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Tracking Trump Administration and Cabinet picks


PenelopeWitherspoon

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20 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Imagine watching the Fifth Element, and being giddy thinking that Zorg is the hero.

b09ab4541a6818034697dfb7c13f5d42.jpg

That's where we are.

I'd say we're fucked.  But dudes....we blew past "fucked" YEARS ago.  Now, "fucked" is looking at us and thinking "man....THAT is truly fucked."

So do we get a half-naked Milla Jovovich coming to save us all?

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I remember way back in 2016 when private email servers were a major, major issue.  Now it's trans and brown people and the price of eggs.

Shrugs.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/18/federal-officials-nervous-about-sending-data-to-trump-transition-private-emails-00195217

 

Quote

Federal officials say they’re worried about sharing documents via email with Donald Trump’s transition team because the incoming officials are eschewing government devices, email addresses and cybersecurity support, raising fears that they could potentially expose sensitive government data.

The private emails have agency employees considering insisting on in-person meetings and document exchanges that they otherwise would have conducted electronically, according to two federal officials granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation. Their anxiety is particularly high in light of recent hacking attempts from China and Iran that targeted Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and other top officials.

 

Quote

“I can assure you that the transition teams are targets for foreign intelligence collection,” said Michael Daniel, a former White House cyber coordinator who now leads the nonprofit online security organization Cyber Threat Alliance. “There are a lot of countries out there that want to know: What are the policy plans for the incoming administration?”

Trump — who attacked his then-opponent Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server for official business during his first presidential run — is overseeing a fully privatized transition that communicates from an array of @transition47.com, @trumpvancetransition.com and @djtfp24.com accounts rather than anything ending in .gov, and uses private servers, laptops and cell phones instead of government-issued devices.

 

Spoiler

This break with tradition stems from the Trump team forgoing federal funding and the ethics and transparency requirements that come with it.

While it’s unclear how the decision is impacting a transition that is already behind, with fewer than five weeks remaining until Inauguration Day, one person familiar with the collaboration between the Biden administration and the Trump transition team, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive discussions, said it is further hampering the process.

The dynamic is slowing efforts to share government materials with members of Trump’s landing teams, the person said, referring to the groups of transition officials assigned to meet with federal agencies ahead of the inauguration.

The White House has sent guidance to federal agencies to be cautious when communicating with the Trump transition, a spokesperson said, reminding them that they can elect to “only offer in person briefings and reading rooms in agency spaces” if they’re uncomfortable sending something electronically.

They also advised federal employees that they can require transition officials to “attest” that their private technology complies with government security standards.

“Because they don’t have official emails, people are really wary to share things,” said a State Department employee granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. “I’m not going to send sensitive personnel information to some server that lives at Mar-a-Lago while there are so many fears of doxxing and hacking. So they have to physically come and look at the documents on campus, especially for anything with national security implications.”

The Trump transition confirmed its reliance on private emails, with spokesperson Brian Hughes saying in a statement that “all transition business is conducted on a transition-managed email server.”

“We have implemented plans to communicate information securely as necessary,” he added, but declined to say what those plans entail. In a statement in late November, transition co-chair Susie Wiles similarly cited unspecified “security and information protections” the team has in place, arguing that they replace the need for “additional government and bureaucratic oversight.”

The transition’s landing teams began arriving this week at some government agencies — more than a month later than past administrations have deployed them — to get up to speed on all of the resources and problems they will soon inherit. It’s a particularly vulnerable time for national security, stressed Daniel, adding that by rejecting government transition support, the Trump team is also opening itself up to hacking once it’s in power.

“Once someone gets access to some of their information, they can think of ways to send better phishing emails down the road, because they learn more about you,” he explained. “And if you bring that device into a government space, hook it up to a government network, and access it through that account, they’re able to steal your credentials and use that to log on and look like you — look like a legitimate user — and it becomes much harder to detect from a security standpoint.”

History is rife with examples of crises that came early in a new administration and were made worse by challenges passing information from an outgoing to an incoming president and his team, from the botched Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in the 1960s to the Waco standoff in the 1990s.

CUNY John Jay College associate professor Heath Brown, who wrote a book about Joe Biden’s transition, said modern technology only makes that dynamic more risky and complicated.

