parts of this – first is the decision within each caucus about who each party will put forward as their leadership candidate, and second is the decision on the floor of the Senate to determine who will lead the Senate.
Whoever wins the GOP caucus vote *will* do so with less than a unanimous vote, especially if the caucus holds this vote with a secret ballot. Let’s say it is 42-10, just as an example. Once that candidate comes to the floor, will those 10 continue to vote against their caucus’ chosen candidate and for the Democrat? Highly, highly unlikely.
As long as party discipline holds, the GOP leader will became the leader of the Senate, regardless of how close the caucus vote is.
That’s how it works in the House, but as far as I can tell, there’s no equivalent Senate-wide vote – each caucus chooses its leader, and whichever caucus has the numerical majority of seats runs the chamber.
Yes, because the Vice President presides over the Senate (in theory anyway). It’s just a vote or series of votes within the caucus, secret ballot, until someone gets a majority. Which militated against the widely loathed Scott.
Do you seriously believe that rules matter to these people?
Update: John Thune has been chosen as Senate Majority Leader.
And so therefore…no rubber stamp from the Senate for recess appointments? RFK Jr. and Elon Musk must be disappointed now.
Unclear. From what I’ve seen, it didn’t sound as though any of the candidates was willing to take the idea off the table.
I hadn’t heard about the Hegseth pick until I read this. I thought maybe it was a joke. Surely you don’t mean Pete Hegseth of Fox News? But really, it is totally consistent with his pick of RFK Jr. in charge of health.
I am trying hard not to panic.
Hegseth who is a combat veteran and a National Guard major. He was also apparently asked to stand down from security for Biden’s inauguration due to some extremist SM content.
I also note that Ratcliffe instead of Kash Patel is apparently the pick for CIA director, which is an infinitesimal improvement. He was rejected before for looniness (Pleiadians) and conflicts of interest. The only potential as yet unconfirmed benefit is that he is not beholden to Putin.
It means Trump has a better use for Kash Patel. That’s not reassuring. He might put him in charge of the FBI. It would give Trump readier access to its more extreme elements and to the proverbial Hoover files, without the risk that a Hoover would use them against him, only his enemies.
One of the more destructive aspects of these appointments is that it erodes the culture of every agency they touch. It allows them to train farm teams of potential replacements.
Shades of burrowed Bushies come to mind.
Earl, I fear for the placement of Patel anywhere and I fear it’s going to have something to do with the Justice Department.
He’s just super, drank the kool-aid agro and a willing law breaker I suspect from his involvement in the documents case.
The coming insanity, of which we are now seeing glimpses, begs a question I’ve been thinking about.
You are on a long road trip and each adult has agreed to drive a portion of the time. One guy says that when it’s his turn to drive “I’m gonna see what this baby can DO! See if I can do 150! I’m gonna play chicken with other drivers, maybe sideswipe a few! Nail a few pedestrians, maybe take it off-road, take out some road signs! Might even try to roll this sucker!” Everyone of course tells him he must drive safely and abide by the rules of the road, to which he replies, “You can all go straight to hell! I will do whatever I want, whenever I want, and there’s nothing you or anyone can do to stop me!”
Given this situation, is it morally justified to hand over the keys to the car when it becomes this lunatics’ turn to drive? Is it ethical to do so, knowing the harm he will cause? Simply because you had previously agreed to do so?
Is “sticking to the rules” ethical when doing so will cause catastrophic damage to the common good?
And right on cue, word is out that Matt Gaetz is the choice for Attorney General. Another WTF moment…..
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/13/politics/matt-gaetz-attorney-general/index.html
@Thequickbrownfox at 4:08 pm
So he himself may shut down any investigations against him possibly under way.
Looking at the quality and qualities of Trump’s nominees is becoming a rather dark experience. Some of those folks have no qualms about poking holes in this inconvenient “Constitution thing”, U.S. Code, basic decency, treaties and obligations, human rights, etc. However, poking those holes tends to expose the poker to certain risks (penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense).
