Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

What's Going on at the FBI?

lawfaremedia.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 189 posts

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#11

Post by frodo8sam »

bboygravity wrote: post #9
vizzier wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The worst part is, how do you even counter the injected rot? If they demand loyalty tests and infest your institutions how is it countered? do the other side also have to do the same (assuming they have the opportunity)? All feels incredibly illiberal. I hope for the best that the oaths of office specific to these institutions hold.

How is this different from any previous president? Isn't the very reason that the puppets "need replacing" (according to the president) tell you that they are of the wrong (previous president's) political flavor? Honest question, I'm not from US, but on the surface it just looks like more of the same thing that has always been happening? Except with way more media attention?

Depends on your perspective. Many people would consider someone like Fauci non-partisan and more of a competent career expert, but Trumps people think he is very political and purge people like that. At the FBI they purge people who are probably quite competent and not particularly partisan but happened to work on Trumps case, which is mostly about sending a message I think not do much about finding the right employees to work at the FBI. This is very un American in my view.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#12

Post by kennysoona »

arunabha wrote: post #8

It's wild to think I'd ever say this, but the next four years will be the stress test of the strength of US institutions against an authoritarian president. If they survive the next four years, they will likely survive pretty much anything.

> but the next four years will be the stress test of the strength of US institutions against an authoritarian president.

As well as a stress test against half the voting population that thinks an authoritarian president is peachy and somehow patriotic.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#13

Post by trhway »

kragen wrote: post #3

J. Edgar Hoover ran the US for decades and was more powerful than any president. His successor, far less powerful, is in a power struggle with the richest man in the world and a political party that controls all three official branches of government. The situation looks unpredictable. It may be worth rereading Mike Lofgren's essay from 11 years ago, before Trump's first campaign, in which he tries to apply the Turkis…

the guy predicted today's coup by the broligarchy against the Deep State (more precisely what happens isn't coup even though it looks like it, in the short time i think we'll see that it is really a takeover of the Deep State by the broligarchy):

>That said, evidence is accumulating that Silicon Valley is losing billions in overseas business from companies, individuals and governments that want to maintain privacy. For high tech entrepreneurs, the cash nexus is ultimately more compelling than the Deep State’s demand for patriotic cooperation.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#14

Post by jimkleiber »

bboygravity wrote: post #9
vizzier wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The worst part is, how do you even counter the injected rot? If they demand loyalty tests and infest your institutions how is it countered? do the other side also have to do the same (assuming they have the opportunity)? All feels incredibly illiberal. I hope for the best that the oaths of office specific to these institutions hold.

How is this different from any previous president? Isn't the very reason that the puppets "need replacing" (according to the president) tell you that they are of the wrong (previous president's) political flavor? Honest question, I'm not from US, but on the surface it just looks like more of the same thing that has always been happening? Except with way more media attention?

I think it's the emotional flavor of it. Things in the US government tend to move more slowly and filled with less apparent vitriol and vengeance. This seems like a slash and burn and to hell with people if they don't more outrightly pledge loyalty.

To me, at least.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#15

Post by derektank »

Hypothetically, had FBI agents complied with completing the questionnaire and they had worked on the Jan 6th investigations, would it be legal for the administration to fire them based on that alone? Or would the agents be able to sue? My understanding is that they have limited collective bargaining rights compared to other federal employees, so presumably they'd only have whatever protections Congress provides all federal employees.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#16

Post by rightbyte »

bboygravity wrote: post #9
vizzier wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The worst part is, how do you even counter the injected rot? If they demand loyalty tests and infest your institutions how is it countered? do the other side also have to do the same (assuming they have the opportunity)? All feels incredibly illiberal. I hope for the best that the oaths of office specific to these institutions hold.

How is this different from any previous president? Isn't the very reason that the puppets "need replacing" (according to the president) tell you that they are of the wrong (previous president's) political flavor? Honest question, I'm not from US, but on the surface it just looks like more of the same thing that has always been happening? Except with way more media attention?

They are supposed to be manouvered out with slowpaced schemes and retire for family reason not be fired in the open.

But ye it usually happens to some extent: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-trump-burrowin...

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#17

Post by trhway »

frodo8sam wrote: post #11
bboygravity wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is this different from any previous president? Isn't the very reason that the puppets "need replacing" (according to the president) tell you that they are of the wrong (previous president's) political flavor? Honest question, I'm not from US, but on the surface it just looks like more of the same thing that has always been happening? Except with way more media attention?

Depends on your perspective. Many people would consider someone like Fauci non-partisan and more of a competent career expert, but Trumps people think he is very political and purge people like that. At the FBI they purge people who are probably quite competent and not particularly partisan but happened to work on Trumps case, which is mostly about sending a message I think not do much about finding the right employe…

>Fauci non-partisan and more of a competent career expert

Then why did Fauci lie to Congress and got the Biden's pre-emptive pardon?

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#18

Post by jimkleiber »

vizzier wrote: post #4
mmastrac wrote: post #2

Wild to see a bloodless coup in action.

The worst part is, how do you even counter the injected rot? If they demand loyalty tests and infest your institutions how is it countered? do the other side also have to do the same (assuming they have the opportunity)? All feels incredibly illiberal. I hope for the best that the oaths of office specific to these institutions hold.

One way is for the people in the other branches of government—Congress (legislative) and Courts (judicial)—to stand up for their branches and fight against the executive.

The challenge is that people are more loyal to their political parties than their political branches, and the Constitution is built to check and balance branches, not parties.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#19

Post by jimkleiber »

trhway wrote: post #17
frodo8sam wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends on your perspective. Many people would consider someone like Fauci non-partisan and more of a competent career expert, but Trumps people think he is very political and purge people like that. At the FBI they purge people who are probably quite competent and not particularly partisan but happened to work on Trumps case, which is mostly about sending a message I think not do much about finding the right employe…

>Fauci non-partisan and more of a competent career expert Then why did Fauci lie to Congress and got the Biden's pre-emptive pardon?

I think this is the person's point. Many people in the past would see Fauci as a prime example of someone who is just a non-partisan career government servant, while others, which it seems you and many people in the current administration, see people like him as overtly partisan and borderline evil.

NB: I really disliked the preemptively pardoning. Like really really disliked it and wish it were not legal.

Re: What's Going on at the FBI?

#20

Post by thih9 »

I’m not from the US and news like this change my perception of that country - it seems unstable; just like I’m not considering a Wordpress blog, I’d think twice before any long term plans that involve the US.

The comparison to the Wordpress drama works surprisingly well for me, complete with vendettas and an overzealous leader, just on an even larger scale and affecting more people.

Post reply on HN