Former General Counsel for the FBI Andrew Weissmann and Jen Rubin give an update on the criminal proceedings against Eric Adams and discuss the naming of right-wing influencer Dan Bongino as Deputy Director of the FBI.
In addition to firing IGs and JAGs and anyone who might have oversight, Trump has issued a bunch of "dictatorial edicts" that make his intentions known. He has halted enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; fired 6,700 I.R.S. employees, most of whom were working in the compliance and enforcement division; fired the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and ordered its staff not to start new enforcement investigations or to work on existing ones; and disbanded a Justice Department foreign influence task force and closed down a foreign corporate enforcement unit in the department.
It's a playbook for the most corruption this country has ever seen.
Still, one has to wonder how dismissing so much institutional knowledge and replacing it with incompetent sycophants can possibly work out in the end. We are sitting ducks for another 9/11 or worse, no one will be coming to our aid, and he's going to have a hard time blaming it on Biden, though I'm sure he'll try.
FBI experience - the first major failing, and they are out. The question is WHO will suffer because of their failing.
The last failing I remember was the Bush administration ignoring FBI reporting about Middle Eastern men taking flying lessons and NOT being interested in learning how to land the planes...
The point is for the FBI, Justice Dept, DoD, DNI and Dept of Homeland Security not to work. The firings of the IG's and JAG Officers are clear. This is all about Trump and the American oligarchs running free to violate any law and any rights of the American people for their own power. With the help of the six Christian Nationalists on the Supreme Court, Trump is attempting to make America an authoritarian theocracy with Trump as the leader and the American oligarchs running the Country. If Trump is unsuccessful, and there are elections in 2028, Trump will simply pardon all of these lawless sycophants.
I think that there is a significant difference between being flailing around ineptly and narcissistic self-importance. The latter, BTW, is a psychiatric diagnosis...
I honestly think neither Trump nor most of his henchmen think anything bad will happen even if the FBI or the CIA is run by completely incompetent individuals. They don't think another 9/11 or worse can happen to America again. I don't know why they think this, but it seems like that is their thinking. There won't be any bad incidents so there won't be any adverse outcomes as a result of any of our self-serving decisions.
I guess they don't believe other incidents like sinking of the USS Maine starting the Spanish American War, sinking of the Lusitania lead us into WW1, Pearl Harbor, or 9/11 can happen again. Some of these events were probably preventable but what happened after any of these events wasn't predictable and could have gone very bad for the US. Some of the events subsequent to 9/11 were clearly the result of data gathered by US intelligence agencies being purposefully manipulated by politicians to convince Americans and Congress that we had to invasion of Iraq. Did we and what would the Middle East look like today if we hadn't? What happens if a bad situation like 9/11 happens again and its not the fault of Iran that Trump would probably immediately jump to and instead of Iran its being masterminded by North Korea or Russia or China? Who in Trump's world of yes men and women will tell Trump, Iran didn't do it but someone else and we don't know who yet? Who, among them, would even think to challenge Trump?
My deepest fear is that when it happens Trump will convince his ass-kissers that war is the only answer. We will invade another country and he will want to use nuclear weapons because we have the "biggest" button.
Those people do not have military capabilities and there is good evidence to show the do NOT want to be on the wrong side of our laws because they know they will be deported. These are NOT the people we need to fear.
Btw, one of my dearest friends had the last name, Feil (pronounced file). We met on line in the 80’s which is pretty phenomenal given the internet at that time. Ironically he worked in the same building and we fell in love with each other because we both played the harp. It was a harp list. Remember those? Lists. So at Christmas we played carols in the cafeteria. I would have never done this on my own. As we played, a highly informed person came up to us and literally knocked on the column of Mark’s harp and asked while we were playing, “is this a cello?”. God’s truth, only in Delaware at the kid’s hospital. What a smart and special friend. He died with MS during the pandemic. They needed my help because of his deterioration and parents with Alzheimer’s etc yet I was home in south GA helping my parents with no support. It was awful. Mark died, my parents are still alive. Kind of ironic, the younger ones succumb. I wish I could have helped, they did call on me. Mark was a terror. He took harp lessons at Penn State, probably the only person in a century who did. He also played the tuba and it was an e flat tuba (Australia) so he had to transpose everything to a b flat tuba which is standard here (as well as trumpets). He had some upside down round about way of transposing everything. I was like, how does some biologist in a hospital lab dripping things into beakers do this? I watched him deteriorate and wasn’t there for him in his death during the pandemic like so many of us could not be in attendance. I am so sad but I am so glad I knew Mark. Is this a cello? No, this is a beautiful man.
