December 3, 2024

ACE OF SPADES: Trump Nominates Revealer of the Russiagate Psyop Kash Patel to be New Director of the FBI.

Patel is a solid, sensible man who has been on the right side of every single Deep State op and hoax.

That means they will stop at nothing to block him.

* * * * * * * *

Unfortunately, the head of the FBI is considered a cabinet-level posting and Trump will need Senate approval to confirm Patel.

I don’t think he’ll get it, unfortunately[.]

Related: Matt Taibbi’s “Note on the FBI:”

When I heard Kash Patel had been tabbed by Donald Trump to run the FBI, I could already imagine the pushback and moved immediately to start the just-published article “The Bell Finally Tolls for the FBI” piece. The thought was that the role Patel played in preparing the “Nunes memo” was both the clearest example of media corruption from Trump’s first term and also the most easily demonstrated episode of FBI malfeasance. Since I had to spend an unnatural amount of time on the topic over the years (it even intersected with the Twitter Files and Hamilton 68) I quickly found myself in the weeds of the “memo” tale, when there’s a larger argument about why the FBI needs a major reorganization that someone needs to make amid what’s already an ugly fight about Patel’s nomination:

The transformation of the FBI back into a J. Edgar Hoover-style domestic spy service with sweeping political ambition has been a long-developing story, obscured by a political anomaly. In the first phase of this nightmare, between 2001 and 2016, the post-9/11 Bureau used the pretext of an enhanced counterintelligence mandate to throw off some mild restraints that had been placed on it the last time it had to be slapped down, i.e. after the Church Committee hearings in the 1970s. The second phase of its transformation took place after the election of Donald Trump, when the Bureau remade itself on the fly as a kind of government-in-exile, empowered by an outpouring of public and media support to view itself as a counterweight to the Trump government.

Read the whole thing.

UPDATE: Heckuva job, Brownie!

 

Posted at 4:30 pm by Ed Driscoll

‘JESUS CHRIST:’ Social Media Erupts Over House Democrats STILL Mocking Inflation Worries After Election Beatdown.

Social media erupted on Tuesday after the X account for the Democratic members of the House Ways and Means Committee went out of its way to mock Americans over their continued concerns about rising prices.

Reposting a tweet claiming that despite “record air travel, holiday shopping busting records,” and “stock market all-time highs,” there remain “some Pollyannas” whining that the economy is “the worst ever,” the Ways and Means Democrats account added, “And here we were thinking y’all couldn’t afford eggs!”

Onlookers reacted to it like they might a particularly ugly car crash.

“Jesus Christ,” exclaimed the popular New Liberals (formerly Neoliberal) account.

* * * * * * * * *

“They never learn,” chimed in House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN).

“‘But how can things be unaffordable when people are spending record amounts of money on things? Checkmate, losers!’” tweeted one right-wing personality unimpressed not only with the messaging, but the logic behind the post.

A CBS News exit poll from the 2024 election — which saw Republicans win the presidency as well as both chambers of Congress — found that 53% of voters called inflation a “moderate hardship” over the last year and an additional 22% called it a “severe hardship.”

The same survey found that only 24% of Americans said their personal financial situation was better than it was four years ago, as compared to 45% who said it was worse.

The tweet sparking the firestorm of criticism was later deleted.

But not before it was screen-capped by numerous Twitter users:

Posted at 4:14 pm by Ed Driscoll

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Posted at 2:23 pm by Glenn Reynolds

MAYBE ELON MUSK COULD SALVAGE THIS MESS BUT EVEN THAT’S A LONGSHOT: The End Of Fake News? MSNBC Hits New Low In Ratings.

During the week of Nov. 6, MSNBC averaged just 38,000 viewers among adults 25-54, its lowest-rated non-holiday weekday since July 19, 2004.
…
Low viewership impacted shows like The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle and Jose Diaz Balart Reports, both of which saw their smallest audiences ever.

Other shows—including Chris Jansing Reports, Deadline: White House and Katy Tur Reports—saw their worst days ever among the demos.

Several shows lost over 50% of their 25-54 audience. Among those shows are The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle, All In with Chris Hayes, Chris Jansing Reports, Inside with Jen Psaki, The Rachel Maddow Show and Joy Reid’s ReidOut.

This slump couldn’t have come at a worse time, as MSNBC’s parent company, Comcast, announced cuts to cable channels, excluding NBC News and Bravo TV. CNN reports that MSNBC will be moved into “SpinCo,” a publicly traded cable programming company.

Tech mogul Elon Musk has hinted at purchasing MSNBC, while journalist Jack Posobiec says he’s recruiting investors to take control of the left-wing network.

How much could it still be worth?

Posted at 1:45 pm by Stephen Green

CRISIS BY DESIGN: Judge accused of ‘willful misconduct’ for letting illegal immigrant escape court.

More (from a non-paywalled link):

The Commission on Judicial Conduct on Dec. 2 formally charged District Court Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph with multiple counts of judicial misconduct stemming from the same events that once had her facing federal criminal charges.

On April 2, 2018, Joseph allegedly helped a defendant in her courtroom, Jose Medina-Perez, avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents seeking to detain Medina-Perez under a civil immigration detainer after his release from state custody.

According to the charges, Joseph allowed an off-the-record discussion in her courtroom — a direct violation of Massachusetts District Court Special Rule 211, which mandates the recording of all courtroom proceedings. This sidebar, lasting 52 seconds, allegedly included plans to permit the defendant to avoid ICE custody by exiting through the courthouse’s rear sally-port door.

