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 230 points 1 week 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 129 points 1 week 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 80 points 1 week 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 38 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] thevoidzero@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I tried. I can't do anything.

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[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago (3 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 1 week ago (4 children)

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

[–] SomeGuy69@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

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

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[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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 36 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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 19 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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?

[–] FutileRecipe@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

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.

Because if they start holding others in similar offices to account, they might have to hold themselves as well, and that ain't happening.

[–] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 19 points 1 week 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 175 points 1 week 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 98 points 1 week ago

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

[–] _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 60 points 1 week 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.

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[–] clutchtwopointzero@lemmy.world 34 points 1 week ago

America: relies on tradition because laws are for the poor

[–] zaph@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 week ago

And the party of tradition won't care

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[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 111 points 1 week 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

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 89 points 1 week 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 1 week 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 1 week 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 1 week 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.

[–] cygnus@lemmy.ca 70 points 1 week 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 44 points 1 week 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 16 points 1 week 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 1 week ago (3 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.

[–] Curiousfur@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Trying to protect neurodivergent people unfortunately shelters bad behavior as well as benign. Yes, the antisocial guy trying to start fights and hurt animals would've been driven out of society, but so would the harmless kid who needs things to be arranged by the last letter of its name or something. I've got some idiosyncrasies that make certain aspects of "fitting in" require more effort than most, and I definitely felt the difference in attitude towards how I struggled as I got older. Another hard to control factor is that malicious people can game those same attitudes that help people who simply can't understand why they are different.

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[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 66 points 1 week 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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[–] Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone 49 points 1 week 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 34 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

[–] PriorityMotif@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

As long as it's a christian elementary school.

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[–] Ebby@lemmy.ssba.com 33 points 1 week ago (1 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.

[–] kamenlady@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Exactly, they don't need the FBI to discover the things they already know about them. I would even say, those things are the reason why they were picked.

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[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 24 points 1 week ago

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

[–] Godort@lemm.ee 18 points 1 week 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"

[–] SkavarSharraddas@gehirneimer.de 14 points 1 week ago

The Banana Republicans up to a good start.

[–] psycho_driver@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week 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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[–] eran_morad@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My only confidence and hope is that these guys are such monumental fuckups that they won’t be able to string together enough executive function to realize their dark vision.

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[–] masterofn001@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 week ago

Potential security risks?

Jfc these idiots.

[–] WrenFeathers@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Things are going to be FAR worse than anyone has imagined thus far.

I just know it.

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