Saturday, May 03, 2025

Hegseth and the partying Kash

Let's start with natural disaster and failure Pete Hegseth who, for no rational reason, remains the Secretary of Defense.  At least for now. Yasmeen Hamadeh (DAILY BEAST) notes:

 

The Pentagon inspector general has reportedly expanded an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the encrypted messaging app Signal. Citing a congressional aide and a source familiar with the inquiry, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins plans to widen his investigation to include a second Signal chat Hegseth made that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer. Stebbins initially announced the launch of the investigation last month, and stated it would examine a Signal group chat Hegseth and other top officials were a part of. That chat became public after then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz accidentally added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. The inquiry will now include a probe into the second group chat as well, and could pose trouble for Hegseth—who has repeatedly denied ever using the app to send classified information. 


Where ever Hegseth prances, blurry borders follow.  Take his attorney.   Daniel Lippman and Josh Gerstein (POLITICO) explain:


Tim Parlatore is a personal attorney and top adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. At the same time, he’s suing the Navy and defending private clients against the U.S. government.

Parlatore, who represented Donald Trump in a criminal case two years ago and rejoined the Navy Reserve in March to aid Hegseth, was recently tapped to coordinate the leak investigation that led to chaos at the Pentagon. The probe was publicly tied to the firings of top advisers and preceded further revelations that Hegseth was careless with classified information. Parlatore was also reportedly in the Signal group with Hegseth’s wife and brother in which the Defense secretary shared details of a strike on Yemen.

But despite Parlatore’s deep involvement at the Pentagon, he is pursuing litigation against the Navy. A review of federal court records shows Parlatore listed as an attorney on 11 cases — though a few appear to be dormant and not all involve the U.S. government. Often his clients are retired military personnel.

The business of Washington is built on government officials leaving their jobs to trade access for private clients and using their connections to achieve client goals. While Parlatore insists his arrangement is above board, it’s highly unusual for a sitting top adviser for a Cabinet secretary to be working in the government while at the same time representing clients suing the government, or working for clients as they fight off the feds.


When not applying his make up in his new taxpayer funded beauty salon, Hegseth can be found snorting fantasies while insisting they're reality.  At the Council on Foreign Relations, Noël James and Diya Mehta note:


On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced an end to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Program. In a post on X, Hegseth wrongfully attributed the program to Biden, saying “WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops,” and is a distraction “pushed by feminists and left-wing activists.” In fact, President Trump signed the first WPS Act into law in 2017. WPS promotes the participation of women in peace and security efforts, which has been shown to improve outcomes, including the durability of peace agreements. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who championed the WPS Act in Congress, criticized the Secretary’s decision, saying it was short-sighted and unlawful. “WPS is law; the Secretary cannot unilaterally terminate the program Congress passed because he doesn’t understand how the inclusion and participation of women in mediation and negotiation make a measurable difference in preventing, mitigating and resolving violent conflicts and keeping America safe.” Experts worry that eliminating the WPS program will also impact the military's ability to recruit and retain a capable and prepared force. 


Remember, Pete Hegseth had a woman say he assaulted her.  Pete rushed to pay her off, remember.  And claims he was innocent.  But would not waive the NDA the woman signed as part of the settlement so that the woman could testify during his Senate confirmation hearing.


When you remember that, you understand what propmted him to make such a stupid and idiotic move.  This is an attack on people assaulted, an attempt to silence them.  Kelsey Baker (BUSINESS INSIDER) notes:


Retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Kate Germano, author of the book "Fight Like a Girl," told BI that "it seems that those who are at the bottom of the pecking order will be the most adversely impacted by the [latest] change — especially women and people of color."

A Marine officer who has led investigations told BI the new memo seems "part and parcel with their effort to weaken participation of underrepresented groups."


He's so damn stupid.  And so damn crooked.  And people can't stop laughing at him.




People are laughing about that DoD image that Hegseth approved of himself.  Not because Pete's trying to be Diana Ross -- Stop in the name of love!  But because no one caught that they forgot his pinky!

Will Neal (DAILY BEAST) covers the chuckles here.  Whilem at MILITARY.COM, Steve Beynon and Konstantin Toropin note even more reasons people laugh at Hegseth:


In a recent Reddit post on the Marine Corps forum that featured the reports of Hegseth setting up a makeup studio in the Pentagon, one user quipped “wouldn’t this fall under gender-affirming care?”

Another simply asked “can we have Mattis back, please?” That was a reference to former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who served more than four decades in the Marine Corps before taking the civilian post in the first Trump administration.

Duffle Blog, the Onion-style military satire blog, even has merchandise based on the jokes, including a "Whiskey Leaks" drinking glass and a bottle of hand wash with the label "Clean on OPSEC," another reference to Hegseth's comments on the unsecured Signal chat about Yemen strikes that was inadvertently made public.

Hegseth also routinely uses the phrase "warfighter" to refer to American troops, a phrase that itself has long been met with eyerolls within the military community, which is known for its signature gallows humor and scoffing at anyone being overly serious.


Forget Hegseth, though, make way for Kash Patel because "the champion of dance, his moves will put you in a trance."


Oh. What. Wow.  Leigh Kimmins (THE DAILY BEAST) reports:

A former FBI boss has claimed that the bureau’s director Kash Patel has been spotted in nightclubs more regularly than he has been seen at work.

Former counter-intelligence official Frank Figliuzzi said on Morning Joe Friday that President Donald Trump’s man is a bit of an anomaly in the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C.

He has however been spotted elsewhere, according to Figliuzzi, who was appointed as assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division by Robert Mueller in 2011.

“Reportedly, he’s been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover building,” Figliuzzi told Morning Joe co-host Jonathan Lemaire.

“And there are reports that daily briefings to him have been changed from every day to maybe twice weekly.”

Oh. What. Wow.

Well now we know why he only lasted from February 24th to April 9th, as the acting director of the ATF and why, by March, he'd stopped showing up for the job.  

Priorities.  


Yesterday, Elisabeth Buchwald and Ramishah Maruf (CNN) alerted:

Many Americans might not have felt major effects from President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs -- until now.

That’s because a major shipping loophole expired at one minute past midnight on Friday. The de minimis exemption, as it’s known, allowed shipments of goods worth $800 or less to come into the United States duty-free, often more or less skipping time-consuming inspections and paperwork.

The loophole helped reshape the way countless Americans shop, allowing ultra-low-cost Chinese e-commerce sites like Shein, Temu and AliExpress to pour everything from yarn to patio furniture, clothes to photography equipment and more into US homes.

Its impending end has rung alarm bells across social media, with a baseline tariff as high as 145% depending on the carrier set to take effect on Chinese imports, potentially more than doubling the cost for all those cheap products deal-hungry Americans scooped up.


He's wrecked the economy.  People are about to really suffer.  But what's on his mind right now?  Golfing.  And a military parade in his honor -- a military parade for a man who, when his country was at war, lied, LIED, to get out of serving.  But he believes he has a right to a military parade.

Ed Mazza (HUFFINGTON POST) reports:


Critics are blasting President Donald Trump over a plan for the U.S. Army to hold a massive parade on June 14.  

That date is both the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and Trump’s birthday, and the parade is ostensibly for the military and not the president. 

However, Trump has long craved just such a military spectacle. He wanted one during his first term, but had to settle for a somewhat smaller-scale event instead. 


The following sites updated:



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