Donald Trump's Cabinet picks

[Grifman]

New FBI Director, terrible choice - but aren’t they all:

[Smoove_B]

Article about FBI director nomination of Kash Patel.

In his memoir, Government Gangsters, Patel called for an eradication of what he called "government tyranny" within the FBI by firing "the top ranks”.

The son of Indian immigrants, Patel is a former defence lawyer and federal prosecutor who caught Trump’s eye after he became a senior counsel to the House of Representatives intelligence committee in 2017.

He was hired by Trump as a national security aide in 2019 and a year later was appointed chief of staff to the head of the Pentagon.

As well as his 2023 memoir, Government Gangsters, he has published two pro-Trump children’s books.

Hold on to your butts.

[Alefroth]

Sounds like the criming is going to get a lot easier in the U.S. I wonder if that will attract any criming types.

[hepcat]

Thix is after Trump previously pardoned him last time:

Just a quick reminder of why Chris Christie even found him loathsome:

In 2005, he was convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering after hiring a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, arranging to record a sexual encounter between the two, and sending the tape to his sister.

[Grifman]

[$iljanus]

Article about FBI director nomination of Kash Patel.

In his memoir, Government Gangsters, Patel called for an eradication of what he called "government tyranny" within the FBI by firing "the top ranks”.

The son of Indian immigrants, Patel is a former defence lawyer and federal prosecutor who caught Trump’s eye after he became a senior counsel to the House of Representatives intelligence committee in 2017.

He was hired by Trump as a national security aide in 2019 and a year later was appointed chief of staff to the head of the Pentagon.

As well as his 2023 memoir, Government Gangsters, he has published two pro-Trump children’s books.

Hold on to your butts.

This is one of the worst picks of all. He's not a cynical business insider who merely wants to enrich himself and his cronies but a vindictive true disciple who will be the head of America's national law enforcement agency.

[Grifman]

[Smoove_B]

For those seeing a blank post, here is a link to the article:

The Man Who Will Do Anything for Trump

Kash Patel was dangerous. On this both Trump appointees and career officials could agree.

A 40-year-old lawyer with little government experience, he joined the administration in 2019 and rose rapidly. Each new title set off new alarms.

When Patel was installed as chief of staff to the acting secretary of defense just after the 2020 election, Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advised him not to break the law in order to keep President Donald Trump in power. “Life looks really shitty from behind bars,” Milley reportedly told Patel. (Patel denies this.)

[$iljanus]

Sounds like the criming is going to get a lot easier in the U.S. I wonder if that will attract any criming types.

Well, preventing thought crime against the regime is hard work. Besides, depending on income bracket and political loyalty, what you would call "crime" will now be known as economic opportunity!

[Grifman]

Another in-law ambassador:

[Smoove_B]

For everyone that is seeing a blank post, here is an article:

President-elect Trump appointed businessman Massad Boulos as his Middle East and Arab world adviser on Sunday.

Why it matters: Boulos' appointment is another signal that Trump is expected to engage in a diplomatic push in the Middle East after he assumes office next year.

Boules is expected to work with Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

Between the lines: Boulos is connected to the Trump family through marriage. Tiffany Trump married Boulos' son Michael in 2022.

[Holman]

I'm sure he just happens to be the best person for the job as well.

It's the Middle East. How hard can it be?

[Alefroth]

Even Jared could do it.

[Grifman]

Another way around Senate confirmation:

[Holman]

Sidestepping senate confirmations could really wreck Trump's already tenuous narrative.

An incoming president enjoys a certain amount of goodwill, even when they don't deserve it. But the first crisis chips away at it, and if it's something that produces a counter-narrative of corruption and malfeasance, approval can collapse quickly.

I think Trump 2.0 is an elephant walking on eggshells and doesn't know it.

[Scraper]

Sidestepping senate confirmations could really wreck Trump's already tenuous narrative.

An incoming president enjoys a certain amount of goodwill, even when they don't deserve it. But the first crisis chips away at it, and if it's something that produces a counter-narrative of corruption and malfeasance, approval can collapse quickly.

I think Trump 2.0 is an elephant walking on eggshells and doesn't know it.

That conclusion assumes that the Republican party still has morals. Which they clearly don't.

[LordMortis]

It all goes back to McConnell's proudest moment. Congress shit the bed on its authority as a properly functioning governing body then. And yes, it was the GOP who proudly led them that way. Once the trail was blazed Nunez and the Freedumb caucus took that flame and set the House on fire.

[Holman]

Sidestepping senate confirmations could really wreck Trump's already tenuous narrative.

An incoming president enjoys a certain amount of goodwill, even when they don't deserve it. But the first crisis chips away at it, and if it's something that produces a counter-narrative of corruption and malfeasance, approval can collapse quickly.

I think Trump 2.0 is an elephant walking on eggshells and doesn't know it.

That conclusion assumes that the Republican party still has morals. Which they clearly don't.

I guess what I'm imagining is a 2026 backlash election. I try to believe that MAGA authoritarianism won't have made it impossible that quickly.

[Kraken]

Sidestepping senate confirmations could really wreck Trump's already tenuous narrative.

An incoming president enjoys a certain amount of goodwill, even when they don't deserve it. But the first crisis chips away at it, and if it's something that produces a counter-narrative of corruption and malfeasance, approval can collapse quickly.

I think Trump 2.0 is an elephant walking on eggshells and doesn't know it.

That conclusion assumes that the Republican party still has morals. Which they clearly don't.

I guess what I'm imagining is a 2026 backlash election. I try to believe that MAGA authoritarianism won't have made it impossible that quickly.

Especially if trump himself is dead or sidelined by then. Time is on our side.

