U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a suspension of all military aid to Ukraine, escalating pressure on President Volodymyr Zelensky mere days after a heated exchange in the Oval Office cast doubt on U.S. support for Kyiv.

A senior Defense Department official told Bloomberg that all U.S. military assistance to Ukraine is on hold until Trump determines that Ukrainian leaders are making a genuine effort toward peace.

The pause affects not only future aid but also weapons already in transit, including shipments on aircraft and ships, as well as equipment awaiting transfer in Poland.

MBFC
Archive

Edit: changed source from Bloomberg to Kyiv Independent b/c there’s no paywall and more detail in the story.

  • @[email protected]
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    834 months ago

    How much more do we have to witness before we accept, as a society, that Donald Trump and the GOP are enemies of the United States of America, and act accordingly?

    We are suffering and losing our position as a world leader because of a felon rapist traitor. When are we going to stop this?

    • Match!!
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      74 months ago

      Have you decided what means are acceptable for resistance for yourself yet

    • @[email protected]
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      284 months ago

      When are we going to stop this?

      When congress starts impeachment proceedings. Call your representatives. Listening you complain is their job.

            • @[email protected]
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              14 months ago

              It sounded like you were saying “You already impeached him, and he’s still president (so impeaching him again is a waste of time)”, but I could’ve misread you.

              • @[email protected]
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                4 months ago

                That is also my point. Don’t worry though, you keep impeaching him until he dissolves congress.

                You’re response being ‘yeah but you can be impeached multiple times’ exactly demonstrates the weakness of that action.

    • ProdigalFrog
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      4 months ago
      1. Joining and organizing within your local community to create connections with others is incredibly powerful, will lay the groundwork for effective resistance.
      2. We can effect things drastically with a general strike. This can massively impact their income streams, and can bring a government to its knees if done on a large enough scale.
      3. Join the IWW and attempt to unionize your workplace, so that the general strike is even more effective.

      If we put in the work, we can resist this and we can win. Join up with allies while we still can easily!

  • @[email protected]
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    1384 months ago

    The US wouldn’t stop military aid to Israel while the IDF destroyed hospitals and killed children and journalists among many other war crimes. They will freeze aid to Ukraine as it defends itself in a war of conquest. Evidence suggests the USA would rather align with criminals like Putin and Netanyahu than war victims.

    • Spzi
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      284 months ago

      That really is a stark contrast. What do the apologetics say about this?

      • @[email protected]
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        34 months ago

        In my limited exposure to the ramblings of conservative acquaintances, they now consider Zelensky to be a “little dictator” who was rude to their favorite douches.

        Regarding Israel, I think it’s something along the lines of “judeo-christian values” good, brown savages bad, and OH LOOK SOMETHING SHINY!! Sorry, you were saying?

    • rigatti
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      174 months ago

      Kind of. Last time he was trying to get them to say they were investigating Hunter Biden, so somethithathat would more directly benefit himself. This time I guess he wants the US to have the rights to all their minerals, which I don’t even understand how that would work, but I guess that could be seen as benefitting the US if you’re a total psychopath.

  • @[email protected]
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    4 months ago

    Is there a historical precedent for punishing the defender for daring to successfully resist invasion by a third country?

    • @[email protected]
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      14 months ago

      Economic sanctions on the early RSFSR after the Bolsheviks defeated the English, French, Italian, USA coalition that invaded them in the Russian Civil War.

    • @[email protected]
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      4 months ago

      The peace agreement between Napoleon and Austria included Napoleon taking independent (but in the coalition) Venice.

      It was kind of an awful elitist place but it was also the oldest democracy in the world at the time. Napoleon destroyed that, and all the monestaries. You can see the ruins of them around the lagoon if you visit.

    • @[email protected]
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      114 months ago

      Finland had to accept responsibility for being invaded by Russia. Also, they had to give away land mass that Russia failed to grab. Also, they had to give up some sovereignty. Also, they had to pay ginormous reparations and sign deals to buy army stuff from Russia.

      Nice army stuff, though. I’ve been in a 1995 KRAZ with a wood frame for the driver. Also they don’t have a tap for draining motor oil, because who would expect them yo return from the frontlines?

    • themeatbridge
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      1024 months ago

      Does it matter at all? Trump is compromised and is actively working for Putin. This is transparent and not being denied. Is there precedent for a puppet to do whatever he’s told by his master? Yes, lots.

      • @[email protected]
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        164 months ago

        Let’s be very clear, it’s not just Trump, but the ENTIRE GOD DAMN administration that has been, and is, being put into place. Hegseth already told our intelligence teams to stop looking into Russia.