Trump will likely show less reluctance to use the Pardon this term, but I can see that without careful management, there could be occasional log jams. However, a couple of clever folks on his staff (pun intended) could quickly develop software to ease the process: Insta-Pardon.
Fitting on a laptop, Insta-Pardon’s go-anywhere data collection, management, and production capability would streamline the pardon process down to just a few staff hours. Mandatory and optional data fields would be identified, free text fields established, a standard review process created, and, finally, a single fingerprint touch from the President would grant the pardon, update the database, and file the documents appropriately.
And, of course, the implementation of this fine app and the suggested/default fields would be up to the agency from St. Petersburg (RU).
He has an axe to grind, which means he’s going to go out of his way to find creative ways to abuse and destroy the military. Trump likes people who are not only loyal but who also have a personal axe to grind. They’re more motivated to wreck chaos than the people who are just absolutely loyal to Trump.
Pete Hegseth loves to play the clown. It pays extraordinarily well, But he’s a graduate of Princeton and Harvard’s Kennedy School. He has a brain, but one overwhelmed by his far right politics. His lack of restraint seems to be on Bannon’s end of the spectrum.
In terms of military service, he’s a sophomore. He has enough to feel foolishly confident in a senior post, but not enough to know what he’s doing. If he’s been inside the Pentagon, it was on a guided tour.
His combat experience ended as the equivalent of a navy lieutenant. He’s never been in charge of a ship, much less a carrier, or god forbid, the fleet. Giving him control of every branch of the military is Steve Bannon levels of chaos and destruction. But it’s on par with putting Stephen Miller in charge of the most vulnerable people in America. It’s on par with Trump demanding absolute fealty – across-the-board – and threatening whatever level of destruction he needs to to get his way.
When dictators publicly brag about what they are driven to do, believe them the first time.
That is something that should concern all of us. Managing a platoon or company is far different than managing larger structures. I did not see any staff work, for example and that is a problem because the SecDef role is about preparation more than anything else.
Absolutely. Small unit weapons and tactics are one thing. That’s managing yourself and a comprehensible number of real human beings, whose performance you can see and judge in training and under fire.
Strategy, otoh, the organization and logistics of projecting large-scale military forces across the world, managing fiercely competitive services, Congress, military contractors and the vast scale of the Pentagon’s nearly $800 billion [public] budget are different things entirely.
Imagine how happy Pentagon contractors are, though, at the prospect of dealing with a Pentagon controlled by a woefully inexperienced, zealous capitalist and privatizer of govt services. As Marcy has written elsewhere, Trump’s payback has already begun.
That’s why officers get lots of training as they move up. Majors are pretty far down that line.
As you go up the chain of command, officers are weeded out, for all sorts of reasons, as well as trained.
Fewer than 80% of second lieutenants make first lieutenant. About the same percentage moves up from first lieutenant to captain, and from captain to major, Hegseth’s rank in the national guard. So, under half of the original group of junior officers make major.
But only a quarter of majors make Lt. Col., or full commander in the navy. About half of them make Col, and half again earn one or more stars. So, six percent or less of the starting group make one-star general or admiral. The weeding out carries on as you progress to four-stars.
Trump wants Hegseth to jump the queue, and to put him in charge of everyone. What he’s really doing is spitting in the military’s eye and keeping important decisions inside the White House, to be decided by goddess knows who.
A couple of themes running here…
— One thing to remember is that The Posse Comitatus Act does not apply to one military service. The Coast Guard could become a pawn in a Trumpian military mash-up because it already has around 35,000 personnel who are both federal law enforcement officers and officers of the customs. (The Project 2025 discussion of the Coast Guard is very confused – the authors of that section don’t seem to know the difference between ships and Shinola.)