Marie ~ Thank you for the poignant story. A sad end for a talented individual. Not enough harpists in this world, and to lose one that way…. MS is an insidious disease; Alzheimer’s, too. Interesting re: transposing for the tuba. Let us honor our fallen friends and family by being good Contrarians! 💙
You are sweet. Thank you for those kind words. I had a long and good cry remembering him. That was good for me…Sometimes one needs to get the tears out. Again, I apologize for the harshness of my words. No excuse, but I am so frustrated with that man we call President and his pathetic retinue. These 30 days have seemed like a lifetime. When I was a resident on a difficult hospital rotation, I used to say I can endure anything for a month. Seasoned and retired as I am, these 30 days are intolerable. But, I just cry more than I used to, stay in bed a good bit more than I used to, curse a whole lot more than I used to and waste a lot of useless words online. Again you are sweet. Thanks for seeing my words and kind of knowing my friend even though that is nowhere near where our interaction began. Let’s dump Trump!
Hahaha. I have heard hee-nus before. It’s like Brahhhhhms or brams. The meaning and the gorgeous music are still there. Do you feel smarter announcing your pro nounce ee a shun? Aren’t you clever. Be well.
Humbly noted, Marie; apologies for seeming schoolmarmish. For years I pronounced “segue” as “seeg.” I was glad the correct pronunciation was pointed out to me. I still trip over some words. Wish I had the determination and smarts to host a Substack forum. I love The Contrarians!! 💙
It's OK, Ms Feild; I'm the one in the crowd who always corrects spelling. I'm annoying, but my OCD is triggered when I see a misspelled word. I guess you react the same with pronunciation. All is forgiven. Keep on being a stickler.
Love you both. My first name is Thalia. I get called Thelma, Velma, sally, Valium, what? Mostly I get indicted because there are very few of us with the name around here. I am happy you participate in this forum. We have to get rid of this orange turd and this billionaire maniac. My favorite piano piece is Chopin’s Nocturne no. 1. I can’t remember the key, it has a bunch of flats - just another name spelled a certain way. You could turn it into sharps. I think flats are much easier to play. Hope your day is sharp! God bless America. We can do this!
Removing competence and oversight opens a critical door. Very critical. When law and order break down, as they will, the supreme leader must declare martial law to protect society. Then elections and the rule of law must be set aside to protect us from the bad people. Nothing is off the table when dealing with the bad people. Just add a little technology and viola, we’re China, or worse.
Deeply concerning on so many fronts. Thank you Jan Rubin and Andrew Weissman for excellent analysis. "Disrespectful" is a kindly euphemism of the motives by our new regime.
In addition to firing IGs and JAGs and anyone who might have oversight, Trump has issued a bunch of "dictatorial edicts" that make his intentions known. He has halted enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; fired 6,700 I.R.S. employees, most of whom were working in the compliance and enforcement division; fired the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and ordered its staff not to start new enforcement investigations or to work on existing ones; and disbanded a Justice Department foreign influence task force and closed down a foreign corporate enforcement unit in the department.
It's a playbook for the most corruption this country has ever seen.
Still, one has to wonder how dismissing so much institutional knowledge and replacing it with incompetent sycophants can possibly work out in the end. We are sitting ducks for another 9/11 or worse, no one will be coming to our aid, and he's going to have a hard time blaming it on Biden, though I'm sure he'll try.
FBI experience - the first major failing, and they are out. The question is WHO will suffer because of their failing.
The last failing I remember was the Bush administration ignoring FBI reporting about Middle Eastern men taking flying lessons and NOT being interested in learning how to land the planes...
