Flush With Kash
“Patel vowed to sever the FBI’s intelligence-gathering activities from the rest of its mission and said he would ‘shut down’ the bureau’s headquarters building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., and ‘reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state.’ … In a separate interview with conservative strategist Steve Bannon, Patel said he and others ‘will go out and find the conspirators not just in government but in the media.'” Yes, it’s true that, even given the current lineup of nominees for key posts, Kash Patel is a particularly bad and dangerous pick to lead the FBI. But it’s worth backing up a bit to remind ourselves that a president firing an FBI director before their term is up is itself a particularly bad and dangerous move. David Frum in The Atlantic (Gift Article): A Constitutional Crisis Greater Than Watergate. “Something that was regarded as outrageously unacceptable in 2017—treating an FBI director as just another Trump aide—has been semi-normalized even before President-Elect Trump takes office. The firing of Wray is the real outrage. The obnoxious nomination of Patel slathers frosting and sprinkles on the outrage.”
+ Meanwhile, in case you missed it over the Thanksgiving weekend, the NYT (Gift Article) reported that Pete Hegseth’s Mother Accused Her Son of Mistreating Women for Years. “I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth.” (She later said she regretted the email.)
+ In The New Yorker, Jane Mayer reports on Hegseth’s other challenging characteristics. Pete Hegseth’s Secret History. “A whistle-blower report and other documents suggest that Trump’s nominee to run the Pentagon was forced out of previous leadership positions for financial mismanagement, sexist behavior, and being repeatedly intoxicated on the job.” (Beyond these stories, it’s worth noting that Hegseth is also wildly unqualified for a job that is one of America’s most important.)
+ Trump press secretary pick removed post praising Pence on January 6, then ran for Congress as an election denier. (OK, now this is someone perfectly suited for her role.)