        If Trump was luigied tomorrow, an entire government is now in place to allow whatever they want to happen, to happen. It wouldn’t even matter if he was gone.

        • @[email protected]
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          64 months ago

          I think a lot of the problems with the current administration wouldn’t change if Trump was Luigied. Dismantling our federal institutions, consolidating power in the executive branch, stripping away human rights - all those things would continue.

          However, I think that the support for Putin nearly exclusively comes from Trump himself.

      • @[email protected]
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        4 months ago

        It is being denied. Had some chud on here mocking me the other day (at about a 4th grade writing level) for saying as much.

    • @[email protected]
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      434 months ago

      Palestine. Maybe not successfully, but note that the idea that Palestinians have the same natural right to armed self defense as any other group is completely absent from mainstream political discourse. Most simply cannot even comprehend that the Palestinians should have just as much right to kill to defend themselves as Israelis do. Partly this is due to colonialism. Part of it is classism. The violence of the Israelis is clean and high tech. The violence of the Palestinians is crude and performed with simple weapons. We judge the morality of violence based upon the wealth of the people committing the violence.

      • @[email protected]
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        144 months ago

        No, you don’t get it. These Palestinian kids are brainwashed from birth to hate Israel and the Jewish peoples. They have school books that teach them to hate Israelis and Israel.

        /s but sadly not because the above is something I literally heard around me for years. I believed it until I met someone from Palestine who explained yes those books do exist and they are called history books.

    • Rhaedas
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      164 months ago

      Is it a third country if the one punishing is a proxy of said country?

    • @[email protected]
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      114 months ago

      Yeah that shit happens all the time throughout history, actually. Especially when colonized countries dared to fight back against colonizers.

  • @[email protected]
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    374 months ago

    I would love to see everyone just start ignoring Trump and everything he says and just keeps doing their job.

      • @[email protected]
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        44 months ago

        And very seriously listen and write down his commands and say of course sir then just not do it. For years and report back to him that he is hailed as the best president ever for his orders, and let him live his fantasy, we can even hold parades and stuff and the fun thing is that people would actually genuinely be glad when he comes because they know it’s going to be a festival and their job is just to pretend to be awed by his senile ramblings, which honestly sounds so much fun

  • @[email protected]
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    504 months ago

    Just as his master told him.

    The US media still does not dare to call Trump a Russian agent, despite him showing all symptoms.

    There has been no single Russian attempt to destroy the US being as successful as putting their own agent into the White House, right into the Oval Office.

  • Lanske
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    564 months ago

    I have not a lot of knowledge how American politics work, but isn’t this for congress to decide? how is Trump so powerful? (sorry for my daft question)

    • @[email protected]
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      264 months ago

      how is Trump so powerful?

      The Republican party controls Congress and they have abdicated their responsibilities to our Constitution and, by extension, the American people in favor of an authoritarian because they have accepted him as their leader, thus giving away their own power.

      Our forefathers never expected Congress to give away its own power. Because it doesn’t really make any sense in the long term for them to do so.

      We are experiencing a coup. Most Americans are too uneducated to understand this.

    • @[email protected]
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      474 months ago

      It’s very illegal. He has already been impeached once for withdrawing military aid to Ukraine in his first term.

      And you see where that got us.

      • Lanske
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        114 months ago

        Yeah indeed, but now he has got the full backing and more Trump tronies?!

    • @[email protected]
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      4 months ago

      It isn’t daft. The Republicans since Reagan have pushed a fringe legal theory called the Unitary Executive Theory. Basically, they want the president to fully control the executive branch and military such that theirs is the only voice that matters for much of the government. Not unlike a king, but partially checked by congress and the courts. They have been taking (illegal) actions to try to get sued, and also have been suing others/other branches of government, to try to get the Supreme Court to hear cases that will support this fringe legal theory so that it becomes the law of the land.

      I am not a lawyer, but this is possibly something Trump can legally do since he is Commander in Chief of the armed forces. However, this seems more like an apportionment thing, which is Congress’ responsibility. Congress has allocated funds to send military aid to Ukraine. So, even if Trump as Commander in Chief could say “no more weapons to ukraine”, it seems doubtful to me that he could (legally) stop weapons shipments currently en route.

      But, by the time whatever government office sues the office of the president to get a judge to enjoin them to send the agreed upon weapons that were already apportioned, it will already have hurt Ukraine somewhat. Trump often weaponizes inefficiency. And these sort of illegal acts aren’t crimes per se - they’re just procedural breaches - the legal remedy is just to reverse the action.

