This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 241

… Keystone Kash melted down and imploded this weekend after more drama involving his taxpayer funded private jets for booty calls. After a story broke that Patel once again used a private govt jet for personal entertainment - this time to watch his girlfriend sing at a wrestling event - he attempted to distract from that by claiming that his agency prevented a major terrorist attack planned for Halloween. But as details emerge it appears that Keystone continues to lie to cover his incompetence and corruption.

… AP: “A Michigan defense lawyer is disputing FBI Director Kash Patel’s allegations that his 20-year-old client and four other young suspects were planning to carry out a terror attack on Halloween weekend. Patel said more info would be coming soon, however the FBI and Michigan authorities have offered few details about the case. Spokespersons for the state and national FBI and the US Attorney in Detroit had no comment.”

… “The investigation involved discussion in an online chat room involving at least some of the suspects who were taken into custody. The group allegedly discussed carrying out an attack around Halloween, referring to ‘pumpkin day’. However, lawyer Amir Makled, who represents one of the suspects, said federal authorities haven’t given him many details about the investigation but after reviewing the matter, he concluded that no terror event was planned. He said he doesn’t expect any charges will be filed.”

… Makled said the group were gamers between the ages of 16-20 and all US citizens: “I don’t know where this hysteria and this fear mongering came from. If these young men were on forums that they should not have been on or things of that nature, then we’ll have to wait and see. But I don’t believe that there’s anything illegal about any of the activity they were doing.”

… Bloomberg: “The FBI forced out a senior official overseeing aviation shortly after Kash Patel grew outraged about revelations of his publicly-available jet logs indicating he’d flown to see his musician girlfriend perform. Steven Palmer, a 27-year veteran of the FBI, became the third head of the critical incident response group—which includes FBI pilots—to be fired or removed in Patel’s short regime, adding to a year filled with retributive terminations.”

… “Patel was angered this week by social media posts and news stories calling attention to his use of an FBI jet that arrived in State College, PA, where his girlfriend, country music artist Alexis Wilkins, sang the national anthem at a wrestling match. Palmer was told he needed to immediately resign or be fired, which the individuals said was at least partially connected to Patel’s fury over the negative media cycle on his personal travel.”

… Patel then made this pathetic post Sun afternoon: “We will not be distracted by baseless rumors or the noise from uninformed internet anarchists and the fake news. I’ve always said - criticize me all you want. But going after the people doing great work, my personal life, or those around me is a total disgrace. The disgustingly baseless attacks against Alexis - a true patriot and the woman I’m proud to call my partner in life - are beyond pathetic. She is a rock-solid conservative and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than most will in ten lifetimes.”

… “I’m so blessed she’s in my life. Attacking her isn’t just wrong - it’s cowardly and jeopardizes our safety. My love of family will always be my cornerstone, and you will never tear that down or keep me from them. And to our supposed allies staying silent - your silence is louder than the clickbait haters.”

… I did not see anyone criticize his girlfriend. It is not about her. It is about his continued use of private jets to fly around the country for date nights every week, while being utterly incompetent at his job.

… She’s also not a “country music sensation.” Not even close.

… The Intercept: “ICE is considering hiring private bounty hunters to locate immigrants across the country, according to a procurement document. Under the plan, bounty hunters may receive ‘monetary bonuses’ depending on how successfully they track down their targets — and how many immigrants they then report to ICE. According to the document, which solicits information from interested contractors for a potentially forthcoming contract opportunity, companies hired by ICE will be given bundles of information on 10,000 immigrants at a time to locate.”

… “The solicitation says ICE is ‘exploring an incentive based pricing structure’ to encourage quick results, with ‘monetary bonuses’ paid out based on performance. For example, ICE says contractors might get paid a bonus for identifying a person’s correct address on the first try or finding 90% of its targets within a set timeframe. The document closely resembles a plan reportedly circulated by a group of military contractors, including former Blackwater CEO and Trump ally Erik Prince.”

… NYT reports that the DC US Attorneys Office under Jeanne Pirro is in complete disarray: “A group of federal prosecutors gathered recently for what has become an all-too-common ritual: saying goodbye to colleagues. The speeches that night reflected the despondent mood inside the US attorney’s office in DC, as the lawyers who were quitting urged those staying behind to forge ahead in uncertain times. Do what’s right, they said. Speak truth to power. Uphold the rule of law.”

