Summary

Donald Trump’s transition team has bypassed standard FBI background checks for key cabinet nominees, relying instead on private investigators, as reported by CNN.

This breaks decades-old norms meant to vet candidates for criminal history and conflicts of interest.

Controversial appointees include Matt Gaetz (attorney general), Tulsi Gabbard (director of national intelligence), and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (health secretary), all facing scrutiny for past investigations, pro-Russian views, or personal admissions.

Critics argue Trump seeks to undermine traditional vetting, with potential security risks tied to bypassing these checks.

  • lennybird@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Gabbard is the biggest threat here, in my view.

    You couldn’t dream of putting a spy in a better position than the DNI whose position is literally to oversee all intelligence agency silos.

    Russia will know literally everything.

    • TimLovesTech (AuDHD)(he/him)@badatbeing.social
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      1 month ago

      Trump is just putting a person between him and Putin this time around, Russia knew everything the first admin also. He hid meeting notes and visitor logs and nobody did shit, then the assholes voted him back in to finish selling us off because somehow that means “America First”.

      • zeppo@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        It’s amazing how Republicans manage to brand all their shit as the complete opposite of what it really is.

      • azuth@sh.itjust.works
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        1 month ago

        Not to defend those nutjobs but ‘religion’ (aka cults that reached critical mass) are far more dangerous, whether Catholicism or mainstream US Protestantism.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          Not at all true. These are cultists who would happily march queer people into gas chambers and don’t make a secret about it.

          This is a Nazi cult. This is super fucking dangerous.

          • azuth@sh.itjust.works
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            1 month ago

            Dude there are certainly more Americans that would happily march queer people into gas chambers and don’t make a secret about it while being Christian.

            There already are “conversion” camps run by Christians for queer children. They are horrendous.

            Were hatred against queer people not normalized by Christianity her cult would be unable to use her to persecute them.

            Also, some Christian denominations are not troubled by someone being a Nazi.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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              1 month ago

              Okay? And plenty of Christians are not like that at all. And I say that as a life-long atheist.

              This is like saying the KKK isn’t extra dangerous because lots of non-Klan members are just as racist.

              You’re really missing the point here.

              Also, you don’t have to tell me about conversion therapy camps. We’re getting my daughter out of this country specifically because Trump selects people in dangerous bigoted cults to be in his cabinet.

              But sure, she’s not dangerous at all. Not compared to 10 out of 10 Christians, all of whom hate queer people, including the Christians who are themselves queer.

              • azuth@sh.itjust.works
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                1 month ago

                I am not missing the point, you are, by miles.

                That cult is less dangerous than Christianity. You don’t fear them, you fear an extremely anti-queer government. That government will take power due to Christianity’s influence. Those cultist might be invited along for the ride.

                But sure, she’s not dangerous at all. Not compared to 10 out of 10 Christians, all of whom hate queer people, including the Christians who are themselves queer.

                Not, all Christians hate queer people. It’s irrelevant if they do not seriously try to stop the ones that do from promoting hate. Which most Christian denominations officially do, for most of them any queerness is a sin. Which explains why even non hateful Christians will not seriously challenge the more extreme ones.

                As for queer people who identify as Christians, that’s not an argument in your favor, for Christianity being less dangerous. Christianity has probably driven more queer people to suicide for not being “good” Christians than this cult could even dream of hurting. It gets people to run conversion camps and parents to send their own children there. It probably also keeps good people who would otherwise help queer people from helping.

                So yeah Christianity is far more dangerous than some nobodies.

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                  1 month ago

                  Some nobodies? Her genocidal cult is now going to be officially part of the U.S. government. Why does this not bother you just because there are lots of bigoted Christians as well?

                  Christians have been in charge of the United States since its inception. The current president is a devout Catholic. Queer people have been getting more and more rights despite that.

                  By your logic, queer people are in less danger now that this genocidal cultist can get all of their private information because she isn’t a Christian. Is that really what you think? Queer people will be safer under Trump? Or are you going to argue that Trump’s professed Christianity is genuine?

                  And your “queer Christians hate queer people” argument is also noted.

                  • azuth@sh.itjust.works
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                    1 month ago

                    Her genocidal cult is a member of the US government till Trump gets randomly annoyed by her and throws her out. He can’t throw out Christian extremists. They will still persecute queer people.

                    Were you not planning to evacuate your daughter to safety before Gabbard was announced as a member of Trump’s cabinet? Will you reconsider if she is not appointed nor any other cult member and Trump’s cabinet is composed solely of Christians? Of course not, you are just trying to win an argument.

                    Biden is a Christian and does not hate queer people, we 've already established that not all Christians hate queer people. Yet others are Christians and do hate queer people. That’s because most people are multi-faceted and are influenced by various factors. Perhaps Christianity is a neutral influence on hating queer people or perhaps Christianity condemns queer people to hell.

                    Trump is not a ‘genuine’ Christian, his base however is mostly fundamentalist Christians and he panders to them. Most of his appointments are fundamentalist Christians, they are the danger. Most of them lean more into their religion than Biden I would argue.

                    Finally for your bullshit “queer Christians hate queer people” strawman; Do you deny that queer people born into religious Christian household, indoctrinated into a religion telling them that are sinners and will go to hell face additional psychological pressure driving some of them to hurt themselves? Fuck you if you do.

                    But you are the ultimate showcase of why Christianity is so much dangerous. An atheist (allegedly) claiming to have a queer daughter defending it. While it condemns your child to hell.

    • MIDItheKID@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      "Nikolai Patrushev, part of the Russian president’s inner circle and former Secretary of the Security Council, told the Russian newspaper Kommersant that Trump was duty-bound to act on his words.

      Patrushev said: “To achieve success in the elections, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. And as a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them.”

      So yeah, sounds about right.