Originally published at: One Agency Held Off The DOGE Invasion And Is Now Fighting Back - TPM – Talking Points Memo
For weeks, the U.S. African Development Foundation says in a new lawsuit, it’s managed to do one thing that many federal agencies have not: beat back DOGE and other members of the Trump administration’s wrecking crew. It came to a head on Wednesday, when DOGE officials and a Trump appointee attempted to muscle their way…
I hope USADF wins on every imaginable level. What a horror show.
That this happened to an Afrikaner is deliciously droll.
The DoGE doesn’t read the bylaws or find out the minimum about the organizations they go after.
Clearly, without that it is impossible to identify fraud.
“Waste” is a subjective evaluation about which any two people may be in more or less agreement.
So, I’ll say, since they’re not really looking for fraud, Doge is defrauding its targets and the American people and wasting what is most often than not decades or more of work.
Too bad more agencies weren’t prepared to resist similarly: it’s becoming increasingly clear that DOGE really had and has little or no legal basis for a great deal of what they are doing; e.g., how much damage could have been prevented if areas, systems or access points requiring security clearance refused entry to DOGE staff without it (which apparently is everyone).
“They never followed through on their threats, as of this writing.”
That’s why the man says ‘Do not obey in advance.’"
just saw this on BlueSky @altnps.bsky.social – Federal marshals forced entry into the US African Development Foundation and escorted Musk staffers inside, after agency employees resisted their entry. Once inside, they changed the federal agency’s locks. Musk staffers were seen plugging in an external hard drive and going through everything.
did ADF finally get broken in to ???
Escorted Musk’s teen hoodlums inside.
Catch 22: “they can do anything to you that you can’t stop them from doing.” - Joseph Heller
Looks like that’s the USA we’re living in now.
Who empowered the Federal Marshalls? A Judge? Or the piece of shit AG?
Every department should have been doing that from the get go.
It would be a shame if things started happening to Musk staffers.
I have never understood how these people got past the front desk of any of the agencies they have so far tried to destroy. “Badges, we don’t need no stinkin’ badges!” we guess…
This is how one deals with pissant wannbe thugs!
‘da Man is Timothy Snyder
Why is America “Trumpomuskovia”?
A New Name for a New Regime
Trumpomuskovia is a word I introduced in an essayabout some historical moments that might help us to understand the coming reality. Some of you asked why. Here are five reasons.
- Novelty . We need a new name for the coming regime because we need to recognize the novelty of the situation – legally, structurally, and morally.
What I don’t understand is even in this excellent reporting by TPM, violence and physical intimidation by Musk and his hoodlums is only hinted at. How is it possible that they have succeeded in committing so many illegal acts - namely accessing classified data, systems, etc. - without at least threatening to punch someone out? Certainly the NYT, MSNBC, et al have not reported on what really must be unfolding every day at these federal agencies.
China’s National People’s Congress is convened again this year. The usual rubber-stamp affair this year highlights the differences between the US and China. China is Caltech, and the US is a rat-infested aging outhouse about to be tipped over by looters. The 10 “Major Tasks” to-do list includes improving advances in medical research and embodied AI, daycare and childcare, increased education spending at all levels, rural revitalization, green transition and wealth gains to assure “social stability”. Remind me again, what did Trump talk about?
The irony of the public discussion in Europe, e.g. Germany and Finland, about cancellation of Lockheed Martin F-35 orders is that the idea was proposed by Trump last December. That was before the billing discrepancy problems. With Europe now the enemy of the US, we’ve reached a point where in makes no sense to buy those aircraft. Saab AB share prices, in contrast, are up by 66% over the past 6 months.
Democracy is a fragile thing, and thuggish autocracy is the global norm in recent millennia. The rule of law, which is resolution of conflicts without retribution, is upheld by courts. Like termites, the GOP has degraded the court system, which mainly exists to keep entrenched economic interests happy, Shifts in capital formation have changed this recipe, so we find ourselves ruled by oligarchs not at all worried about avoiding retribution. Indeed, some of them like it. Oligarchy tolerates insane policies, which is why this format of governance typically lasts only a few decades tops. Even Russia, which has been full-on oligarchy for over a decade, abandoning neoliberal governance rules, is currently looking at several decades of very low potential growth, a truly fucked generation of people 20-40, and huge downsides. People originally embraced democracy specifically to avoid such situations. Japan is a good example of a country that foresaw the problems with populist urges, and thus has preseved its democracy fairly well.
Finally!!. Someone with gonads, showing all the others how to have gonads!
I haven’t been able to find a timeline yet, but what’s more interesting is that an Administrative Stay has been ordered, which is intended to maintain the status quo pending a decision on the a temporary restraining order.
On top of who authorized the Federal Marshals to act as babysitters for Musk’s cronies I want to know if they forced their way into ADF in violation of the court’s order.
Many government buildings in DC are open to the public during business hours. That explains many cases. Not all, but many.