[LawBeefaroni]

Another in-law ambassador:

[Alefroth]

Sidestepping senate confirmations could really wreck Trump's already tenuous narrative.

An incoming president enjoys a certain amount of goodwill, even when they don't deserve it. But the first crisis chips away at it, and if it's something that produces a counter-narrative of corruption and malfeasance, approval can collapse quickly.

I think Trump 2.0 is an elephant walking on eggshells and doesn't know it.

There will be no consequences for any of this.

[Blackhawk]

Sidestepping senate confirmations could really wreck Trump's already tenuous narrative.

An incoming president enjoys a certain amount of goodwill, even when they don't deserve it. But the first crisis chips away at it, and if it's something that produces a counter-narrative of corruption and malfeasance, approval can collapse quickly.

I think Trump 2.0 is an elephant walking on eggshells and doesn't know it.

I don't think Trump cares. He'll be taking actions that make things like 'approval' less important - things like voting reforms that the GOP has been trying to pass for ages but couldn't, which will make it much, much harder for Dems to take back control of anything - regardless of what people thing of Trump.

[LordMortis]

I don't think Trump cares. He'll be taking actions that make things like 'approval' less important - things like voting reforms that the GOP has been trying to pass for ages but couldn't, which will make it much, much harder for Dems to take back control of anything - regardless of what people thing of Trump.

[Smoove_B]

There will be no consequences for any of this.

I absolutely agree. In retrospect, I think the lack of lack of sustained, disruptive protests over the Dobbs case in 2022 telegraphed to the the GOP that eventually even the most heinous things will be in the rear-view and they just need to be patient and wait for the whatever is coming to distract the average American back into focusing on daily existence. I don't mean for that to sound like I'm blaming everyone, but when I see what's going on in the country of Georgia right now (with respect to their protests) it's kinda amazing how quickly our nation just sort of settled into acceptance of the complete reversal of 50 years of precedent. Yeah, there was a march in 2023, but after this latest election, I get the impression people have moved on.

[LordMortis]

I go back further. I go back to McConnell's proudest moment. So that's 2016 and then TFG won anyway after knocking down the field and no one bat an eye. That's when the waters were tested and then they just kept getting in deeper and deeper only to find shallow and lukewarm electorate every where they went.

[El Guapo]

I go back further. I go back to McConnell's proudest moment. So that's 2016 and then TFG won anyway after knocking down the field and no one bat an eye. That's when the waters were tested and then they just kept getting in deeper and deeper only to find shallow and lukewarm electorate every where they went.

I wonder if McConnell will ever understand how much damage he personally has done to American democracy.

[LordMortis]

I rather doubt it. I'm not even sure how much he can understand anything at all at this point and until he started losing it, he had a sense of good ole boy righteousness. He be a blissfully always right champion of good ole boy justice until he dies in his mind.

[Grifman]

Based upon these new revelations of drunkenness, financial misconduct, etc. , it seems unlikely to me that Hegseth is likely to be confirmed:

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-des ... et-history

Looks like he got fired from every position he held before getting the FOX News gig.

[hepcat]

I mean, for god's sake, even his own mother thought he was despicable enough to write a letter to him informing him that he was a deplorable misogynist.

I feel like Trump's goal was to nominate Satan so that the Anti-Christ could step in and seem more palatable in the process with some of his picks.

[Max Peck]

Based upon these new revelations of drunkenness, financial misconduct, etc. , it seems unlikely to me that Hegseth is likely to be confirmed:

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-des ... et-history

Looks like he got fired from every position he held before getting the FOX News gig.

Two words: recess appointments. Hell, Trump would be even more popular with the base if he circumvents the Senate in order to install his meme cabinet.

[Smoove_B]

And don't forget Musk stated over the weekend he'll fund the political campaign of someone running against anyone currently elected that fights these appointments. Because that's the timeline we live in. It's also peak America where instead of hiding it and pretending it's not influencing our every political decision, now we're just openly using money to decide things.

[Isgrimnur]

Based upon these new revelations of drunkenness, financial misconduct, etc. , it seems unlikely to me that Hegseth is likely to be confirmed:

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-des ... et-history

Looks like he got fired from every position he held before getting the FOX News gig.

Two words: recess appointments. Hell, Trump would be even more popular with the base if he circumvents the Senate in order to install his meme cabinet.

Pertinent CGP Grey video:

[Grifman]

Believe it or not Trump does have limits, but of course they are all about him:

“But Trump’s subordinates enter a danger zone when they begin to come across as beleaguered and besieged and reflect poorly on him. That’s what happened to short-lived attorney general pick Matt Gaetz last month, and Hegseth risks entering similar territory.”

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/12/04/poli ... p-analysis

I still think that Hegseth’s nomination is doomed, as reports say Trump is now considering others.

[Grifman]

After weeks of delay, the FBI will do background checks on nominees.

[Zaxxon]

After weeks of delay, the FBI will do background checks on nominees.

This is one of those things that is... good... I guess? But how much does it matter when their boss would fail any background check?

[Smoove_B]

Yeah. The FBI checks worked great for Kavanaugh. Granted he was protected at the time...

[Max Peck]

Come Jan 20, an FBI background check will simply determine whether someone is QAnon-approved.

[Blackhawk]

I still think that Hegseth’s nomination is doomed, as reports say Trump is now considering others.

Apparently 'others' means DeSantis.

[El Guapo]

I still think that Hegseth’s nomination is doomed, as reports say Trump is now considering others.

Apparently 'others' means DeSantis.

Supposedly Lara Trump getting appointed as Rubio's replacement in the Senate is part of the discussion as well.

[Grifman]

You know, the things that make Hegseth unqualified are the same things that make Trump unqualified.