“In 2020, it was maybe the single most important worry of the transition team, that they would be hacked, and all of this information, including intelligence information, personnel information about job applicants, the whole procedure would be threatened if there was a hack of the transition team,” Brown said. “The [General Services Administration] is in a position to help with that, but saying no to that help raises questions about whether they have put in place a secure system, as is needed in these situations.”

 

Edited by Francisco 2.0
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5 hours ago, wildcat09 said:

Sure, let's make the shadow President Speaker of the House too:

This is the libertarian wet dream right here. 

 

That would be perfect.  You would have another narcissistic manchild who has absolutely no skill set for the task he assumed.  Which would lead to the GOP not being able to achieve a single thing, other than threatening and primary-ing those who do not bend the knee.  

If the used Keith Richards blood they inject in the Turtle every morning can keep him alive another month or six, watching the Senate run rings around Elmo would be amusing. 

 

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42 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

I remember way back in 2016 when private email servers were a major, major issue.  Now it's trans and brown people and the price of eggs.

Shrugs.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/18/federal-officials-nervous-about-sending-data-to-trump-transition-private-emails-00195217

 

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

This break with tradition stems from the Trump team forgoing federal funding and the ethics and transparency requirements that come with it.

While it’s unclear how the decision is impacting a transition that is already behind, with fewer than five weeks remaining until Inauguration Day, one person familiar with the collaboration between the Biden administration and the Trump transition team, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive discussions, said it is further hampering the process.

The dynamic is slowing efforts to share government materials with members of Trump’s landing teams, the person said, referring to the groups of transition officials assigned to meet with federal agencies ahead of the inauguration.

The White House has sent guidance to federal agencies to be cautious when communicating with the Trump transition, a spokesperson said, reminding them that they can elect to “only offer in person briefings and reading rooms in agency spaces” if they’re uncomfortable sending something electronically.

They also advised federal employees that they can require transition officials to “attest” that their private technology complies with government security standards.

“Because they don’t have official emails, people are really wary to share things,” said a State Department employee granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. “I’m not going to send sensitive personnel information to some server that lives at Mar-a-Lago while there are so many fears of doxxing and hacking. So they have to physically come and look at the documents on campus, especially for anything with national security implications.”

The Trump transition confirmed its reliance on private emails, with spokesperson Brian Hughes saying in a statement that “all transition business is conducted on a transition-managed email server.”

“We have implemented plans to communicate information securely as necessary,” he added, but declined to say what those plans entail. In a statement in late November, transition co-chair Susie Wiles similarly cited unspecified “security and information protections” the team has in place, arguing that they replace the need for “additional government and bureaucratic oversight.”

The transition’s landing teams began arriving this week at some government agencies — more than a month later than past administrations have deployed them — to get up to speed on all of the resources and problems they will soon inherit. It’s a particularly vulnerable time for national security, stressed Daniel, adding that by rejecting government transition support, the Trump team is also opening itself up to hacking once it’s in power.

“Once someone gets access to some of their information, they can think of ways to send better phishing emails down the road, because they learn more about you,” he explained. “And if you bring that device into a government space, hook it up to a government network, and access it through that account, they’re able to steal your credentials and use that to log on and look like you — look like a legitimate user — and it becomes much harder to detect from a security standpoint.”

History is rife with examples of crises that came early in a new administration and were made worse by challenges passing information from an outgoing to an incoming president and his team, from the botched Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in the 1960s to the Waco standoff in the 1990s.

CUNY John Jay College associate professor Heath Brown, who wrote a book about Joe Biden’s transition, said modern technology only makes that dynamic more risky and complicated.

“In 2020, it was maybe the single most important worry of the transition team, that they would be hacked, and all of this information, including intelligence information, personnel information about job applicants, the whole procedure would be threatened if there was a hack of the transition team,” Brown said. “The [General Services Administration] is in a position to help with that, but saying no to that help raises questions about whether they have put in place a secure system, as is needed in these situations.”

 

Yeah, I'm gonna have to stay out of this forum for the foreseeable future. I just can't do it anymore.

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2 minutes ago, Gatorubet said:

That would be perfect.  You would have another narcissistic manchild who has absolutely no skill set for the task he assumed.  Which would lead to the GOP not being able to achieve a single thing, other than threatening and primary-ing those who do not bend the knee.  