… “But as the hour grew later, in a quiet corner, away from the charcuterie and veggie dip, Jonathan Hornok, a top aide to Pirro, was firing Jon Hooks, a senior prosecutor who had worked there for nearly 20 years. That a respected supervisor with a long career could be stripped of his job in the middle of a farewell party for his colleagues captured something of the Darwinian tumult that has wracked the prosecutors’ office.”

… “The office is in crisis, distrustful of its leadership and demoralized by waves of dismissals, demotions and resignations that have slashed its head count by as much as a third since Trump returned to the WH. The departures have fallen particularly hard on the office’s fraud, public corruption and civil rights unit, which has lost nearly half of its prosecutors as well as Hooks, its former chief, and three of its former supervisors. That has damaged the office’s ability to make the big-ticket white-collar cases it has long been known for.”

… Trump said it should be illegal to make fun of his speech in Japan about electric catapults: “Seth Meyers of NBC may be the least talented person to “perform” live in the history of television. In fact, he may be the WORST to perform, live or otherwise. I watched his show the other night for the first time in years. In it he talked endlessly about electric catapults on aircraft carriers which I complain about as not being as good as much less expensive steam catapults. On and on he went, a truly deranged lunatic. Why does NBC waste its time and money on a guy like this??? - NO TALENT, NO RATINGS, 100% ANTI TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!”

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Big elections on Tuesday if you live in CA, VA, NJ or NYC. Get your friends and family out to vote if they are in those states!

… Politico: “The FAA warned that a ‘surge’ in air traffic controller absences is causing ‘widespread impacts,’ with delays at major airports from Texas to NY. Around 13,000 controllers have been working without pay during the govt shutdown, which has now blown past a month in length. The FAA in a statement warned that the controller workforce is under ‘immense stress and fatigue.’”

… “To maintain safe operations, the agency said it will reduce the flow of air traffic, which can result in flight delays or cancellations: “Currently, half of our Core 30 facilities are experiencing staffing shortages, and nearly 80 percent of air traffic controllers are absent at NY–area facilities.”

… Despite the fact that his boss has been partying and playing golf in Palm Beach while Republicans refuse negotiate, Transportation Sec Sean Duffy blamed Democrats again: “For those traveling in and out of Newark - expect significant delays. We HAVE to reduce flight volumes to MAINTAIN SAFETY This is exactly what Schumer and Jeffries want - to inflict maximum pain on the American people!”

… Duffy was asked about it on CBS: Q - “Should Americans have safety concerns about flying at this point? Duffy: That’s a great question. We work overtime to make sure the system is safe. But we have to be honest. Does it add more risk to the system? Sure it does. We don’t want crashes.”

… Glad I have no immediate flight plans.

… Wired: “Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) unleashed a tirade against law enforcement at the Charleston Intl Airport. Mace cursed at police officers, making repeated derogatory comments toward them. The report says that a TSA supervisor told officers that Mace had treated their staff similarly and that they would be reporting her to their superiors.

… “According to the report, officers with the Charleston Aviation Authority PD were tasked with meeting Mace at 6:30 am to escort her from the curb to her flight and had been told that she would be arriving in a white BMW at the ticketing curb area. Around 6:35, they were told she was running late; they never saw the car arrive. Shortly before 7 am, dispatch told the officers that Mace was at the entrance for the Known Crew Member program—a trusted access lane with a smaller checkpoint overseen by the TSA and intended for flight crew members.”

… “When officers quickly located her, the congresswoman immediately began ‘loudly cursing and making derogatory comments to us about the dept. She repeatedly stated we were ‘Fucking incompetent,’ and ‘this is no way to treat a fucking US Rep. She also said we would never treat Tim Scott like this. The entire walk to gate B-8 she was cursing and complaining and often doing the same into her phone.’”

… “The report goes on to state that officers checked with a TSA supervisor, who told the officers ‘he was very upset with how she acted at the checkpoint.’ This supervisor told the officers that Mace had ‘talked to several TSA agents the same way’ and that they would be ‘submitting a report to his superiors about her unacceptable behavior.’ TSA agents are not currently being fully paid, due to the ongoing govt shutdown.”

… Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) admitted on CNN that Mike Johnson is lying when he claims that Republicans have a healthcare plan: “It makes no sense not to come up with a plan that is real. You have to have a plan. The plan is to come up with something better. That’s not going to happen in a couple of weeks. That’s going to take at least a year.”

… WH Communications Director Steve Cheung on the latest bans on reporters’ access to the WH: “Some reporters have been caught secretly recording video and audio of our offices, along with pictures of sensitive info, without permission Some reporters have wandered into restricted areas (our offices are feet away from the Oval Office).”

… Longtime WH Correspondent Brian Karem: “There is NO way anyone ‘wandered’ into restricted areas. There are Secret Service agents everywhere. We’re also far too professional for that - those of us who have covered the beat - and Steve Cheung is a notorious liar. As for Cabinet secretaries after they leave cabinet meetings, he is correct. We do approach them. THAT’S OUR JOB and simply doesn’t want us doing it.”

… “Cheung would rather we only speak to minions who are told what to tell us because he’s afraid those who actually possess the info will mistakenly inform us of something Trump doesn’t want us to know. Snooping? Eavesdropping? Close your door. And, by the way, what he calls snooping boils down to us asking questions they don’t want to answer. F Him. Tyrants, despots and idiots operate this way. Trump is all three. Cheung is a gaslighting fool.”

… The Hill: “Pete Hegseth has ordered that Pentagon personnel be required to coordinate all interactions with Congress through the building’s central legislative affairs office, significantly altering how military officials will speak with lawmakers. Hegseth ordered DOD officials to obtain permission from the dept’s main legislative affairs office before they communicate with lawmakers or congressional aides.”

… “The order is a major shift from previous policy - which allowed individual military branches and Pentagon agencies to handle their own communications with Congress - and appears to be part of a broader move by Hegseth to tighten control over what information the Pentagon shares.”

… Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE): “I was a 5-time commander and our leadership WANTED us to engage members of Congress. We wanted to share what our great airmen were doing. We were proud of our service. The new rules have put a large barrier between the military and Congress. Pentagon says the change is very small. But I already see the impact with military members being afraid to communicate. This is another amateur move.”

… Andrew Kolvet, who has stepped into the role of the #2 person running Charlie Kirk’s org Turning Point USA, disgustingly doxxed math teachers by posting their photos and personal info to millions of right-wing nut jobs with a fake viral post claiming they mocked Kirk’s death on Halloween: “Concerned parents just sent us this image of what’s believed to be teachers in Tuscon, AZ mocking Charlie’s murder with costumes that read ‘Problem Solved’ and blood down the left side of their shirts. They deserve to be famous, and fired.”

… Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) joined in to amply the lie to the right-wing MAGA mob: “One of the most famous men in Arizona history was recently gunned down in cold blood—wearing a shirt that became soaked with blood in a way that was reminiscent of the ghastly shirts they wore.”

… But, as it turns out, it had nothing to do with Charlie Kirk. Of course.

… ABC15 (AZ) political analyst Garrett Archer: “I’m told teachers at Vail Unified have had over 3,000 death threats regarding their costume t shirts. The teachers in the math department were accused of mocking the death of Charlie Kirk by wearing bloodied ‘problem solved’ t-shirts. However the school’s Facebook page shows they wore the same shirts in 2024.”

… Kolvet: “UPDATE: Vail Schools said these math teachers wore the same costume last year. I was waiting for confirmation, and it appears they did. I am updating the thread with the image. We’ve seen enough evil since Charlie’s murder that I’d actually be relieved if this isn’t another example.”

… So he lied in his viral post and put the lives of each of these math teachers in danger. There was no apology for putting the math teachers on blast to many millions of freaks. None from Mike Lee either. Not very Christian.

… WaPo: “Trump has done little public campaigning in marquee races where Democrats are running heavily against him, keeping a distance from some Republican candidates and signaling some pessimism about next Tues’ elections. In VA, Trump has reserved his explicit support for just one statewide candidate - AG Jason Miyares, who is viewed as the likeliest candidate on the GOP ticket to win. Trump has not officially endorsed the nominee for governor Winsome Earle-Sears, who is trailing in the polls.”