The Coast Guard can be transferred as a service under the Secretary of Navy by act of Congress (WWI) or by order of the President (done prior to WWII). In the past, both the State Department and DoD opposed peacetime transfer suggestions, often brought by parties that considered such an arrangement to be more “efficient” (wait until Elon gets around to this issue). A non-DoD USCG is useful for soft diplomacy, humanitarian assistance (both used in the Russo-Georgian war), and nation building.
Short of transfer to DoD, some of Trump’s hawks might look towards the USCG as an easily assignable asset under DHS, or as an operational asset that can come under DoD orders.
— As for special operators…I have worked for retired Army Special Forces personnel, alongside both retired Army SF and Navy SEALs, and had both Army SF and SEALs work for me. Given the choice, I’d prefer former Army SF – they are more likely to take the long view of situations. A couple SEALS I worked with were great. One retired SEAL was a train wreck. He was the leader of a Red Team (OPFOR) for a full-scale exercise at major federal infrastructure asset that was also an national iconic location. All this SEAL wanted to do was “kill” all the asset’s police and security personnel to show them how bad they were. In an exercise like that, the OPFOR actually has to be the most disciplined and restrained component. They are the ones responsible for delivering the scenario in such a way that the most constructive lessons can be learned, both on site, and in follow-up training. (This guy also claimed to have been a scab pilot during the Eastern Airlines strike.)
Hegseth served in Guantanamo internment active duty, details I believe classified, as to what his exact role was.
Hegseth after active duty, before Fox showed up in MN and “ran” against Klobuchar years ago. He formed a PAC and did no campaigning I know of. There should be an FEC filing. He had a post-election party a MN R blogger wrote up, but that blog’s been scrubbed. Called “Residual Forces.”
Before FOX, he founded Concerned Veterans for America or if not founder, was director, 2015. It is a Koch/ALEC front or was when he headed it: see brief mention https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kochs-brothers-freedom-pa_b_8606038 – He used it for propaganda. Sniping at the VA care quality. I don’t know if CVA has changed much since Hegseth/Koch times.
As bona fides, he worked with local MN – Anoka County pol Jim Abeler [R] to convert via volunteer labor an unused and vacant former mental asylum-housing campus in the county to veteran housing, that part seems sincere, and he did it low key, not as a PR stunt. https://www.startribune.com/historic-state-hospital-building-in-anoka-reopens-as-veterans-housing/463512033 – He’s not mentioned in the report but was a pivotal involved veteran pushing the redeployment of the site for veterans.
There’s the ax throwing: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pete-hegseth-axe-throw_n_673465c0e4b0d36d5d640eab
I thought Tulsi Gabbard might get Defense as a Trump pol supporter. She may get Veterans Affairs. I think there will be something for Tulsi.
For the job of SecDef, Pete Hegseth has no bona fides.
“He’s not mentioned in the report but was a pivotal involved veteran pushing the redeployment of the site for veterans.”
I understand it took over 10 years to bring this plan to fruition in 2017.
In what way was he pivotal?
Well, Hegseth checks the box of being a Rapture-bring-it-on Evangelical who had a baby with a Fox executive producer while still married to his first wife.
He scares the bejesus outta me.
…while still married to his _second_ wife.
APM reported on his family values in 2018, when he was under consideration for the Department of Veterans Affairs (maybe DJT got caught in a cognitive rut about “affairs”.)
The article notes some Heritage Foundation ties.
Slight correction, love child came while married to second wife. Now on his third, the former FOX executive.
Pete will think it’s ok tfg is willing to use the military for domestic affairs previously forbidden.
Mattis and Kelly (the adults) had previously backed his use of the military.
https://www.acslaw.org/expertforum/whats-a-posse-comitatus-anyway-the-military-role-at-the-southern-border/
Aside from all of the scary stuff mentioned already, remember how much Trump cares about ‘central casting’.
Look at the pictures of this dude. I bet that’s what Trump sees/imagines when he looks in the mirror each day: rugged features, man-with-no-name screwed up eyes, orange skin, tight suit bulging over his yuge muscles. It’s a Trump trading card come to life.
He must be wetting himself.
