this post was submitted on 08 May 2025
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During a Senate hearing to review the FBI’s FY2026 budget request, Director Kash Patel was forced to admit that, despite the law requiring it, he had no such request ready to review.

This surprising development came during an awkward back-and-forth with Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the ranking Democrat and Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which oversees and approves budget requests.

Senator Murray reminded the FBI Director that the budget request was legally required “last week,” and after the director responded, she surprisedly added, “And your answer is you just understand you’re not going to follow the law?”

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[–] [email protected] 275 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Hold him contempt or stop clutching your pearls.

[–] [email protected] 189 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I'm sure Schumer will move quickly to form a search committee to form a task force with plans to complete a strongly worded letter by late 2027.

[–] [email protected] 79 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

that strongly worded letter will contain upwards of 12 strong questions. that way you'll know he's taking this serious

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 weeks ago

He's super-cereal!

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago

After a prolonged investigation taking many months and costing the taxpayer millions, the search committee regretfully concludes that they have been unable to find their balls.

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[–] gravitas_deficiency 168 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

I’m so tired of the theatrical outrage and shock and surprise. Of fucking course they’re working in bad faith. But no - let’s give all the fucking fascists the benefit of the doubt. You’re not allowed to be fucking surprised by this. It was all in the playbook. The playbook has been published openly on the internet since early 2020.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 weeks ago (18 children)

Its not tin-foil hat, it's Putin. Its always Putin, using Skum and HitlerPig as his muscle.

When will people truly internalize that the two biggest foreign Sociopathic Oligarchs, have partnered up with the most prolific traitor in American history? None of them have any loyalty or patriotism toward America, and only see us as a big, rich, fat, lazy target to be ruthlessly exploited and looted, and it's happening in real time before our eyes.

All they care about is money, and either Putin is paying them directly out of the Russian Treasury (HitlerPig would rape and murder his own mother for far less than a billion bucks, and Putin could order a lot more than that), or they've cut a deal to split the booty like the pirates they are.

When it's not working, it's working.

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[–] [email protected] 152 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (6 children)

The fucking clownshow continues.

This is you going in to your Professor's office hours to ostensibly turn in your final paper for a course, it is half your grade in the class, and you actually just sit down and explain you are 'still working on it' and 'can i get it to you maybe by the end of next academic quarter?'

I am honestly so, so relieved by this high level public idiocy.

I really am not kidding.

I've struggled with impostor syndrome much of my life.

All gone. Done. No more.

I am legitimately more competent than almost everyone in this administration at their own jobs, despite the fact that I hardly have any relevant credentials to most of their positions.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Don't sell yourself short. I bet you're more competent than everyone in this administration.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (5 children)

I am only hesitant to agree because:

1: I have terrible social anxiety (yay autism and trauma)

2: I assume, at least, some of them are competent people... at... at least something.

That being said, I also cannot think of a single one who falls into category 2.

Hrmm.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago

There are a couple evil yet competent people in the administration. Russell Vought is one, a hire direct from the Heritage Foundation. Another is Stephen Miller. Heritage seems to be full of actually competent yet completely evil men. But I guess that what happens when a majority of your funding comes from oil, gas, and now tech barons.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago

My work involves emptying dog shit bins in public parks, and I'm also pretty sure I could do a better job than this guy. We could swap roles - except that I couldn't bring myself to kiss trump's flaccid saggy butt. I'll stick with the dogshit bins - I've got standards.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago (15 children)

I'm saving your comment because this was my exact experience, too, and I'm glad to see this silver lining occurred for others.

These people truly are mentally children, running around playing grown-up. Meanwhile, when I was an actual child, I was expected to be held to the same standards as grown-ups by Boomer parents (and as you likely know, autism + adults not explaining their social expectations = very difficult childhood.)

It's been a trip to see high-level government absolutely sucking at skills that I struggled with for ages, skills that I have been made to feel bad about for lacking. I work harder any day that I go out into public, even if it's my day off, than any of these privileged losers ever seem to. I have to be extremely mindful of myself - my posture, my tone of voice, my volume, my face (can't have resting bitch face), on top of whatever other tasks I have to do, every second of every minute that I'm around other people. I'm also expected to be aware of and mindful of the feelings of those around me, so I have to also accurately rate their posture, tone, etc. Fail any of these things, and anything I say or do has a chance of being misinterpreted poorly. It's fucking exhausting, and I wish there were more understanding and acceptance that allowed us to relax.

