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?”

  • Randomgal@lemmy.ca
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    1 hour ago

    Why would he follow the law? He can get insta pardoned if the mean lawmakers act like adults.

  • boolean_sledgehammer@lemmy.world
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    1 hour ago

    The only thing saving this country from full on state-sponsored ethnic cleansing is the fact that they keep appointing the stupidest motherfuckers imaginable to key positions or power.

  • Smoogs@lemmy.world
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    1 hour ago

    He kept repeating he’s following the law as if he could just make it up as he goes along. Such an absolute turd.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      19 hours ago

      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.

  • RedditRefugee69@lemmynsfw.com
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    1 day ago

    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
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      1 day ago

      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.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        22 hours ago

        President Xi, I am sending you Trump’s golf schedule by way of TikTok coded message.

        Please, President Pooh-Bear, you’re our only hope.

  • kyle@lemm.ee
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    22 hours ago

    What does “legally required” here mean? I assume there’s supposed to be a punishment?

    • korazail@lemmy.myserv.one
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      21 hours ago

      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.

      • JTskulk@lemmy.world
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        19 hours ago

        Maybe it means Kash isn’t the FBI director since he didn’t provide the budget. Whoever provides the budget first wins the title!

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        22 hours ago

        That’s what Trump wants.

        It’s win-win. Either Dems don’t sign a blank check, and Trump uses this as an excuse to hand more power to the DHS. Or Dems do sign a blank check, and Trump uses it to fund an FBI dedicated to further dismantling the democratic state.

        • jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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          20 hours ago

          Right now we are seeing a power struggle between at least two groups of plutocrats in the US.

          The FBI is not on Trump’s side. They’re not exactly our friend, but their defunding would give more power to Trump

          • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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            19 hours ago

            The FBI is not on Trump’s side.

            The director of the FBI is absolutely on Trump’s side. And anyone downstream of him who isn’t is getting weeded out.

  • Gates9@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    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
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      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.

      • Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        People need to drop the “they’re incompetent” shtick if they beat you every time. Because if you get beat by people you think are incompetent, what does that make you?

        • Jhex@lemmy.world
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          22 hours ago

          It implies nothing because it is not competence that is evaluated here.

          Republicans beat Democrats because:

          #1 A sizeable core of the American demographic cannot tell the difference between their elbow and a chair (too stupid) and are fearful of their own shadow

          #2 The alternative, the Democrats, are almost as incompetent as the Republicans making the distinction moot.

  • Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    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.

    • salacious_coaster@infosec.pub
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      2 days ago

      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.

      • Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world
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        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.

      • The Quuuuuill@slrpnk.net
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        2 days ago

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

  • minorkeys@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

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