MAGA politicizing and weaponizing the FBI

A NYT article discussed (not paywalled) what elite MAGA thugs, Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, are doing to the FBI. Both are qualified mostly by their partisanship and loyalty to djt, not decades of experience in federal law enforcement. From the experience point of view, neither of them are close to being qualified for high-level executive positions in the FBI. What those two are doing to the FBI is frightening and extremely threatening to the rule of law: 

Before being confirmed as the director of the F.B.I., Kash Patel made clear his intent to remake it in his own image, reflecting a larger desire by the White House to bend the agency to its will.

“The F.B.I. has become so thoroughly compromised that it will remain a threat to the people unless drastic measures are taken,” he wrote in his book “Government Gangsters,” asserting that the top ranks of the bureau should be eliminated.

Behind the scenes, his vision of an F.B.I. under President Trump is quietly taking shape. Agents have been forced out. Others have been demoted or put on leave with no explanation. And in an effort to hunt down the sources of news leaks, Mr. Patel is forcing employees to take polygraph tests.

A Pxy analysis of what is going on is in order.

Q: Analyze this for truth, exaggerations or lies about the alleged politization of the FBI before Trump was elected in 2024: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/01/us/politics/fbi-patel.html. Does it appear to be the case that Patel and MAGA elites are politicizing the FBI, like the DoJ already has been politicized under Pam Bondi?

A: The transformation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Director Kash Patel presents a complex case study in contemporary institutional politicization, where claims of correcting past abuses appear to mask a systematic effort to reshape the bureau according to partisan objectives. Evidence from multiple sources indicates that while Patel and MAGA-aligned officials assert they are depoliticizing the FBI, their actions demonstrate the opposite—a deliberate politicization that mirrors patterns observed in the Department of Justice under Attorney General Pam Bondi. The documented personnel purges, structural reorganizations, and targeting of individuals based on their involvement in politically sensitive investigations suggest a fundamental departure from traditional law enforcement independence, contradicting the administration's stated goals of restoring institutional integrity.

Kash Patel's rise to prominence within conservative circles stemmed from his role as a Republican congressional aide who criticized the FBI's handling of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) applications during the Russia investigation 6. His 2018 assertions about FBI misconduct became central to the Trump administration's narrative of a "deep state" conspiracy targeting the former president. However, subsequent investigations revealed significant problems with the credibility of these claims. Many of Patel's assertions from 2018 were later found to be misleading or false, though a December 2019 inspector general report did identify genuine issues with FBI FISA applications in the Russia investigation and widespread negligence in unrelated cases 6.

We're in very serious trouble.

djt's propaganda toy; Invasive, cruel Christian theocracy; MAGA lawmakers' "diligence"

Rolling Stone reports: "Trump Spreads Bizarre Conspiracy Theory That Biden Was Executed and Replaced by a Robot Clone -- Donald Trump reposted a baseless conspiracy theory claiming Joe Biden was “executed in 2020” and replaced with a robot clone. The president shared a post from a social media user that alleged: “There is no #JoeBiden – executed in 2020. #Biden clones doubles & robotic engineered soulless mindless entities are what you see. #Democrats don’t know the difference.” Similar unfounded theories about Biden have been floating around the internet for years." 

djt knows that Biden is not a clone or artificial intelligence hallucination or any of the other extreme crackpot lies about Biden's alleged non-existence. Those lies have been circulating among radical right crackpots for years. 

So why does he say things he knows are false? Probably at least three reasons. One is to virtue signal to his cult base -- they seem to love insulting lies and sheer lunacy like this. Another is to upsent and demoralize as many people in opposition to him as he can. Third, this is just plain fun for the cruel sadist to publicly degrade the office of the presidency, presumably as payback for whatever real and imagined wrongs and insults he may have suffered. 

He knows exactly what he is doing. Unfortunately most of the MSM still doesn't know what he is doing. For the most part, our pathetic MSM is djt's fun time play toy.

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This 1:39 video discusses a new law in West Virginia that makes it a felony for a woman who has a miscarriage within 9 weeks of pregnancy to dispose of fetal tissue without getting the police involved.