Does Trump realise (care?) that so many of the people around him actually want the end of the world to come asap?
Media Matters compiled some HEGSETH quotes:
Trump picked Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense. Here’s some of what he’s said on the air. https://www.mediamatters.org/pete-hegseth/trump-picked-fox-friends-weekend-co-host-pete-hegseth-be-secretary-defense-heres-some
Published 11/13/24 12:22 PM
Regarding climate change: DoD is the largest owner of critical infrastructure in the U.S., and the most dependent on non-DoD critical infrastructure. DoD has no choice to respond to the risk associated with climate change — which the engineers can describe in detail.
Hegseth can decide that the words “climate change” will never be uttered in his presence, but he will still need to budget the $Billions needed to fix whatever got (or is going to be) messed up by some “thing” (which certainly can’t be Cl***** Ch****).
On a lighter note, after five years of preparation, Amsterdam’s “Rijksmuseum starts next phase of public restoration of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.” Much of the work will be done in public, in a see-through enclosure.
For some reason, it reminds me of the investigative work researchers may have to do to remove the varnish and other false explanations Trump will use to hide his attempts to destroy a federal government that had the temerity to try to hold him to account.
https://nltimes.nl/2024/11/13/rijksmuseum-starts-next-phase-public-restoration-rembrandts-night-watch
Lovely to read that.
In a few years, Trump, at whatever corporal state he is in, and his co-conspirators, will be shocked to see that whatever was used to gloss over his deeds will also be found to be reversible varnish.
Hegseth may be a “Bork.” Nominate and try, but expect a fight and a loss.
Mike Lee at DOJ is mentioned here and elsewhere as possible. If he is the nominee, a guess is EW will separately post, yes/no?
Why would the Trump 2.0 admin bother to try and confirm nominees? Why not just have an “Acting” SecDef for Trump’s entire term (and then his third term)?
I barely want to read U.S. news now, its so dystopian. I hope you all make it through this somehow!
Trump nominates 43-year-old Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence. Hahahaha. The blind leading the blind. Like so many other Trump appointees, Gabbard is not remotely qualified to direct and coordinate all American intelligence services.
This deeply unserious appointment attests to how badly Trump does not want the American government to work, how much payback Trump owes his patrons, foreign and domestic, and how driven he is to pay them back more than full retail. Gabbard does have at least one thing in common with Trump: her mind-numbing narcissism.
Trumps vetting process for each place in his cabinet:
“Hmmm, who is the absolutely worst choice I can make for this position?”
Nominating incompetent people is some sort of insurance if anything gets wrong. The scapegoats will be in place.
There’s also the question of the much worse news Trump hopes to hide now and during the Senate confirmation process for his off-the-wall choices for his Cabinet. Rather than choose a ministry of all the talents, Trump has chosen a Cabinet of all the deplorables.
Donald Trump does hate his own country as much as he said he did during his campaign:
— Matt Gaetz as US Attorney General. For the love of god. —-
Sadly, this is consistent with how Trump runs any organization. Is his purpose to test how low and how long he can make his Republican Party grovel? How far he can shift the Overton Window? “Anyone who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.”
It feels as if satire has risen from the dead to feast on its own corpse.
Government of the trolls, by the trolls, for the trolls.
Jeez.
Gaetz, Noem, Gabbard, Hegseth…. Maybe Trump had a change of heart. He complained at all his traveling roadshows about countries emptying their asylums. Now he seems to be giving a similar group of people jobs. Running the government. His record of successful appointments doesn’t provide much optimism.
This is a way to get thousands of govt employees to quit, not just those in the DoJ or FBI, without having to fire them and incur redundancy costs.
It’s cheaper than moving their offices to the hinterland – which Trump is also likely to do, because he thinks it will turn Northern Virginia back into a GOP stronghold.
It’s a way to destroy the work of countless govt employees, their agencies, and the grapevines that make inter-agency work possible. It makes employees who choose to quit, rather than enable the work of a corrupt Attorney General, complicit in their own demise. DARVO.