      So, probably not legal. But Trump gets to weaponize his administration’s incompetence (or feigned incompetence) to at least delay aid. More competent people may support these actions, knowing they’re illegal, to try and strengthen the president’s role even further.

      • Lanske
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        114 months ago

        Wow! Thanks so much for this reply! this is very helpful, thnx a lot

        • @[email protected]
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          134 months ago

          The answer is simpler than that: the “checks and balances” system is a facade created to prevent meaningful progressive policy from passing. There’s a reason why Trump can modify a billion laws from day 1, but poor Biden couldn’t possibly do anything to codify abortion as a right or prevent the bombing of children in Gaza.

            • @[email protected]
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              24 months ago

              So it turns out that what matters most in the end is less the intricacies of the system, and more what type of people get elected

          • @[email protected]
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            4 months ago

            This isn’t quite right. Trump didn’t really modify laws. That isn’t even something he can claim to do since he is the head of the Executive branch, not the Legislative one. He issued executive orders, many of which were illegal, and he had some cronies who enacted some of them anyway - others did not enact some of these, and others were not really actionable (like when he declared that no one has a gender). He did rescind many policies, but he can’t just make laws go away on his own. There are literally hundreds of court cases currently challenging these executive orders - seeing as how the judiciary is the primary check on the executive branch, that is the system working to check presidential power.

            However, I am not a liberal, I am a socialist and do not think this is working well - there are many problems here. The highest levels of the judiciary have been largely captured by far-right judges, many of whom are specifically aligned with Trump’s goals and support the unitary executive theory. Also, this method of checking presidential power is extremely slow. For every illegal action Trump’s administration takes, a court case has to be crafted, filed, heard, and adjudicated. Every one. And invariably, some will not reach the correct outcome and others will never actually be taken to court - there are just too many.

            Basically, the administration is using the fact that they control every branch of government to dismantle or capture core government agencies and to provide cover for various illegal actions - forcing them through if only temporarily for various political and structural ends. A soft coup, basically. So yeah, the fact that something like this is possible is proof of the flaws inherent in this system of government.

            • @[email protected]
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              44 months ago

              That’s a lot of words to say that I’m right in practice even if not in principle lmao.

              I’m a commie too, BTW. You’re way too charitable to the US institutions IMO.

    • @[email protected]
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      334 months ago

      Republicans hold the majority in congress, so they’re refusing to push back and are just allowing him to usurp power from them.

      • Lanske
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        84 months ago

        Thnx for your reply! i understand that, but it seems nothing goes via congress?!

        • jackeryjoo
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          154 months ago

          Congress is a check and balance to executive power, just like the judicial.

          They are not checking or balancing his power. So they are in effect, impotent.

          • @[email protected]
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            44 months ago

            And they don’t care because the White House is occupied by someone on their team. This country fucking sickens me.

    • @[email protected]
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      74 months ago

      The president was always able to stop aid under certain conditions. Trump is just going to certify that one of those conditions exist no matter how ridiculous it is.

    • deaf_fish
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      164 months ago

      We are entering a “yeah and who’s going to stop me era of US politics”

    • @[email protected]
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      314 months ago

      It is for Congress to decide such matters. It says so right in our constitution, but our Legislative branch has been ceding their ability to check Executive overreach for decades. Now, with a complicit Congress as the majority, they will never challenge Trump on anything he does, no matter how unconstitutional or illegal it might be. Same goes for the Judiciary as well, chock full of partisan hacks who bend and twist their interpretation of the language of the constitution to cherry pick a favorable ruling for anything that Trump does.

      Basically, our system of checks and balances that are meant to keep one aspect of the government from becoming too powerful has been completely subsumed by ideologues who prefer monarchy to democracy. The executive now essentially has unchecked authority and is in full control of the government apparatus.

  • @[email protected]
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    324 months ago

    Since he can’t do this and needs congress’ help, why aren’t they stopping him? Why are they all bending over backwards to please Putin?

    • @[email protected]
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      294 months ago

      Because the only meaningful political move for Republicans today is to follow Trump. If they push back they get cut from the pack and lose support.

  • @[email protected]
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    1014 months ago

    So the record currently stands at…

    Zelensky - Let’s try a deal, we just need security guarantees

    Trump - Why are you so Disrespectful?

    Zelensky - Let’s try a deal, we just need security guarantees

    Trump - Putin is a victim we’re undoing sanctions

    Zelensky - Let’s try a deal, we just need security guarantees

    Trump - Why won’t Zelensky do a deal?

    Zelensky - Let’s try a deal, we just need security guarantees

    Trump - We’re stopping Aid.

