Trump / Musk (other than DOGE)
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Lawfare.
ZenMode
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I don't know who those "people" were to know if they're the same ones.
gtyellowjacket
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This seems to fit in this thread as an example of wasting taxpayer money as part of political games.
Biden admin quietly clears away border wall parts for auction ahead of Trump’s second term
Biden admin quietly clears away border wall parts for auction ahead of Trump’s second term
The materials were left unused following Biden’s decision to stop the wall’s construction and roll back Trump’s immigration policies upon taking office in 2021, resulting in a mas…nypost.com
This seems like political pettiness. Biden, or more likely his handlers, are setting up the argument that the wall cost x many more millions of dollars so they can hammer Republicans in the next election. I'm all for hammering Republicans for the cost of the wall but I'm not all for wasting our tax dollars by making it even more expensive.
And of course the people that buy those materials that government auctioned are going to be able to resell them to the government. Anyone with inside knowledge or a buddy who is part of the process is going to make some corrupt profits off this deal.
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Sounds like Biden is getting Texas to pay for the wall.
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But you can understand that known fake new like that from the FEMA response make people cautious in believing reports such as this, don't you?
JCTarheel82
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Trump transition wants to scrap crash reporting requirement opposed by Tesla
ZenMode
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We live in a world where any random person on X is viewed as a legit source of news. It's often difficult to get the true story, so it comes down to figuring out what you think is true and to what degree you believe it. I'm definitely leaning toward this story being true... so far.
Hell, I didn't believe that FEMA actually had a policy of not engaging homes with Trump signs. I thought it was made up... until I didn't.
As biased as Daily Wire (Ben Shapiro) are politically, they seem to get news stories right. Once they get it right, Ben will likely go off the rails on his podcast with his rhetoric and interpretation of what it means, of course.
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All the stories I have found on this so far point to the same source. But I also found stories in 2023 about Republicans criticizing the Biden Administration auctioning off left over wall materials (which they were doing supposedly in accordance with federal excess property disposition regulations).
www.newsweek.com
nypost.com
Biden also had to apply some remaining border wall funds to build more wall in 2023:
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So, no clear answer whether the last few auctions are some devious rush before Trump takes office or continuing a process that has been underway for over a year.
Joe Biden sold off border wall materials weeks before approving new wall
The government has been auctioning lots of tubing since at least July, with the most recent sales ending just a day before it announced fresh construction.
www.newsweek.com
Exclusive | Biden quietly sells off border wall parts to thwart GOP push to use them
President Biden is quietly selling off millions of dollars’ worth of unused parts from former President Trump’s border wall for peanuts – apparently to stymie pending legislation in Congress…
nypost.com
Biden also had to apply some remaining border wall funds to build more wall in 2023:
—-
So, no clear answer whether the last few auctions are some devious rush before Trump takes office or continuing a process that has been underway for over a year.
lawtig02
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I would hope the government auctioned off the Trump Border Fence you could cut through with basic battery-powered tools from a Lowes. Maybe someone could put it to good use for a chicken coop or something. Doesn't do a damn bit of good on the border.All the stories I have found on this so far point to the same source. But I also found stories in 2023 about Republicans criticizing the Biden Administration auctioning off left over wall materials (which they were doing supposedly in accordance with federal excess property disposition regulations).
Joe Biden sold off border wall materials weeks before approving new wall
The government has been auctioning lots of tubing since at least July, with the most recent sales ending just a day before it announced fresh construction.
Exclusive | Biden quietly sells off border wall parts to thwart GOP push to use them
President Biden is quietly selling off millions of dollars’ worth of unused parts from former President Trump’s border wall for peanuts – apparently to stymie pending legislation in Congress…
Biden also had to apply some remaining border wall funds to build more wall in 2023:
—-
So, no clear answer whether the last few auctions are some devious rush before Trump takes office or continuing a process that has been underway for over a year.
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You think that FEMA had a policy of not engaging homes with Trump signs?
ZenMode
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No. To clarify, a FEMA leader directed members of a hurricane relief team to not engage with Trump supporter houses.
