Yesterday Donald Trump tripled the size of his personal political army inside the government. Illegally. And almost no one noticed.
Here's what happened:
He signed an order converting ~8,000 of the most senior career officials in government into employees he can fire for any reason, or no reason at all.
These aren't rando's. They're the directors, chiefs of staff, and the people who write the rules or decide who gets federal money, i.e. the lieutenants right below his political appointees.
Until yesterday, they answered to the law. Now they answer to him.
A president normally gets ~4,000 political appointees. People he can bring into government and fire at will. I was one of them at DHS. You serve at his pleasure, full stop -- so if you're gonna speak truth to power, you're prepared to quit (or get fired if he doesn't like it).
The rest of the federal government is PROTECTED from firing if they tell the truth.
But Trump just stripped those protections. Adding 8,000 more people to his personal army. Overnight. Without asking Congress.
With the stroke of a pen, those people now serve at the pleasure of the president. They're "his" people, whether they like it or not.
And the chilling effect is real. An official who can be fired this afternoon for "subversion of presidential directives" (the order's own words) doesn't need to be hand-picked to know what's expected of him or her.
The threat does all the work.
By the way, this order is illegal. The law only lets Trump reclassify jobs when "necessary" in exceptional circumstances. And this blows an 8,000-person hole in the merit hiring / firing system created by Congress.
Without permission, Trump has created a whole new category of stormtroopers inside the Executive Branch.
If this doesn't get challenged in court, you're going to see the U.S. government become a very different place.
Here's the full story: https://t.co/mJzrvzhxGR
🚨 BREAKING: Bessent Couldn't Name The Case.
Asked what ongoing litigation prevents him from discussing Trump's audit status, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the matter was tied up in court.
Then Rep. Linda Sánchez asked a simple follow-up:
Which case?
He couldn't name it.
Sánchez pointed out that the only litigation she was aware of involved the $1.8 billion DOJ fund and said that case doesn't address presidential audit immunity.
That's what made the exchange awkward.
The administration says litigation prevents answers.
Congress wants to know which litigation.
@drhossamsamy65@sacdamb#EpsteinPedoFiles
Do not stop talking about Epstein.
Do not stop talking about Epstein.
Do not stop talking about Epstein.
Do not stop talking about Epstein.
Do not stop talking about Epstein.
Do not stop talking about Epstein.
Do not stop talking about Epstein.
⛔️Breaking news ‼️
⛔️ Billionaire Les Wexner, founder of Victoria’s Secret, is now unredacted and listed as a co-conspirator.‼️
⛔️He gave Epstein power of attorney and a Manhattan mansion. Redactions had been protecting him‼️
"When I was 14 years old, I was abused by Jeffrey Epstein. He abused me until I was 17."
An Epstein survivor, speaking at the House Oversight field hearing in Palm Beach last month.
She was a child the entire time.