    • @[email protected]
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      24 months ago

      The US won’t provide the security guarantees Zelenskyy is asking for. He can try getting them from European countries though, but they do not seem willing to provide them either.

      • @[email protected]
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        24 months ago

        At least count I’m pretty sure the UK, Sweden, and Australia have all said they’d be willing to put troops into Ukraine for peacekeeping.

        • @[email protected]
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          23 months ago

          UK has stated in no uncertain terms that they require US involvement in order to put troops into Ukraine for peacekeeping. I’m not sure about Sweden & Australia.

    • Wren
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      4 months ago

      Yep. That pretty much summarizes it.

    • @[email protected]
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      74 months ago

      Guess what. War is gonna happen regardless. Except now the Ukrainians are going to have a harder time fighting back, while the russians start their pogroms.

      • @[email protected]
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        13 months ago

        Right then why fund them and send people to their deaths?

        Why not just succeed a little land and sign a cease fire

        • @[email protected]
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          13 months ago

          Russia will keep killing Ukrainians, so they need be forced to stop. Letting russia next it’s neighbours is a fucking stupid take. Appeasing the colonial fascist has never gone well before, and it won’t now. Ukrainians are fighting for their homes. Succeeding land like Crimea didn’t stop russia from invading so it won’t stop it again.

          • @[email protected]
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            12 months ago

            It’s better to try something. What your idea is to do nothing. Great idea, let’s just continue letting people die.

            • @[email protected]
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              12 months ago

              It’s better to try something. What your idea is to do nothing. Great idea, let’s just continue letting people die.

              No, my idea isn’t to “do nothing”. It’s to fund and support Ukrainian sovereignty lol. No clue where the fuck you are pulling that from. You want more people to die, let russia have it’s way, way more people will die. I’m glad your comfortable with the thought of other countries just annexing territory on a whim. Fucking shit tier take

              • @[email protected]
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                12 months ago

                Oh sorry, your supporting Ukraine, so they can continue the killing. What a moronic route.

                So just continue with the killing.

                That’s not doing anything differently.

                Succeeding land will stop the war.

                Make Russia sign a peace treaty with America and Ukraine for the land.

                It’s infinitely better than your idea of just continue the killing. “It’s fine”

                Brain-dead.

                • @[email protected]
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                  12 months ago

                  Oh sorry, your supporting Ukraine, so they can continue the killing. What a moronic route.

                  Nah, I’m supporting Ukraine to defend their sovereignty. The killing can stop, russia needs to fuck back off to russia

                  Ceeding the land to russia won’t stop any war, at best it will put a temporary pause until they want more, causing more pain and suffering and death.

                  Make russia fuck back off to russia is the only viable option, unless you think appeasing fascist dictators is a good idea.

                  Brain-dead.

                  That is the only explanation as to why you said the things to say. Hey being self aware is step one. Maybe don’t victim blame.

  • magnetosphere
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    This is what I hope happens next: Ukraine wins anyway. European politicians that still weren’t sure about defending themselves without the US will be emboldened not to rely on America anymore. Europe as a whole becomes stronger and much less willing to tolerate Trump’s obnoxious demands, and see him as the weak puppet that he is.

    • @[email protected]
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      234 months ago

      Weak puppet with strong army. What makes anyone think stopping aid to Ukraine is all he can do. The sanctions against Russia are going to be lifted next, and if necessary, the aid is going to Russia. Europe has enough power against Russia, but not against Russia + the US.

    • @[email protected]
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      14 months ago

      Can we, as a society, label anyone who things otherwise as a traitor? Any politician against, or even dragging their feet, immediately written off, perhaps even deported from yhe continent?

      Please?

    • @[email protected]
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      674 months ago

      At some point, Europe has to start wondering whether it’s really such a good thing to have US military bases all over their continent.

    • @[email protected]
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      104 months ago

      Look, stranger things have happened but I get the sense it’s more likely Putin dies and the whole thing kind of crumbles. That’s the likelier, although still entirely unlikely scenario.

      It’d still be pretty nice to see less reliance on the US except global peace relies on more trust, not less. The US might need systemic reforms to get there, but even Russia looked like it could be an ally to EU prior to Putin, just all countries need better safeguards to avoid backsliding into authoritarianism. I’m not sure what those would be, but you can’t have global peace without addressing these countries.

      • @[email protected]
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        54 months ago

        To be honest, I think we are well passed that scenario. Even if Putin dies today, his puppets in Russia will grab for power. Meanwhile, they still own the president of the US. They know they have the support needed to win in Ukraine, they will use it to build trust with the citizens of Russia and show strength. Even better, the US will be weakened in supporting Russia, but that’s not really a bad scenario for Russia either.