If the used Keith Richards blood they inject in the Turtle every morning can keep him alive another month or six, watching the Senate run rings around Elmo would be amusing. 

 

There's like a 50% chance Elon uses his sway to get them to abolish the debt ceiling and the filibuster because he doesn't understand how useful they are to the GOP. Completely by accident he may become a very productive Dem plant. 

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16 minutes ago, Red Five said:

Yeah, I'm gonna have to stay out of this forum for the foreseeable future. I just can't do it anymore.

 

I take a few days off, then catchup and go away.  It's a fucking trainwreck with no end in sight.  Some people like to gawk, some avert their eyes, some want to stare and wonder just how bad  things will be.  Some people crave the entertainment or just to watch the world burn.  

We do know this----literally anything and everything everything associated with this administration has no limits---morally, ethically, legally, whatever.   There are no safeguards any longer.   There's perhaps someone within the Trump high command that realizes how hypocritical they are using private email services over the stance that Trump and the GOP had less than 8 years ago.   However, they have correctely surmized that it just doesn't matter any longer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 12/18/2024 at 3:59 PM, Balcones said:

I just wanted to know if he has been charged. Convicted would be next level.

The best you have is an ethics report written by Jessie Jackson Jr, Ken Calvert and Maxine Waters?

That's a lie! Black people can't write!

This post is a wow on so many levels. What disqualifies the persons you name? Is it just a projection of what GOPs do with power? Or is it the tired and stupid shit about Dems can't investigate Dems because they wouldn't harm a fellow Dem while Dems investigating GOPs is unfair? Only GOPs can be trusted to investigate and persecute Dems or whitewash pieces of shit like Gaetz.

And you.

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28 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

That's a lie! Black people can't write!

This post is a wow on so many levels. What disqualifies the persons you name? Is it just a projection of what GOPs do with power? Or is it the tired and stupid shit about Dems can't investigate Dems because they wouldn't harm a fellow Dem while Dems investigating GOPs is unfair? Only GOPs can be trusted to investigate and persecute Dems or whitewash pieces of shit like Gaetz.

And you.

These are the 3 most ethically challenged congressmen I could come up with. Them judging Gaetz is quite the irony.    
 

is Ken Calvert, black? 

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6 minutes ago, Balcones said:

These are the 3 most ethically challenged congressmen I could come up with. Them judging Gaetz is quite the irony.    
 

is Ken Calvert, black? 

I should have gone with Mel Reynolds. A known pedophile that Democrats voted into office.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Reynolds

In August 1994, Reynolds was indictedfor sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse for engaging in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old campaign volunteer that began during the 1992 campaign.[2] He also faced charges of child pornography for asking the underage campaign worker to obtain "lewd photographs of another girl who was age 15" and obstruction of justice for convincing one of the girls involved to lie to authorities.[11] Despite the charges, he continued his campaign and was re-elected in November without opposition.[2] Reynolds initially denied the charges, which he claimed were racially motivated.

Edited by Balcones
Backstory.
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On 12/19/2024 at 12:47 PM, Sawbonz said:

Best I can do is…whatever this is

 

image.jpeg.8e3282b69b038fd708ce8f6cd63ad424.jpeg

Pretty sure that’s just one of the many used wads of Kleenex from a late 90’s DNAmiddleschooler as a result of a half naked Milla Jovovich in that movie……

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42 minutes ago, Balcones said:

These are the 3 most ethically challenged congressmen I could come up with. Them judging Gaetz is quite the irony.    
 

is Ken Calvert, black? 

2/3 of your choices are. Did these people dominate the investigation? Is their anyone pure enough to investigate lilly-white Gaetz in your opinion?

Your the classic amateur operative sacrificing your personal integrity to try to help the GOP jersey get closer to the goal line. Third rate sophistry where any answer is a valid answer so long as you can avoid good faith is the tell. You're a miserable human being. Enjoy the country you're destroying. Or fall out of a window. 

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3 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

2/3 of your choices are. Did these people dominate the investigation? Is their anyone pure enough to investigate lilly-white Gaetz in your opinion?