Why impose such a cruel, invasive law? Because there are science-based ways to distinguish between a natural miscarriage and an abortion induced by misoprostol and/or mifepristone. To do the analyses, the state need to get fetal tissue to do the analyses. Specifically, placental mRNA analysis combined with a toxicology screen provides evidence of whether the tissue was chemically aborted or naturally miscarried. Why focus on self-administered, chemically-induced abortions, which are illegal in states with abortion bans? This is why:

In abortion ban states, nearly all abortions are self-managed. That data reflects the reality that women are forced to get chemical abortion drugs. They cannot go to a doctor, and nothing is as safe as chemical abortion drugs. 

Why call this law Christian theocratic? Because theocratic Christian nationalist elites have bulldozed forced birth laws on women in red states.

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A smattering of news is coming out reporting that, not surprisingly, MAGA lawmakers in congress don't read the laws they vote to pass. The Daily Beast reports that MTG was in a proper snit when she found out that djt's OBBB (one big beautiful bill) includes a 10-year ban on states passing any AI (artificial intelligence) regulations. Greene stated on X that she is "adamantly OPPOSED" to this provision, calling it a violation of states' rights and saying she would have voted against the bill had she known about it. In the world of AI, 10-years is a heck of a long time. Nearly all of the damage that can be done by AI will be done by then.

Adamantly OPPOSED, mind you! Attaboy Marjorie -- give 'em hell. MAGA!!  /s

Meanwhile in Nebraska, NBC News reports that MAGA lawmaker Mike Flood was all shocked and amazed when he found out in a Town Hall meeting that djt's OBBB, which he proudly voted for, includes a provision that basically guts what little is left of the power of federal courts to enforce their contempt orders and fines imposed on people in contempt of court orders. This one is a real democracy killer, literally. 

Flood defended himself like this: “I believe in the rule of law. I’ve taken an oath as an attorney, I’ve taken an oath as a state senator, I’ve taken an oath as a member of Congress, and I support our court system, and I do believe that the federal district courts, when issuing an injunction, should have legal effect. In fact, I relied upon that when the Biden administration was in place. The federal courts did a tremendous amount of good work. I am not going to hide the truth. This provision was unknown to me when I voted for that, and when I found out that provision was in the bill, I immediately reached out to my Senate counterparts and told them of my concern.” 

In response to that fine excuse the crowd jeered Flood, to his consternation. Many raspberries were in play with the boisterous crowd.

But seriously, in Flood's defense, he did reach out to his Senate counterparts and told them of his concern. Bwahahahahahaha!! Giggle, snort, snort!!

Reached out, mind you! Attaboy Mike -- give 'em hell. MAGA!!  /s  

But as we all know, lawmakers usually do not read or understand long bills. They leave it to their staff to flag issues. Guess we got some flagless staff going on in MAGAlandia. Or much more likely, the staff actually liked these horrendous provisions in the OBBB, so for them there was nothing to flag!

We are so screwed. not /s 

djt's pardon machine: The new normal rule of law

In a lawsuit I am aware of, X has been convicted of braxen insider trading. Pxy's analysis and estimate of the likelihood of X asking for a djt pardon and getting it suggests it is reasonable. X has been convicted and their appeal options are running out. Jail time is imminent.

Q1: Has X appealed to Trump for a pardon?

A1: Given X’s high-profile conviction for insider trading and securities fraud, and the fact that they face a potentially lengthy prison sentence and substantial financial penalties, it is plausible that X would consider seeking a pardon from President Trump. X has a history of using all available legal avenues—they previously cooperated with prosecutors for immunity in (a gigantic 1980s fraud case) case and is expected to appeal their current conviction. The current climate, where President Trump has demonstrated a willingness to grant pardons to white-collar and politically connected individuals, further increases the likelihood that X will at least explore this option, especially if their appeal fails.

Based on the available search results, there is no evidence that X has appealed to President Trump for a pardon. The most recent official updates regarding X's legal situation focus on their conviction for securities fraud, a forfeiture order, and an upcoming sentencing hearing. None of the provided sources mention any public or legal request by X for a pardon from Trump.

Q2: About how much would X need to pay to Trump to get a pardon? What is an estimate of the going rate for Trump pardons of non-violent white-collar criminals?

