“The Truth Is for Chumps:” Prepare for the Hunger Games
As you read the 100 page report about what a shitshow the FBI is under Kash Patel, keep the following in mind.
First, this report is an attack on Kash from the right, complaining among other things, that he hasn’t eradicated “Trump Derangement Syndrome” from the FBI and that Fox doesn’t play in FBI break rooms, while applauding him for eliminating DEI.
It was shared first with Miranda Devine, whose skillset is hit jobs, not government analysis.
It was shared as a Sribd.
It was sent to Chuck Grassley and Jim Jordan, but not their counterparts Dick Durbin and Jamie Raskin.
Yes, the report’s most damning anecdote describes that Kash delayed a presser in theTyler Robinson case until he could get a ladies’ sized jacket with the particular SWAG he wanted. Yes, it describes multiple sources quoting Dan Bongino saying, “the truth is for chumps.”
There’s even the very serious and persistent concern that the FBI has neglected its counterintelligence and counterterrorism mission (the report doesn’t mention rampant public corruption).
Perhaps the most telling detail, though, is there’s no mention of Andrew Bailey, ostensibly co-Deputy with Dan Bongino.
You see, in just two weeks, Bailey will be eligible to run the FBI or even DOJ without undergoing confirmation. And so you should expect that sometime after that, someone will be replaced.
Kash has long been the leading candidate to be replaced. But there’s likely to be a bit of a Hunger Games competition in the weeks ahead as various contestants attempt to keep their high flying planes.
When Bailey was appointed to his co-deputy director position, this is what I expected to happen once the 90 day timeframe elapsed. The question to me was whether he would replace Patel or Bongino. Back then, I was thinking Bongino, but now I am leaning toward Patel.
While I don’t think replacing Bondi is out of the question, I also think Trump would not like to have his compliant AG leave under these circumstances, as it would look too much like he made a mistake in nominating her in the first place. Patel’s missteps are so obvious and so ludicrous (FBI SWAT team members providing security to his girlfriend, anyone?) that he would be much easier to replace without Trump looking bad.
I’ll agree with the analysis and suspect our DC shooter case (between the asylum vetting and the failure to detect him in several days of travel among other embarrassments) might be the casus ad removendum (case for removal) designed to limit Convict-1’s exposure.
Will his GF still want Kash if he can’t squire her around on the government dime?
Hopefully you’re prepping a profile for when it happens…
;p
Yeah. It’s been crazy for me lately . . . funerals, lots of snow, etc.
Robert Craft, Igor Stravinsky’s biographer and longtime assistant wrote that on Stravinsky’s 85th birthday he stated that you know you’re getting really old when the funeral invitations start slowing down.
When I told that to my dad on his 85th birthday, he laughed so hard, I was afraid I had given him a coronary.
Who holds sway? Susie, that’s who. She’s as close to family as an outsider can be. And, if we can believe Michael Wolff, it was Jared who was responsible for getting her on board.
Susie and Pam have lots of history, plus a network of influential connections. So, if anything ever does happen to Bondi, it will be something that is worked out to mutual satisfaction.
Susie likes a productive team of individuals who can carry on without being high maintenance. Boris Epshteyn tried to undermine her with the WH Counsel selection. But Susie prevailed. And he (David Warrington) has worked with Bondi without problems, by all appearances.
Kash is flashy and has created many clashes. Lots of drama. High maintenance. So, Susie’s tolerance may have met its quota. But someone along the line described Andrew Bailey as lackadaisical.
So, time will tell, I guess. Maybe there is somebody else waiting in the wings. David Driscoll replaced Kash at ATF. Is it feasible to think he could leave as Secretary of the Army to replace Kash? Or maybe he’ll replace Hegseth…
Daniel (not David) Driscoll. Don’t know if there is any connection to the Driscoll (Brian?) who left the FBI and is suing.
“Susie likes a productive team of individuals who can carry on without being high maintenance. ”
Given the requirement for true believers who are willing to prostrate themselves to Trump and even make fools of themselves for him, the pool must be incredibly small.
The next Democrat president whether male or female will be faced with rooting out the corrupt & incompetent from BOTH the FBI & DOJ. Toadys of all stripes must be removed with USSC at least reformed.
“Democrat president”?
It might be time for a pool to see who gets jettisoned in what order with tiebreakers being timing and circumstances. I don’t know how best to handle the hangers-on like Bannon, Loomer, Musk and Stone (last seen getting Hernandez pardoned). I suppose an obvious question is whether Bailey is smart enough to pick his way around the shoals of Convict-1 whims. Since I know that undying fealty is the prime criterion for working in this WH I have my doubts about that.
The right is angry that the FBI is neglecting its counterintelligence and counter-terrorist duties? Pshaw. Tell Stephen Miller to put a thousand or so special agents back on their regular FBI duties, and get them off his Deportations ‘R Us train.