The point is for the FBI, Justice Dept, DoD, DNI and Dept of Homeland Security not to work. The firings of the IG's and JAG Officers are clear. This is all about Trump and the American oligarchs running free to violate any law and any rights of the American people for their own power. With the help of the six Christian Nationalists on the Supreme Court, Trump is attempting to make America an authoritarian theocracy with Trump as the leader and the American oligarchs running the Country. If Trump is unsuccessful, and there are elections in 2028, Trump will simply pardon all of these lawless sycophants.
Not only not work against allies, but persecute foes.
"...the President...will have no one to blame but [himself]..."
Umm , where have you been for the last ten years? Trump ALWAYS BLAMES someone else. It's ALWAYS someone else's fault.
"Trump ALWAYS BLAMES someone else. It's ALWAYS someone else's fault."
Not unlike the Dems blaming everyone else but themselves for losing the last election.
I think that there is a significant difference between being flailing around ineptly and narcissistic self-importance. The latter, BTW, is a psychiatric diagnosis...
That may be true, but the Dems still aren't assigning blame to themselves, are they? BTW, that's just an opinion, not an official diagnosis...
Dan Bongino and Kash Patel at FBI means every Tuesday is "dick-measuring day".
Dan Bongino is a joke. He and Kash Patel are like Thing 1 and Thing 2.
More like Dumb and Dumber or Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee.
Criminals are criminals no matter if they are wearing ties and suits under our American flag. They are still criminals!
It's disrespectful, but consistent - the Trump administration seems focused across the board on "burning it all down."
I honestly think neither Trump nor most of his henchmen think anything bad will happen even if the FBI or the CIA is run by completely incompetent individuals. They don't think another 9/11 or worse can happen to America again. I don't know why they think this, but it seems like that is their thinking. There won't be any bad incidents so there won't be any adverse outcomes as a result of any of our self-serving decisions.
I guess they don't believe other incidents like sinking of the USS Maine starting the Spanish American War, sinking of the Lusitania lead us into WW1, Pearl Harbor, or 9/11 can happen again. Some of these events were probably preventable but what happened after any of these events wasn't predictable and could have gone very bad for the US. Some of the events subsequent to 9/11 were clearly the result of data gathered by US intelligence agencies being purposefully manipulated by politicians to convince Americans and Congress that we had to invasion of Iraq. Did we and what would the Middle East look like today if we hadn't? What happens if a bad situation like 9/11 happens again and its not the fault of Iran that Trump would probably immediately jump to and instead of Iran its being masterminded by North Korea or Russia or China? Who in Trump's world of yes men and women will tell Trump, Iran didn't do it but someone else and we don't know who yet? Who, among them, would even think to challenge Trump?
My deepest fear is that when it happens Trump will convince his ass-kissers that war is the only answer. We will invade another country and he will want to use nuclear weapons because we have the "biggest" button.
"They don't think another 9/11 or worse can happen to America again."
Apparently the Biden administration didn't think so either because of the millions of people they let crossed our border illegally.
Those people do not have military capabilities and there is good evidence to show the do NOT want to be on the wrong side of our laws because they know they will be deported. These are NOT the people we need to fear.
"Those people do not have military capabilities and there is good evidence to show the do NOT want to be on the wrong side of our laws..."
https://homeland.house.gov/2024/10/24/startling-stats-factsheet-fiscal-year-2024-ends-with-nearly-3-million-inadmissible-encounters-10-8-million-total-encounters-since-fy2021/
Great interview with Andrew Weissmann! Small note: “Heinous” is pronounced “HAY-nus.” A word we suspect The Contrarians may be using quite a bit!
O, btw, how do you say your surname, feeld or filed? Who cares?