Either way, I initially thought it was nonsense.
I think that might be in reference to a team leader in one area.
You know, it's the same way that a platoon leader in Afghanistan could change the entire US policy there if he had troops ignore some of the RoE in areas they were under direct threat. With great power comes great responsibility.
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So, intentionally misrepresenting?
Got it.
Don't be defensive when people call you on bullshit when you come to rally spew it.
One person at FEMA engaged in this and was fired for it. One.
You knew that and you said that FEMA had a policy of it. Thats a damned lie.
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Yep, I knew the reference. I just couldn't let that particular pile of horseshit pass.
ChileG
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I wonder where they came up with that idea????!!!!!!$$$$$$$$$$
JCTarheel82
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The New Age of Trump: Protection Money and FU You Money
How our billionaires are responding.
www.thebulwark.com
The New Age of Trump: Protection Money and FU You Money
"...This week we got word that two of the world’s most consequential billionaires have decided to pay tribute—literally—to Donald Trump. Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg are each gifting $1 million to Trump’s “inauguration committee.”
A president’s “inauguration committee” or “inauguration fund” is a slush fund, pure and simple. In theory, it is used to cover expenses relating to the inaugural celebrations. In practice, it’s dark money. The inaugural fund is required to disclose who gives money to it, but is not required to disclose what the money is spent on. And in cases where there is a surplus—where it raises more money than it spends on the inauguration festivities—it is not required to refund or dispose of the money in any particular way.
In other words: It’s pure tribute. ... It has always been thus.
Trump didn’t invent the corruption of the inauguration fund. But he is an innovator and his genius was to turn the inauguration scheme from ritualized tribute from supporters into a protection racket aimed at opponents, too.
... Zuckerberg and Bezos responded to Trump’s threats to themselves and their businesses by literally journeying to Mar-a-Lago and figuratively handing Trump envelopes of cash while publicly praising the incoming president.
...That is the point. Trump has reached the position—elected by a plurality of his fellow citizens, immunized from all criminal activity by the Supreme Court—where he wants the protection racket to be out in the open. He wants everyone to see it.
Because these are the new rules and he wants to be sure that everyone whose life could be touched by his government—meaning: everyone—understands this reality.
And that, so long as they pay, they’ll be fine. ..."
The New Age of Trump: Protection Money and FU You Money
How our billionaires are responding.
www.thebulwark.com
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"... The Federal Advisory Committee Act says in plain language that an advisory committee – as Elon Musk proposes the “Department of Government Efficiency” to be – must ensure that its recommendations are not biased by any special interest.
Yet, Musk, the richest man on Earth, has a wider and deeper range of potential conflicts of interest with the federal government than perhaps any person has ever had.
... The SEC has pursued cases against initial coin offerings, exchanges and crypto projects that it deems as unregistered securities. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulates cryptocurrencies as commodities – a key distinction from being regulated like stocks and bonds, which affects how crypto firms communicate. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network looks at how cryptocurrency can be used as a tool for money laundering, evading sanctions and financing terrorism. And the IRS expects people who own cryptocurrencies to report gains and losses on their taxes.
Cuts to any of those agencies could have a direct and disproportionate effect on Musk’s personal finances."
www.theguardian.com
Yet, Musk, the richest man on Earth, has a wider and deeper range of potential conflicts of interest with the federal government than perhaps any person has ever had.
... The SEC has pursued cases against initial coin offerings, exchanges and crypto projects that it deems as unregistered securities. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulates cryptocurrencies as commodities – a key distinction from being regulated like stocks and bonds, which affects how crypto firms communicate. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network looks at how cryptocurrency can be used as a tool for money laundering, evading sanctions and financing terrorism. And the IRS expects people who own cryptocurrencies to report gains and losses on their taxes.
Cuts to any of those agencies could have a direct and disproportionate effect on Musk’s personal finances."
Elon Musk’s six major conflicts of interest with the federal government
As co-chair of Trump’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’, the world’s richest man is likely to get richer