Epstein Files | Patel: Trust us

[gtyellowjacket]

You do understand that FBI directors are not generally politicians and they don't generally have a message. They can't help being political and having a POV but, if they are properly doing their job, they should go out of their way to minimize the influence of both.

You do understand that FBI directors are not generally politicians and they don't generally have a message. They can't help being political and having a POV but, if they are properly doing their job, they should go out of their way to minimize the influence of both.

Okay. Not a politician. A bureaucrat with an interest in persuading constituents to his point of view. I'm not sure the motive is all that different between him and a politician that has gone through an election and is now running a department.

 

[finesse]

Okay. Not a politician. A bureaucrat with an interest in persuading constituents to his point of view. I'm not sure the motive is all that different between him and a politician that has gone through an election and is now running a department.

Just plead ignorance and throw yourself on the mercy of someone of gives a shit about your stupid takes on things. Go read the history of directors since Hoover and note that almost all of them were active judges and/or prosecutors. Not exactly people with constituents.

 

[DantesHair]

But as an aside...wonder if a 21st century J. Edgar Hoover would appear on Rogan?

In A similar vein, if Al Capone had been elected president, how fast would he have began his assault to discredit/dismantle mainstream media sources of the time?

 

[nycfan]

—> https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/...e_code=1.NU8.vj5Y.1UypJVBys0HD&smid=url-share

 

[gtyellowjacket]

Just plead ignorance and throw yourself on the mercy of someone of gives a shit about your stupid takes on things. Go read the history of directors since Hoover and note that almost all of them were active judges and/or prosecutors. Not exactly people with constituents.

Do you mean like this?

Okay. Not a politician.

I think you're making a point that you've already won. He's not a politician. You are completely correct. I was ignorant. Please allow me mercy for saying he was a politician. I beg of you. If you could see it in your heart to forgive me of mislabeling him as a politician, I could get on with my life without the overwhelming sense of shame and guilt.

He's a bureaucrat that wants to get his message out so he went on show to do that. It's not exactly unprecedented. And director Patel is a former federal prosecutor.

 

[finesse]

Do you mean like this?


I think you're making a point that you've already won. He's not a politician. You are completely correct. I was ignorant. Please allow me mercy for saying he was a politician. I beg of you. If you could see it in your heart to forgive me of mislabeling him as a politician, I could get in with my life without the overwhelming sense of shame and guilt.

He's a bureaucrat that wants to get his message out so he went on show to do that. It's not exactly unprecedented. And director Patel is a former federal prosecutor.

Compare his record to any director since Hoover and it's clear that he's far less qualified and far more politicized than any other person to hold the office.

 

[Centerpiece]

That’s a clever line but also misses the point.
The problem isn’t just who’s inclusive or who talks the loudest, it’s that the liberal media often fails to address real economic and social concerns. That’s why folks drift to Rogan, Von, or others who might be “mountebanks” but speak in a way that feels authentic or relatable.

It’s less about polish and more about connection and substance.

Give some examples of liberal media… and how they fail to address “real” economic and social concerns. Links?

 

[gtyellowjacket]

Compare his record to any director since Hoover and it's clear that he's far less qualified and far more politicized than any other person to hold the office.

Okay. What does that have to do with him going on a podcast to get his message across? It seems like you were trying to make up arguments that no one is making.

 

[Paine]

@Paine wrote: "Conservative coded podcasters launder disinfo through their perceived authenticity. Part of the solution is for Dems to embrace the left-liberal podcast ecosystem that exists currently. Those podcasts, more often than not, source their material and are reliable narrators."

I've read most of the last two pages and this is the point that interests me most because I teach 18 to 22 year olds. I realize that I don't know enough about their news sources. We do not talk about it enough. My daughter is 19 and is very news savvy but I note that the "big" stories for her do not always coincide with my own or when they do the focus is different. I understand that she follows Mehdi Hasan but what else she/my students are listening to is something that I need to investigate much further. New project.

I’ve tried to post a lot of my alt media sources on the podcast thread over time. Mehdi Hasan is great. After leaving MSNBC, he launched Zeteo. They do really great work over there.

I’ll just list a few of my main alt media sources here for posterity:

Zeteo
Dropsite News
The Majority Report (more entertainment but also does straight news and interviews with academics, journalists, etc.)
Know Your Enemy
American Prestige
Hasan Piker
Doomscroll w/ Josh Citarella
Jacobin

There is some really great audio and written content coming out of these spaces. Better than anything you will hear on cable news and even places like NPR in my opinion.

 

[finesse]

Okay. What does that have to do with him going on a podcast to get his message across? It seems like you were trying to make up arguments that no one is making.

It has to do with the idea that his position doesn't have a message to sell to the public. He has a professional obligation to the public to fulfill instead. Campaigning in support of Trump is not part of that.

 

[Centerpiece]

You do realize that almost every single one of those came out of the same Republican think tanks and rightwing media foundations that Democrats have been literally the only ones to challenge. Can you you tell me what's wrong with this picture when the lying bastards who caused the damage get the benefit? That's almost as bad as ignoring how bad for the economy the Republicans have been in virtually everyway for the last 75 years.

This^
It was - and is - the Pubs who are/were the bad guys. Nixon, Reagan (Iran/Contra), Bush I, Bush II, Trump I, Trump II

And any of today’s “truth tellers” (WTF is that?) on their “podcasts” or right wing radio shows who purport to be influencers and to be “telling the truth” aren’t doing anybody any favors.