It is, confusingly, “field,” as in the traditional spelling. A lifetime of spelling it out and people still getting it wrong. Understandably.🙃
Btw, one of my dearest friends had the last name, Feil (pronounced file). We met on line in the 80’s which is pretty phenomenal given the internet at that time. Ironically he worked in the same building and we fell in love with each other because we both played the harp. It was a harp list. Remember those? Lists. So at Christmas we played carols in the cafeteria. I would have never done this on my own. As we played, a highly informed person came up to us and literally knocked on the column of Mark’s harp and asked while we were playing, “is this a cello?”. God’s truth, only in Delaware at the kid’s hospital. What a smart and special friend. He died with MS during the pandemic. They needed my help because of his deterioration and parents with Alzheimer’s etc yet I was home in south GA helping my parents with no support. It was awful. Mark died, my parents are still alive. Kind of ironic, the younger ones succumb. I wish I could have helped, they did call on me. Mark was a terror. He took harp lessons at Penn State, probably the only person in a century who did. He also played the tuba and it was an e flat tuba (Australia) so he had to transpose everything to a b flat tuba which is standard here (as well as trumpets). He had some upside down round about way of transposing everything. I was like, how does some biologist in a hospital lab dripping things into beakers do this? I watched him deteriorate and wasn’t there for him in his death during the pandemic like so many of us could not be in attendance. I am so sad but I am so glad I knew Mark. Is this a cello? No, this is a beautiful man.
Marie ~ Thank you for the poignant story. A sad end for a talented individual. Not enough harpists in this world, and to lose one that way…. MS is an insidious disease; Alzheimer’s, too. Interesting re: transposing for the tuba. Let us honor our fallen friends and family by being good Contrarians! 💙
You are sweet. Thank you for those kind words. I had a long and good cry remembering him. That was good for me…Sometimes one needs to get the tears out. Again, I apologize for the harshness of my words. No excuse, but I am so frustrated with that man we call President and his pathetic retinue. These 30 days have seemed like a lifetime. When I was a resident on a difficult hospital rotation, I used to say I can endure anything for a month. Seasoned and retired as I am, these 30 days are intolerable. But, I just cry more than I used to, stay in bed a good bit more than I used to, curse a whole lot more than I used to and waste a lot of useless words online. Again you are sweet. Thanks for seeing my words and kind of knowing my friend even though that is nowhere near where our interaction began. Let’s dump Trump!
Hahaha. I have heard hee-nus before. It’s like Brahhhhhms or brams. The meaning and the gorgeous music are still there. Do you feel smarter announcing your pro nounce ee a shun? Aren’t you clever. Be well.
Humbly noted, Marie; apologies for seeming schoolmarmish. For years I pronounced “segue” as “seeg.” I was glad the correct pronunciation was pointed out to me. I still trip over some words. Wish I had the determination and smarts to host a Substack forum. I love The Contrarians!! 💙
It's OK, Ms Feild; I'm the one in the crowd who always corrects spelling. I'm annoying, but my OCD is triggered when I see a misspelled word. I guess you react the same with pronunciation. All is forgiven. Keep on being a stickler.
Love you both. My first name is Thalia. I get called Thelma, Velma, sally, Valium, what? Mostly I get indicted because there are very few of us with the name around here. I am happy you participate in this forum. We have to get rid of this orange turd and this billionaire maniac. My favorite piano piece is Chopin’s Nocturne no. 1. I can’t remember the key, it has a bunch of flats - just another name spelled a certain way. You could turn it into sharps. I think flats are much easier to play. Hope your day is sharp! God bless America. We can do this!
I hope that the judge is in the position to dismiss WITH PREJUDICE so that Trump can't use the case to hold over Adams.
And then New York City quickly dumps Adams and takes away another lever that Trump can use against immigrants.
Please transcribe the talking to text. I cannot listen/watch, but would appreciate reading what these folks have to say.
Love your conversations.
Despite how it looks,"heinous" sounds like HAY-nuhs. :)
Removing competence and oversight opens a critical door. Very critical. When law and order break down, as they will, the supreme leader must declare martial law to protect society. Then elections and the rule of law must be set aside to protect us from the bad people. Nothing is off the table when dealing with the bad people. Just add a little technology and viola, we’re China, or worse.
Deeply concerning on so many fronts. Thank you Jan Rubin and Andrew Weissman for excellent analysis. "Disrespectful" is a kindly euphemism of the motives by our new regime.