The CJC asserts that Joseph’s actions during and after the April 2018 incident, including her statements to court officials and investigators, reflect a pattern of willful misconduct and dishonesty. Joseph also allegedly violated state policy by instructing court personnel to exclude ICE agents from certain courthouse areas.

Joseph is charged with violating the following rules in the Code of Judicial Conduct: Rule 1.1 (failing to comply with the law), Rule 1.2 (acting in a manner that undermines public confidence in judicial independence and integrity), Rules 2.2 and Rule 2.5 (failing to perform judicial duties fairly, impartially, and competently) and Rule 2.16 (failing to cooperate candidly with judicial disciplinary authorities).

The CJC has requested the Supreme Judicial Court appoint a hearing officer to oversee public proceedings, which are expected to begin within 30 to 60 days of the appointment.

Developing…

Posted at 12:43 pm by Stephen Green

POLITICO: The anti-Trump movement is in tatters. Now it’s scrambling to remain relevant.

But congressional Republicans may be less willing to buck Trump once he resumes office in January and the business of vetting his Cabinet picks moves out from behind closed doors. Public acts of defiance risk not just Trump’s wrath, but primary challenges in 2026 — and few GOP senators are positioned to win reelection without his voters.

Meanwhile, the number of Trump’s opponents in the upper chamber will again dwindle in the next Congress. And the remaining two Republican senators who voted for his impeachment, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, will no longer be enough to tank a nomination on their own.

“It’s got to start in Congress,” Geoff Duncan, the former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia who endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump, said in an interview. “You’ve got to have serious-minded senators willing to hold the conservative line and filter out as much anger and grievance-filled decision-making as possible.”

But if that bulwark crumbles, so, too, might the last vestiges of the broader Trump resistance.

Asked where Never Trumpers go from here, Jeff Timmer, former executive director of the Michigan GOP and a member of the Lincoln Project, told POLITICO: “You mean reeducation camps? I’m being an optimist.”

Always look on the bright side of life, to coin a song title: In September of 2008, Naomi Wolf, former Al Gore advisor, was muttering at the Huffington Post about Sarah ‘Evita’ Palin being poised to usher in the looming Rovian Police State. Today, she’s a Trump supporter.

Perhaps Wolf was simply afraid of finding herself at the business end of the “Trump firing squads” — like they are at CNN these days, as they attempt to explain Biden’s “unexpected” pardon of Hunter on Sunday night:

[LEIGH MCGOWAN, SOCIAL MEDIA HOST AND CONTENT CREATOR, POLITICSGIRL] No. I believe the circumstances have changed. I think that we have now have a president coming into office who’s talking about firing squads, who’s talking about running people around the country and making sure that everyone who his enemy is going to be punished.

Scott Jennings’ eye roll in response says it all about the mental landscape the left and adjacent Never Trumper right find themselves in today:

 

Posted at 12:35 pm by Ed Driscoll

SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT DECLARES EMERGENCY MARTIAL LAW, SAYS OPPOSITION SIDES WITH NORTH KOREA:

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an “emergency martial law,” Tuesday accusing the country’s opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with anti-state activities.

Yoon made the announcement in a televised briefing, vowing to “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.”

It wasn’t immediately clear how Yoon’s step would affect the country’s governance and democracy. The move drew immediate opposition from politicians, including the leader of his own conservative party, Han Dong-hoon, who called the decision “wrong” and vowed to “stop it with the people.” Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, called Yoon’s announcement “illegal and unconstitutional.”

“Through this martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into the depths of national ruin,” Yoon said during a televised speech, invoking South Korea’s formal name.

In response: South Korea troops try to storm parliament after martial law declared.

Troops were seen trying to enter the South Korean parliament on Wednesday after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in a surprise late-night TV address that slammed domestic political opponents and sent shockwaves through the country.

Live television footage showed troops apparently tasked with imposing martial law attempting to enter the assembly building, and parliamentary aides were seen trying to push the soldiers back by spraying fire extinguishers.

Yoon said on Tuesday night that opposition parties had taken the parliamentary process hostage. He vowed to eradicate “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces” and said he had no choice but to take the measure to safeguard constitutional order.

Shortly after Yoon made his announcement, people began gathering outside the parliament building, some of them shouting: “Withdraw emergency martial law!”

And: South Korean parliament votes to defy president by lifting his declaration of martial law.

Developing, as they say.

UPDATE: “Martial Law Declared in South Korea Then Quickly Voted Down,” John Sexton writes. “This is obviously a constitutional crisis and things can change quickly. We’ll have to wait and see how the president reacts to having his declaration voted down by the same Assembly politicians he vowed to stop. There’s some speculation that impeachment proceedings will begin next. Also, you have to wonder what North Korea’s dictator is making of all of this. So far they don’t seem to have done much of anything.”

Posted at 12:30 pm by Ed Driscoll

NOTHING IS EVER THE FAULT OF THE ANOINTED.

Posted at 12:19 pm by Glenn Reynolds

NGOS AND NONPROFITS HAVE FORMED A SORT OF UNACCOUNTABLE SHADOW GLOBAL GOVERNMENT FOR TOO LONG. They need to be reined in and made accountable.

Posted at 12:17 pm by Glenn Reynolds