djt continues to pick liars, and unqualified cranks, crackpots, and criminals ("only the finest people") to powerful positions in the federal government. Politico writes: "President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration long described himself in his official biography as being certified to fly aircraft commercially — but records examined by POLITICO show that he does not hold any commercial license. Bryan Bedford’s biography at Republic Airways, the regional airline where he has been CEO since 1999, said until Thursday that he “holds commercial, multi-engine and instrument ratings.” (By Friday, after POLITICO’s inquiries, the word “commercial” had been removed.) The FAA registry that houses data on pilot’s licenses does not list any such commercial credentials for Bedford."
The Daily Beast reports: "Trump Picks Far-Right Conspiracist as Government Watchdog -- Paul Ingrassia, currently the White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, will be tasked with leading the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), the independent agency that investigates and prosecutes wrongdoing within the executive branch, USA Today reported. .... Ingrassia is a far-right political commentator who has written for The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit. Following the 2020 election, Ingrassia called for Trump to declare martial law to stay in office and even called for secession if efforts to overturn the election failed, CNN reported. He also denounced several conservatives who opposed violent measures to keep Trump in power. .... After media host Sebastian Gorka rebuked calls for former Vice President Mike Pence to be arrested and executed by firing squad for not supporting attempts to overturn the 2020 election, Ingrassia called him “soft” on X in a post dated Jan. 2, 2021."
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Context regarding lack of trust: Although my criticisms of MAGA elites and some others is harsh, they are not grounded in mere irrational personal feelings or beliefs. I look in the public record for direct and indirect evidence of trustworthiness and lack thereof. Once trust is lost based on evidence in past actions, there is no basis for trust going forward. Instead, I shift the burden on to the untrusted people to show their good faith, innocence or lack of malice or corruption in things they did or were significantly or completely responsible for. Elon Musk is one of those who deserves no trust. In my firm opinion, only sufficient reliable evidence can exculpate him.
Musk's treason & corruption: In recent weeks, various sources have reported about an suspicious wireless communications installation on a building next to the White House complex, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. It is separated from the White House by a narrow street. Musk installed it in Feb. 2025. The WiFi network is called "Starlink Guest", and access requires only a password instead of the standard username and two-factor authentication used by other government systems. Some reporting suggested that Russians might be accessing secret government information that was funneled to Starlink Guest through computer connections with DOGE. That smelled like potential treason and business corruption.
A Pxy, analysis, in-part:
Q2: Is there any update on this analysis since you first did it a week or two ago? Has Musk sent secret data to the Russians or used it for is own business purposes?
A2: Regarding the specific question about data transmission to Russia: While there is evidence of suspicious network activity from Russian IP addresses attempting to access DOGE accounts 10 11, and confirmed regular contact between Musk and Putin since 2022 7 9, there is no direct evidence publicly available showing that Musk successfully transmitted classified U.S. government data to Russian authorities.
Grok AI Expansion Across Government: Musk's xAI chatbot Grok has been expanded across federal agencies despite lacking proper approvals, raising conflict-of-interest concerns 13. DOGE staff reportedly pushed Department of Homeland Security officials to use the AI tool for analyzing sensitive government data, potentially giving Musk's company access to valuable federal information while creating unfair competitive advantages over other AI providers 13.Regarding business conflicts: There is substantial evidence that DOGE's operations have benefited Musk's business interests through regulatory rollbacks, investigation dismissals, and preferential treatment for his companies' technologies across federal agencies13 14 15.The security risks identified in my original analysis have not only persisted but expanded, with new revelations about the scope of data access, foreign surveillance concerns, and systemic conflicts of interest throughout the federal government's relationship with Musk's business empire 7 16 14.
Once again, here we are, left with a decision to trust or not trust a MAGA elite. Based on the public facts and information so far, one can reasonably believe that Musk is both a traitor and is corrupt in his business dealings using information stolen from the US government. Proof that Musk did nothing wrong here will probably never become public.
Q1: Is it rationally defensible, not necessarily persuasive, to believe that Musk is a traitor and corrupt businessman based on the evidence in the public record?
Q2: Does Musk deserve the benefit of a doubt and if so, on what the basis of what evidence?