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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[–] andyburke@fedia.io 265 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Hold him contempt or stop clutching your pearls.

[–] salacious_coaster@infosec.pub 180 points 2 days 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.

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 76 points 2 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 22 points 1 day ago

He's super-cereal!

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@sh.itjust.works 163 points 2 days ago (4 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.

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[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 20 points 1 day ago (13 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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[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 148 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days 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.

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 40 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day 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.

[–] AutistoMephisto@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day 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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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.

[–] Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (10 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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[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 83 points 1 day ago (4 children)

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

[–] walktheplank@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (3 children)

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

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[–] 9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world 60 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Why aren't we deporting this law breaker?

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[–] Nusm@yall.theatl.social 50 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Soooooo, zero budget for the FBI then.

[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago (3 children)

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

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 day ago

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

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[–] RedditRefugee69@lemmynsfw.com 49 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Fascists are inefficient.

He's probably waiting for orders on how to do it, like everyone waiting for Hitler to wake up before countering the Normandy invasion.

[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 27 points 1 day ago (2 children)

And when Hitler woke up his first order was for breakfast and he chilled a bit before finally having his meeting. He misread the situation so fucking bad it is a miracle that even the enlisted men guarding him didn't scream at his face.

BTW. The Allies took into account Hitler's sleeping habits when timing their invasion. No joke.

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He probably also fired the people who know how to make the budget in the first place.

[–] ScrambledEggs@lazysoci.al 41 points 2 days 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?

[–] eRac@lemmings.world 54 points 2 days 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.

[–] ultranaut@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world 37 points 1 day 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.

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago

My dog ate the budget!

[–] FrostyTheDoo@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day 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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[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 36 points 1 day ago (2 children)

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

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[–] VampirePenguin@midwest.social 34 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Okay, so $0 for the FBI. Done!

[–] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 15 points 1 day ago (3 children)

That's what Trump wants. Take note of the military and ICE budgets, however..

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[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This is what mediocrity looks like

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago* (last edited 22 hours 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.

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[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day 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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[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 24 points 2 days ago

Why are they surprised?

[–] RedditIsDeddit@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day 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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[–] kyle@lemm.ee 18 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

[–] korazail@lemmy.myserv.one 15 points 1 day 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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[–] Nougat@fedia.io 18 points 2 days ago

Fascists gonna fasc.

[–] Gates9@sh.itjust.works 18 points 1 day 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?

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 31 points 1 day 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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[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 13 points 2 days ago
[–] Neuromorph@lemm.ee 12 points 1 day ago

"I thought this was just a meet and greet"

[–] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 11 points 2 days ago

This is PROOF that DEI is BAD! WHY did Trump appoint a BROWN man?

-LITERALLY EVERY CONSERVATIVE who isn't Racist!

[–] droopy4096@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 day 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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[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago

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

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