  • DominusOfMegadeus
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    2764 months ago

    The U.S. Military and the CIA must know what a threat to the country Trump is, right?

    …right?

    • @[email protected]
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      1354 months ago

      The military that he just dismissed the leadership of and replaced with his own people, and the CIA that’s directed by his people?

        • @[email protected]
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          164 months ago

          And the competent ones (as in the ones with experience at creation local militias and terrorist organizations) are gonna be out there creating the resistance.

      • @[email protected]
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        244 months ago

        Here’s the pickle though. Wouldn’t it be reasonable if another administration get in power and then need to purge all these positions of pro trump people?

        Like what happens next? it’s such a bleak world now.

        • Spzi
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          134 months ago

          Wouldn’t it be reasonable if another administration get in power and then need to purge all these positions of pro trump people?

          Oh no! You have a great point for horror fans there.

          I’d even say, it probably is somewhat necessary in order to resume administration. What a beautiful, postfactual dilemma:

          The Reps fear an ideological, systemic witch hunt, which they use as an excuse to replace government workers. The new workers are ideologically aligned with the Reps, encouraged to assist the dismantling of non-Rep institutions and carry out the King’s will above and beyond the law.

          Now when votes swing the other way, the new administration kind of has to revert some of this damage to assume functioning.

          Which is where the circle closes; the prophecy fulfills itself. Now the Reps have evidence for their previously baseless claims. The whole system is locked in a back-and-forth mud wrestling of replacing workers based on ideology.

          • @[email protected]
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            84 months ago

            That’s the problem with the two-party system in the USA, in a full democracy this dynamic wouldn’t happen. This is the achilles heel of american democracy and the downfall seems to have begun.

    • @[email protected]
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      184 months ago

      I don’t know that the CIA has ever given a shit about the United States.

      Hell H.W. Bush was the son of a man that tried to overthrow the government and Ford appointed him to CIA director in the 70s.

      • @[email protected]
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        244 months ago

        Given how big a security leak the dipshit is, and he already got a ton of their agents in the field killed the first time around, it’s not so much them caring about the US, but then seeing a threat to their own power.

    • Riddick3001
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      564 months ago

      “Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic ;that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter: So help you God?”

    • @[email protected]
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      134 months ago

      If… Let’s say if… It’ll take some planning, they wouldn’t just do it willy nilly they gotta plan the hit, find the right assets, find the right areas, research, etc. it takes a lot of work to whack somebody it’s not like The Sopranos or anything.

        • @[email protected]
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          Yeah it’s fucking wild the efforts they go through. Even if it’s as discreet as a walk-by in a parking garage with a suppressed pistol or strangled in a car, there will be at least 10 people doing different jobs with zero knowledge of what the others are doing or what the end goal is, all doing a very simple task that any normal person could do with probable ignorance. Real life examples of how the mafia do hits are really intricate: You pay one guy to flatten a tire, you pay another guy to drive the tow truck, you pay another guy to ask them for directions to delay them a bit, you pay another guy to be an uber or taxi driver, you pay another guy to receive where the taxi/uber is going, this is all after paying probably a few other dudes to study their schedule and the schedule of their visitors/guests, pay another dude to get keep their neighbor or something distracted, pay another dude to take the shot and dip (source: I know a guy who knows a guy who knows another guy). It’s very expensive and time consuming, that’s why organized hits don’t happen a lot it’s gotta be worth the investment. This would be much harder to pull off against someone with 24/7 secret service guard, but the CIA/FBI/Police are pros at pulling shit off like this.

    • @[email protected]
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      34 months ago

      What do you mean? Trump is an asset of the ruling class.

      Rich people in the nation have literally nothing to fear while he’s in office, so we shouldn’t expect the military or any 3-letter agencies to do anything about it.

    • @[email protected]
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      184 months ago

      As far as I’m aware, the military, in the best case, will simply refuse to follow unlawful orders. There are formal processes to do so. That’s part of military culture and law. Whether that system will hold up to Trump is unknown. When he issues unlawful orders, will soldiers simply refuse to comply? Unknown.

      But one thing is for sure. It’s not part of military culture to actively resist. There is no formal process for that to be protected or OK. That’s simply insurrection and rebellion.

      • @[email protected]
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        34 months ago

        Dictators fear military coups, that’s why people like Putin keeps them weak and fighting themselves

      • DominusOfMegadeus
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        34 months ago

        I don’t think it’s insurrection when our president is actively selling out our country to a hostile foreign power.