… In NJ, Trump has limited his engagement on behalf of Jack Ciattarelli, the unusually competitive GOP nominee for governor, to an endorsement and a telerally. While he has been known to rapidly step up his involvement as he sees fit and could shift his stance, Trump has no plans to rally voters in person in NJ or VA in the final days of the race.”

… Chris Saxman, who led Earle-Sears’s transition team when she was elected Lt. Gov: “I don’t think he likes to back candidates he knows are going to lose.”

… Barack Obama was in VA to campaign for Abagail Spanberger: “It is not as if we didn’t see some of this coming. I will admit it is worse than even I expected, but I did warn you all. I did. And by the way, he warned you too, because he said what he would do. But the fact is there were plenty of people who voted for Trump and Republicans anyway. And it wasn’t because they wanted to give up the right to free speech or see public health systems torn down, but because they were understandably frustrated with inflation and gas prices and the difficulty of affording a home and worries about their children’s future. Now, nine months later, you have got to ask yourself, has any of that gotten better? It sure has gotten better for Trump and his family.”

… “As for the president, he has been focused on critical issues like paving over the Rose Garden so folks don’t get mud on their shoes and gold plating the Oval Office and building a ballroom. If you can’t visit a doctor, don’t worry. He will save you a dance. And if you don’t get an invitation to the next WH shindig, you can always watch the festivities and all the beautiful people on Truth Social.”

… “The stakes are now clear. We do not need to speculate about the dangers to our democracy. We do not need to wonder about whether vulnerable people will be hurt, or ask ourselves how much meaner our culture needs to become. We witnessed it. Elections do matter. And they matter for you.”

… “I worry about the growing concentration of economic power in this country where just a handful of mega-billionaires and companies controlling what we see and what we hear. I worry about how much that economic power distorts the political process. I worry about how readily not just business leaders, but others with influence and law firms and universities have been willing to bend the knee.”

… “I am worried about how willing Republicans in congress have been to surrender their role as members of a coequal branch of govt, refusing to block the president, even when they know he is out of line. Even when a lot of them will privately admit that power is being abused in ways that will hurt their constituents and hurt the country. I worry about a Supreme Court that so far has shown no willingness to check the admin’s excesses, even when those actions break legal precedent and seem to defy the bedrock principle that no one is above the law.”

… Treasury Sec Scott Bessent was on CNN today: Q - “Do you agree that the US is at risk of a recession? Bessent: I believe we are in a transition period here. I think we’re in good shape, but there are sectors of the economy that are in recession.”

… Bessent on Fox: Q - “How do trade talks get back on with Canada? Bessent: We’ll see. This is very serious. This prime minister of Ontario, who I imagine is smarting quite a bit from the Blue Jays loss last night, spent $75m trying to sway US public opinion. This is foreign interference in US public policy. A price has got to be paid for this.”

… Q - Obama’s comments came within a day of Trump hosting a Gatsby-themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago while SNAP benefits are set to run out. What’s your response? Bessent: I believe President Obama played a record amount of golf of any president, so I’m not sure why he’s out there throwing stones.”

… Obama was not even close to the number of Trump golf outings.

… Gavin Newsom made his closing argument for the redistricting prop on the ballot Tues: “Thank you for all you have done to get us to this remarkable moment in this campaign, but more importantly, thank you for what you’ll do over the next 72 hours to bring home this historic victory for democracy, for our republic, and send a message to Trump: Hell no, we are done. We are done with being treated like this.”

… Newsom said it is a big week for Dems: “Historic victories all across the US. Prop 50 winning by double digits. A new governor of NJ, a new governor in VA. Democrats back united, standing tall and firm for health care. Standing tall for our diverse communities. Standing tall for the founding fathers. That’s what this election is all about. So I just want to thank you — I mean this — just thank you. I’ll end as I began: thank you for giving a damn.”

… “Trump didn’t expect any of this to happen. He thought maybe we’d have a candlelight vigil, maybe we would hold hands. Maybe we could all come together and like, you know, do an OpEd in the LA Times and just say what it could have or should have done something. They never expected all of you.”