These are part of a whole set of skills - situational awareness, social awareness, self awareness - that the modern GOP appears to completely lack. They were raised without needing to apply them, and we can see evidence of their privileged backgrounds whenever they pull some tone-deaf stunt and still expect approval. Whenever I'm feeling down, I can remind myself that I may not be perfect, but at least I'm not as out-of-touch as they are.

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[–] [email protected] 84 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Why would any of Trump's administration care? None of them have been held accountable for anything, except to Trump.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

The only people held to account in the US are the poor, disabled and non white.

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[–] [email protected] 59 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Why aren't we deporting this law breaker?

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 3 weeks ago (8 children)

Soooooo, zero budget for the FBI then.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

No, they get a contigency budget of 20 bucks and this pallet of expired lunchables.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago

Sorry, due to 'gestures vaguely' whatever, they're expired, moldy Feastables, brought to you By Mr Beast Burger

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago

Those expired lunchables will be worth a fortune when there's nothing left at walmart!

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Wait, didn't this guy quit by not showing up to work for a few weeks? Am I thinking about another person?

[–] [email protected] 56 points 3 weeks ago

He quit his second job by not showing up.

A guy living in an oligarchs mansion in Vegas was appointed director of 2 federal law enforcement agencies.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You are thinking of someone else, this is the guy who writes deranged children's books where Trump is the king.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 39 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

In the photo, the fucker looks like a little kid who didn't do his homework and got caught in the lie.

Hardly the brightest and the best.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago

My dog ate the budget!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I feel like he always looks like that. He always looks like he's guilty and looking for an exit or coming up with the next lie. I can't imagine living like that

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[–] [email protected] 36 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Reminds me of the Office: "I thought this was a meet and greet".

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Dismantling the FBI seems like a good idea to me anyway. It's not like their mission is a good one. Maybe in the next government the FBI can be brought back as a federal agency that is narrowly focuses on investigating/punishing local/state level law enforcement.

But of course the Dems will just approve whatever budget the republicans come up with and facism will continue unabated.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

It's actually a worse idea. There will still be, nominally, federal control, centralized in him. Other than that, every local and state FBI branch will act as, effectively, a terror cell - they work their own leads, make their own arrests on their own recognizance, and generally conduct business as they see fit. This makes for an incredibly dangerous form of secret police - they have no leaders above the local level, no real command and control, and they're all tasked with only one thing: make less crime.

Imagine the Cheka, but they're organized like al-Qaeda.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Okay, so $0 for the FBI. Done!

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This is what mediocrity looks like

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Mendacity.

He knew. He didn't care. He just put out his hand and dared the Senate not to give him a blank check.

And he's going to get that check, because Democrats more are terrified of looking obstructionist than of looking like they can govern.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago

I'm going to upvote just from the great usage of the word Mendacity

[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

President Donald Trump’s nomination of Patel to lead the FBI caused a raft of controversy. Patel had publicly pledged to take the agency down and turn its building into something of a “deep state” museum. His apparent lack of preparation for this fundamental hearing will give no solace to critics convinced he was not prepared for the task at hand.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 weeks ago

Why are they surprised?

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Can't imagine how you'd expect an idiot like Kash Patel to do anything right at all.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

What does "legally required" here mean? I assume there's supposed to be a punishment?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I've not read the laws, nor am I a lawyer, but I suspect that the budget laws say something like "The [FBI] shall provide a budget by [date]", but there is no following section attaching a penalty as there are in criminal laws, so there is likely no recourse.

I imagine that this is the same as when you don't have that report ready for the big meeting, or skipped out early before your end-of-shift duties were done: a reprimand from your boss and potentially getting fired.... but his boss is, I think, Pam Bondi, the AG, in this case.

Theoretically Kash could be impeached or censured, as could Pam if she doesn't act. But we know how well that will go. Until then, his inaction is illegal, but unlike some of trumps actions, which can be stayed or reversed via court, I don't think you can stay inaction.

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[–] Gates9 18 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I wonder if they’re advising agency heads to do this so they can fuck with the budget for their wealthy tax break bill?

[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

No, I think he's that dumb. Look at the lies the Bush Jr. team came up with before the Iraq invasion. Those were great lies; handcrafted with Old World dedication and aged in oak barrels until they were perfect.

These clowns are just incompetent.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago

Fascists gonna fasc.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago

"I thought this was just a meet and greet"

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

Well yeah, what did you expect from a partisan, incompetent fuckwit?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

From recent article detailing POTUS47 silent attack on educational institutions by simply going "radio silent" on paperwork front I can't help but draw parallels. With Patel's stated mission of dismantling FBI I wouldn't be surprised he follows the same playbook, but this time making Dems choke finances for FBI for the lack of budget

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