Your the classic amateur operative sacrificing your personal integrity to try to help the GOP jersey get closer to the goal line. Third rate sophistry where any answer is a valid answer so long as you can avoid good faith is the tell. You're a miserable human being. Enjoy the country you're destroying. Or fall out of a window. 

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Ok, Mel Reynolds.

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48 minutes ago, Balcones said:

I should have gone with Mel Reynolds. A known pedophile that Democrats voted into office.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Reynolds

In August 1994, Reynolds was indictedfor sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse for engaging in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old campaign volunteer that began during the 1992 campaign.[2] He also faced charges of child pornography for asking the underage campaign worker to obtain "lewd photographs of another girl who was age 15" and obstruction of justice for convincing one of the girls involved to lie to authorities.[11] Despite the charges, he continued his campaign and was re-elected in November without opposition.[2] Reynolds initially denied the charges, which he claimed were racially motivated.

A 30 year old example from before internet use was widespread is not at all relevant 

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7 minutes ago, B00M said:

A 30 year old example from before internet use was widespread is not at all relevant 

Defending pedophiles. You are a sick man.

Hilary Clinton’s husband granted that pedophile clemency in 2001. Sickos.

Edited by Balcones
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1 hour ago, RomaVicta said:

You assume that we walk the party-line jersey color in lockstep as you do. Every time a Dem is accused of something, you see all of us supporting an investigation and letting law enforcement go where it will.

We got rid of a senator for just having an inappropriate picture and a few stories of him groping women's buttocks. You elect a rapist.

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Dems voted him into congress after he was indicted for fucking a 16 year old. Not Internet forum support. Real votes.

Edited by Balcones
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7 minutes ago, Balcones said:

You mean the civil suit conviction? Haha. Yeah. Keep trying.

Nah, the guy who said this: 

Quote

"I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful... I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything."

 

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Quick tangent: you can make a pretty solid argument that Trump saying "Grab them by the pussy" immediately after the paragraph that I quoted saved his ass. That tagline was so outlandish and over-the-top and, sadly, a little funny that it took up all of the oxygen of the story and allowed him to hide behind "locker room talk." The raw audio before he says that is so fucking off-putting and creepy and 100% the confession of a gross, powerful old man who gropes women whenever he can. Go listen to it right now and tell me you don't scrunch your face in disgust.

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18 hours ago, Balcones said:

I should have gone with Mel Reynolds. A known pedophile that Democrats voted into office.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Reynolds

In August 1994, Reynolds was indictedfor sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse for engaging in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old campaign volunteer that began during the 1992 campaign.[2] He also faced charges of child pornography for asking the underage campaign worker to obtain "lewd photographs of another girl who was age 15" and obstruction of justice for convincing one of the girls involved to lie to authorities.[11] Despite the charges, he continued his campaign and was re-elected in November without opposition.[2] Reynolds initially denied the charges, which he claimed were racially motivated.

This would be kinda the same thing except the system dealt with him.  He was charged and he resigned.

 

well,  and he was black. 

And no one covered it up for him. 

And then Jesse Jackson took his seat. 

Same.

But different. 

 

But still same  I guess...

One party at least cleans itself up sometimes.  Remember al franken?

Edited by SKJ
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On 12/18/2024 at 1:59 PM, Balcones said:

I just wanted to know if he has been charged. Convicted would be next level.

The best you have is an ethics report written by Jessie Jackson Jr, Ken Calvert and Maxine Waters?

Today I learned that Balcones doesn't know shit about fuck about Ken Calvert.   

If balcones ever met Calvert, he'd drop to his knees and suck Calvert's flabby cock. 

Edited by Gil Bang
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The DOJ that

- let Epstein off with a hand slap

- only arrested him again after being shamed by the Mainstream Media's month-long investigative report

- murdered him in custody (probably)

- announced 11 days before a presidential election they were re-opening an investigation into one party's candidate while keeping the public in the dark that they were investigating the other party's candidate (only to later say "oops!" there was no reason to re-open an investigation)

- adopted a policy that president was immune to prosecution and that remedy was a function of the legislative branch, only to have the special prosecutor push back against even testifying before the legislative branch cuz he didn't want to get involved with the political remedy his department said was necessary 

OH WHEN WILL THE LAWFARE END???

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