… DOJ told Congress that the Trump admin does not have to comply with the War Powers Act on boat bombings since the vessels have been unable to shoot back. NYT: “In a briefing, DOJ said the admin did not think the operation rose to the kind of ‘hostilities’ covered by the 60-day limit, a key part of a 1973 law called the War Powers Resolution.”

… At least 65 people have been killed in 14 airstrikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific so far. DOJ: “The operation comprises precise strikes conducted largely by unmanned aerial vehicles launched from naval vessels in international waters at distances too far away for the crews of the targeted vessels to endanger American personnel.”

… Trump is now threatening to invade Nigeria: “If the Nigerian Govt continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, “guns-a-blazing,” to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities. I am hereby instructing our Dept of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVT BETTER MOVE FAST!”

… Pete Hegseth responded to Trump’s directive with an X post: “Yes sir. The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria - and anywhere - must end immediately. The Dept of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Govt protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”

… Truth Social and X. Where wars are planned and launched.

… Trump on Truth Social: “Democrats will terminate the Filibuster the first chance they get. They will Pack the Supreme Court, pick up two States, and add at least 8 Electoral Votes. Don’t be WEAK AND STUPID. FIGHT,FIGHT, FIGHT! WIN, WIN, WIN! We will immediately END the Extortionist Shutdown, get ALL of our agenda passed, and make life so good for Americans that these DERANGED DEMOCRAT politicians will never again have the chance to DESTROY AMERICA! Republicans, you will rue the day that you didn’t TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!!! BE TOUGH, BE SMART, AND WIN!!!”

… Karoline Leavitt on Fox: “These are crazed people that President Trump and Republicans are having to deal with, and that’s why President Trump has said Republicans need to get tough, they need to get smart, and they need to use this option to get rid of the filibuster to reopen the government.”

… New NBC News poll: Who do voters say is more to blame for the government shutdown? •52% blame Trump/Republicans • 42% blame Democrats.

… Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) gave a speech this weekend where he said that Tucker Carlson is “the most dangerous anti-Semite in America” and “the leader of a modern day Hitler Youth.” During his speech, people held up pre-printed signs that said, ‘Tucker Carlson is not MAGA.’”

… CNBC: “American consumer wallets will be billions of dollars lighter this holiday season because of Trump’s tariffs, according to LendingTree. Sunday marked 6 months since Trump announced his broad ‘liberation day’ tariffs. Prices for select food and consumer goods rose in the wake of that announcement. And consumers are set to see more of the impact from those tariffs as holiday items that have been stored in warehouses for months are finally hitting store shelves.”

… “The company estimated that the new tariffs will increase total holiday costs for consumers and retailers by a total of $40.6 billion. Consumers will be on the hook for most of the extra costs from tariffs, an estimated $28.6 billion.”

… Kyiv Post: “US lawmakers are planning to unveil legislation in the coming days that would effectively block the troop withdrawal, signaling a high-stakes legislative battle that cuts across party lines and pits key congressional leaders against the White House on a core foreign policy decision. The looming clash comes after the Pentagon confirmed the plan to reduce troop presence in Romania. Critics immediately slammed the move as a gift to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.”

… “Two senior Senate aides familiar with the congressional push described the Pentagon’s decision as a massive ‘strategic blunder’ that directly undermines NATO’s deterrence posture at a time when tensions with Russia are peaking. The strongest opposition is being led by top defense Republicans, underscoring the deep skepticism the move has provoked within the party’s national security establishment.”

… “The leaders of both Armed Services Committees – Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) – jointly blasted the Pentagon’s decision, calling it ‘uncoordinated and directly at odds with the president’s strategy.’ They weren’t alone. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), who heads the US Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, quickly joined the chorus.”

… Then Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC): “Scaling back our presence in Romania defies sound strategy. Romania has been a rock-solid ally for nearly 30 years, investing billions to strengthen NATO. We should not be blindsiding America’s allies.”

… New CBS/YouGov poll: Trump approval - Disapprove 59%. Approve 41%.

… New NBC poll: Voters who have a high level of interest in midterm elections - Democrats 74% Republicans 67%.