 

[WaynetheDrain]

Politicians want to get their message out so they go to the media forums that are consumed by the people they want to deliver that message to. Its not unprecedented.

You’re comparing a comedy bit with Zach G to an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast?

1. Those two are not the same. One deals in comedy, and one deals in conspiracy theories and deception.

2. Even if Obama or Trump appeared on a podcast of their choosing to spread their agenda, I’d have no problem with it because they are the POTUS. It’s a political office and they are expected to spread their message any way they can. The Director of the FBI doing the same is not acceptable because they are expected to be impartial. This is what we are talking about.

 

[Paine]

Give some examples of liberal media… and how they fail to address “real” economic and social concerns. Links?

Here are a few patterns I’ve noticed:

Too much personality politics, not enough structural analysis. Outlets like MSNBC and CNN spend hours dissecting the latest Trump soundbite or political gaffe, but they spend far less time talking about things like wage stagnation, corporate consolidation, or housing policy. It's politics as theater rather than substance.

Labor movements get short shrift. Huge strikes and union drives like those at Amazon, Starbucks, and among teachers often get ignored until they boil over into a national story. Even then, coverage is usually surface-level. There’s rarely sustained reporting on the conditions that led to the unrest in the first place.

Coverage often reflects an upper-middle-class worldview. Liberal media can be great on cultural representation but often substitutes that for economic justice. Pretty obvious why this is the case when you see who owns these cable outlets.

Too many corporate-friendly experts. On healthcare, for example, liberal media tends to elevate voices that push tweaks around the edges like a public option while ignoring or marginalizing Medicare for All advocates. There’s a reason the Overton window on these issues shifts slowly, if at all.

This isn’t to say liberal media is the enemy. But people tune out for a reason. These blind spots matter, especially when they affect people’s material reality. When we handwave those failures, we just feed the broader crisis of institutional trust.

 

[heelinhell]

But as an aside...wonder if a 21st century J. Edgar Hoover would appear on Rogan?

If he did, I'm pretty sure he would not wear one of his dresses...

 

[donbosco]

I’ve tried to post a lot of my alt media sources on the podcast thread over time. Mehdi Hasan is great. After leaving MSNBC, he launched Zeteo. They do really great work over there.

I’ll just list a few of my main alt media sources here for posterity:

Zeteo
Dropsite News
The Majority Report (more entertainment but also does straight news and interviews with academics, journalists, etc.)
Know Your Enemy
American Prestige
Hasan Piker
Doomscroll w/ Josh Citarella
Jacobin

There is some really great audio and written content coming out of these spaces. Better than anything you will hear on cable news and even places like NPR in my opinion.

Very much appreciated. I owe you.

 

[wmheel1287]

Here are a few patterns I’ve noticed:

Too much personality politics, not enough structural analysis. Outlets like MSNBC and CNN spend hours dissecting the latest Trump soundbite or political gaffe, but they spend far less time talking about things like wage stagnation, corporate consolidation, or housing policy. It's politics as theater rather than substance.

Labor movements get short shrift. Huge strikes and union drives like those at Amazon, Starbucks, and among teachers often get ignored until they boil over into a national story. Even then, coverage is usually surface-level. There’s rarely sustained reporting on the conditions that led to the unrest in the first place.

Coverage often reflects an upper-middle-class worldview. Liberal media can be great on cultural representation but often substitutes that for economic justice. Pretty obvious why this is the case when you see who owns these cable outlets.

Too many corporate-friendly experts. On healthcare, for example, liberal media tends to elevate voices that push tweaks around the edges like a public option while ignoring or marginalizing Medicare for All advocates. There’s a reason the Overton window on these issues shifts slowly, if at all.

This isn’t to say liberal media is the enemy. But people tune out for a reason. These blind spots matter, especially when they affect people’s material reality. When we handwave those failures, we just feed the broader crisis of institutional trust.

On an entirely different note, if you are coming to the Bosh today, you should come to the tailgate party and hang out with us and all the player's families.

 

[Paine]

On an entirely different note, if you are coming to the Bosh today, you should come to the tailgate party and hang out with us and all the player's families.

Appreciate the invite, but I’m in the Big Easy this weekend. I got out to the regional last Sunday, so maybe I’m bad luck lol. Cheer loud for me!

 

[Icky Mettle]

Politicians want to get their message out so they go to the media forums that are consumed by the people they want to deliver that message to. Its not unprecedented.

He’s not a politician. He’s an FBI Director.

ETA: Sorry. I see others beat me to it.

 

[heelinhell]

He’s not a politician. He’s an FBI Director.

I saw that Between Two Ferns episode. It was all in good fun with Zach goofing on Obama. It is hilarious

My favorite Zach question was, "What's it feel like being the last black president ? "

 

[Paine]

Ryan Grim on Substack

WATCH | Podcaster Theo Von tells Vice President JD Vance that it appears the United States prioritizes Israel’s interests over America’s and raises U.S. complicity in the Gaza genocide. This White House lifted the freeze on 2,000-pound bomb shipments to Israel – bombs that have been used to...

substack.com

This clip of Von and Vance exemplifies the dynamic I was talking about. Von seems to genuinely care about the carnage in Gaza, but he doesn’t have a journalistic bone in his body. There’s no pressing Vance on the issue, and Von’s listeners are done a disservice by this. I can parse these things with the knowledge I have, most listeners of these pods cannot.

For that reason, we can’t allow the right to monopolize the podcast space. Dems need to embrace left independent media.