A2: There is substantial reporting that the process for seeking a pardon from Trump has become highly transactional, with large sums spent on legal fees, lobbying, and campaign donations by those seeking clemency, especially in high-profile white-collar cases.

While not formally required, there are documented cases where large campaign donations or fundraising for Trump or his affiliated groups coincided with the granting of pardons. For example, Chris Christie highlighted that Paul Walczak’s mother was a "million-dollar donor/fundraiser for Trump" and that Walczak received a pardon despite a conviction for stealing $10 million in payroll taxes. This pattern suggests indicates that significant financial support for Trump’s political efforts may increases the likelihood of receiving clemency, though there is no official "price list." (edits added for clarity)

For comparison, reputable law firms specializing in federal pardons typically charge between $15,000 and $30,000 for standard cases, but these figures do not reflect the scale or political nature of the current Trump pardon environment, where access and influence are paramount.

This kind of white collar corruption is the new normal. Maybe X can pay djt enough to overcome their past political neutrality and get the golden ticket pardon.

MAGA bits: DOGE employee sees reality, and gets fired for it; Pardoned criminals' payoffs

Government Executive reports that contrary to MAGA's expectations, one of Musk's DOGE employees discovered that government worked pretty well and wasn't corrupt, so he got fired for saying that in public: 

VA-based DOGE associate gets ‘the boot’ after publicly discussing his work

Sahil Lavingia detailed in a personal blog how the reality of hunting inefficiencies at the Department of Veterans Affairs was not what he had expected. 

Sahil Lavingia — an engineer, tech startup founder and CEO of Gumroad, an e-commerce platform for content creators — wrote in a recent personal blog that he “got the boot” from DOGE without warning the day after Fast Company published an interview in which he spoke about finding less inefficiencies than he expected in the government during his DOGE assignment as senior advisor to the chief of staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“I would say the culture shock is mostly a lot of meetings, not a lot of decisions,” Lavingia told Fast Company in the piece, which also noted that he noticed the number of mission-driven people working in government. “But honestly, it’s kind of fine—because the government works. It’s not as inefficient as I was expecting, to be honest. I was hoping for more easy wins.”

This is more evidence that the point of DOGE is not waste, fraud and abuse, but instead it is about building a kleptocratic dictatorship and accumulating power and wealth at the expense of democracy and the public interest. Poor Mr. Lavingia -- he was banboozled. He didn't understand what his real job was. Quaint naïvety, or childish gullibility?

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A reddit post, The consequences of Trump selling pardons, by a former pardons attorney in the DoJ is keeping track of how much money djt has saved the criminals being pardoned. So far, djt has saved the criminals $1.34 billion in fines and restitution payments they had been on the hook for. One can reasonably wonder what djt's cut of the payback was.

One of the Peanuts commented: This money was owed the victims of those crimes. Trump is therefore stealing money from the victims of crime and fraud through the power of pardon. How nice.

Another responded: I wonder whether one of the victims will try to assert a 5th Amendment taking claim. It would be unprecedented, as far as I know, but the logic seems sound to me. Those victims had a right to compensation from the criminal and that right was enforceable at least by the federal judge who imposed the sentence. Now, due to Trump's pardon, there is no more right to compensation.

Pxy analyzed the legal question: While victims who lose access to restitution payments due to presidential pardons may intuitively feel their property has been "taken" by government action, the legal reality is significantly more nuanced and generally unfavorable to such claims. The Fifth Amendment's Takings Clause provides that private property shall not "be taken for public use, without just compensation." The critical legal barrier facing victims seeking takings claims lies in the requirement that property rights must be "vested" to receive constitutional protection. Legal analysis is clear that victims deprived of court-ordered restitution due to presidential pardons face significant barriers to successful Fifth Amendment takings claims. The established legal doctrine treats restitution orders as penal sanctions rather than vested property rights, eliminating the foundation necessary for takings claims.

Bottom line: djt has (1) screwed innocent people and businesses out of $1.34 billion, and (2) rewarded criminals with $1.34 billion minus djt's cut, maybe 20%? How nice. /s 

Context: A president can condition pardons on the payment of court-ordered restitution, provided the clemency grant explicitly includes this term. The legal foundation for this exists in centuries of precedent and DOJ guidance. Thus, djt intentionally chooses not to make the crooks pay.