The absurdity of these nominations might also make Trump’s eventual nominees seem more acceptable. But I don’t think that’s a principal dynamic at work here. I think Bannon and Miller want the chaos and destruction more than anything else.
‘This is a way to get thousands of govt employees to quit, not just those in the DoJ or FBI, without having to fire them and incur redundancy costs. ‘
Per Benjamin Wittes: https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-situation–staying-sane-during-the-screaming
‘The captivation of your attention is an exertion of power over you. It requires your cooperation, and you can withhold that cooperation. The presidency is an executive office that does things, mostly through bureaucratic processes. Slow down, and force yourself to engage the screaming through those bureaucratic processes when it’s humanly possible to do so. This is hard. The screaming wants to talk to you—talk at you, really—directly.’
Let’s hope those employees resist the screaming and stick to doing their jobs per the law. Tough, I know, and I don’t envy them.
Some government employees may be Ivy League legacies, who have never had to balance a checkbook. Most live like the rest of us. They live off their current income. They have rent or a mortgage, student loans and car debts, high-cost utilities, and demanding jobs.
Unlike the private sector, they are also often committed to public service. In Trump’s world, that makes them vulnerable and suckers, as well as something to be feared and to be rid of.
Of all the bizarre things I thought impossible yet now I discover that inconceivable really doesn’t mean what I thought it meant
US AG Matt Gaetz
Me, just now, out loud:
“Oh my fvcking GOD!”
EoH used the phrase “cabinet of deplorables”.
The strategy appears to be creating a cabinet incapable of plotting a palace coup against Trump in his dotage. They are all creeps freaks and stooges. A confederation of dunces.
It primarily means a cabinet incapable of running the departments its members are put in charge of. Reagan and the Bushes did this with isolated departments. James Watt at Interior, for example. Not to be outdone, Trump seems intent on doing this throughout government.
One consequence is that it will enable Trump – more probably, a small cadre inside the WH – to control principal policies and their execution. Dick Cheney did that narrowly, with regard to policy toward Iraq and Afghanistan. The Trump WH wants to do that across government.
That these incompetents might be so loyal – for having been picked from obscurity and thrown into the stratosphere of government power and authority – is part of the equation. But I think it’s secondary to first disabling government.
Oh, I think JD can do that on his own. Particularly with Gaetz’ help.
And Voltair said, “Common sense is not so common.”
“Imagine how happy Pentagon contractors are . . . ”
With the possible exception of a few bottom-feeders, I think most major defense contractors are viewing this with great alarm. The Federal Acquisition Regulations are voluminous and convoluted, barely comprehensible by mortals, but they do form the basis of an orderly way of doing business.
The contractors have lived with this system, and its periodic reforms, for decades, and know that they can survive and prosper within its confines. If they feel that they have not won a contract for some reason(s) inconsistent with the FARs, their recourse is to file a protest with GAO. On rare occasions, GAO finds in their favor.
There is an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, and each service has a counterpart.
https://www.acq.osd.mil/asda/index.html
If those positions are filled by unqualified people, the only remaining hope would be that the career civil servants in their organizations can help them follow the relevant laws. Of course, assuming that the new management has some good listeners, probably not the way to bet.
The only remaining hope will be Hegseth being told by the WH who to do business with, how much more to privatize, for how much, and which regulations to wave.
Competence varies with the job you want done. For starters, Trump hates competence. He doesn’t have any, except as a worldclass grifter. He doesn’t want jobs done in the normal way, the jobs Cabinet members and the people who work for them normally consider theirs to do.
Trump is waging a culture war. He wants a government created in His own image, as he had a private company built in His own image. First and foremost, he wants to get even with his enemies. That starts with the whole USG. He wants culture warriors, who will execute his will. His relationship with them will be simple: which one of you will rid me of this turbulent government, and anyone in it or elsewhere in America who has or might offend me?
wondering if the comments work