“Pshaw”
Decades ago I read a book (likely by Asimov?) where a girl used that phrase or the narrator countered with “pshaw was her polite version of saying ‘rabbit droppings’.” or some such context.
Thanks, earl of, for the best and correct use of a word rarely seen these days.
One can only hope we see a revival of ‘groovy’ at an official level – although the current regime seems a bit persphinctery about optics. That, or these lying bastards just don’t care.
I read lots of Asimov in my teens and your suggested source feels right although I can’t find anything on the internet to back it up.
My next thought is PG Wodehouse. It’s very much the sort of thing Bertie Wooster might say when Jeeves objects to the colour of his spats: ‘Pshaw, my man, don’t you know these are the latest thing at The Drones?’
Groovy input, thanks.
I tend to use the word ‘swell’ in everyday conversation – I get looks from the 20 – 50 set but the kids and oldsters run with it.
It was possibly the Agatha character in Bradbury’s ‘I Sing the Body Electric’ but I have slept since reading that….
You guys need to familiarize yourselves with etymonline.
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=pshaw
ADDER: I think my point was too subtle. “Pshaw” has been widely used for +300 years as a substitute for less socially acceptable exclamatory terms. MANY authors would have used it from James Fennimore Cooper to Elliot, Fielding, Flaubert, to Sir Walter Scott. In particular, Wodehouse used it in several books including Right Ho, Jeeves.
Now let’s move back to the topic which is Hegseth’s malignant incompetence as the SOW formerly known as SecDef.
Trump won’t get rid of people who have kompromat on him. Kash Patel knows too much about the Epstein files. And, as Devin Nunes’ aide, he knows more about Trump and Russia. Trump will either move Patel to DNI or have Nunes hire him at Truth Social for a big enough amount to allow him his own private jet.
Hegseth and Tulsi seem expendable. Fox News might whine but then they can hire Hegseth to provide color commentary on sinking fishing boats. But who will be Trump’s new Donald Rumsfeld?
He’d like Michael Flynn (the guy who pled guilty and tried to take it back so Trump had to pardon him), but Flynn would never get confirmed.
Similar phenomena occurred in Devine’s second book about Hunter Biden. A lot of government analysis, a departure from her normal tabloid style reporting. And omission of names like Patel, Harvey, Nunes. Sparse mention of Solomon. Only one quote from Benz and a special thanks to Benz. An obsession of Kolomoisky.
Which suggests being a front mouthpiece for someone else.
Speaking of Kash Patel and Charlie Kirk press conferences. There was another Charlie Kirk press conference where Patel said “Rest now, brother. We have the watch, and I will see you in Valhalla,” in regards to Charlie Kirk, and there was discussion over whether that was a Qanon reference with a target audience in mind when he said it.
https://www.c-span.org/clip/news-conference/fbi-director-patel-to-charlie-kirk-see-you-in-valhalla/5171858
A couple of points here:
1) Patel gets torched on the right for botching the Kirk investigation and being a fake soldier using the term “Valhalla”
2) The QAA Podcast (formerly Qanon Anonymous) named their Sept 23, Charlie Kirk episode “See You In Valhalla, Charlie,” as that term has come up frequently in their coverage of the Qanon movement, though never by Q in a Q drop
3) one of the QAA hosts said that it was actually Charlie Kirk’s mainstreaming towards Qanon in July 2018 that perked his attention and caused him to gain interest in dissecting Qanon in a podcast, as seen in these 2018 tweets:
https://archive.is/w07I1
https://archive.is/kL9bX
Like most of Trump’s Cabinet, Keystone Kash is an unqualified bad joke, who is only in his position to tweak the Democrats and piss off decent, clear-thinking Americans. He was merely a creature of the Internet before this – where he used to be able to lob lies like grenades and let someone else worry about cleaning up the mess. Now he is in a job where he has to (1) work hard, and (2) tell the truth – two stipulations he has no ability to meet. Loser.
It would be so much better if Patel left along with the rest of them. They could take Trump and Vance with them. Heggie may not be with the gang for much longer if he is charged with a war crime. The Admiral he is trying to dump it on may not go along with the drill.
I just sit here and just shake my head about the current state of affairs in the U.S.A.
I’ve said before that it’s hardly the worst thing about Kash Patel, but why does he ALWAYS look like he’s been startled by a bear that’s just walked into the room?
I recently saw two photos of Patel where he looked relatively normal. Was he told that his lids were droopy or his eyes looked too small – and for photos he should open them that wide? Perhaps he has no friends who tell him to stop?
He may have Graves’ disease which is why I won’t make any comments about his physical appearance though I won’t hold back on his egregiously bad taste in clothes.
And yes, he has no friends who’ll tell him to stop wearing some of the ugliest shit like plaid jackets in obnoxious colors.