Today in Politics, Bulletin 66, 2/7/25 Ron Filipkowski Feb 8 ∙ … DOGE staffer Edward Coristine was fired by Path Network in 2022 (a company known for hiring former hackers), for leaking confidential information to a competitor. Bloomberg is reporting that they have a letter from Path stating: “Edward has been terminated for leaking internal information to competitors. This is unacceptable and there is zero tolerance for this.” … Bloomberg: “Several of Coristine’s online peers and former co-workers said they were surprised that the teenage friend they knew has been brought into one of the most high-profile teams in the Trump Admin. His 2022 dismissal and the circumstances surrounding it add to questions about how he arrived in this new job with Musk’s DOGE, and how he’ll handle the sensitive government information that comes with it. … Coristine went by the online moniker “Big Balls”. … Wired reported that “Big Balls” has founded 5 companies since he turned 16, including Tesla.Sexy LLC, a company managing multiple web domains. One of his domains hosted "Helfie," an AI bot marketed to Discord users in Russia. Always a connection to Russia with these guys. … Sen. Ron Wyden to Bloomberg: “Giving Musk's goon squad access to systems that control payments to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other key federal programs is a national security nightmare. Every hour new disturbing details emerge to prove that these guys have no business anywhere close to sensitive information or critical networks.” … A second DOGE staffer, Marko Elez, who was granted access to the Treasury’s “top-secret” payment system that controls social security and tax distributions, was fired yesterday by the Trump White House after they learned about a series of racist statements he made online recently, which were reported by the WSJ. Some of these statements: “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity.” “Normalize Indian hate.” “Just for the record, I was a racist before it was cool.” “I would not mind at all if Gaza and Israel were both wiped off the face of the Earth.” … But after the firing was announced by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Emperor Elon Musk started an online campaign to get Elez hired back. He said that poor Elez may have made “inappropriate statements” but he’s just a kid, and posted a poll on X asking that he be brought back. … JD Vance then chimed in, saying he thought the DOGE racist that his own Admin just fired should be rehired: “Here’s my view: I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life. We shouldn’t reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever. So I say bring him back. If he’s a bad dude or a terrible member of the team, fire him for that.” … Elez is 25 years old. … So basically since a journalist was the one who revealed that his guy is a racist piece of shit, Vance says he has to be hired back at the highest levels of government because they can’t let the media win. … Rep. Ro Khannna to Vance: “Are you going to tell him to apologize for saying ‘Normalize Indian hate’ before this rehire? Just asking for the sake of both of our kids.” … Then at a joint presser with the Japanese PM, Trump was told that Vance posted online that he wanted the fired DOGE employee hired back and was asked his position: “I don’t know anything about the particulars, but if the VP said that, lets bring him back.” … Musk then announced on X that his fired racist employee was back. Back controlling whether Social Security or Medicare payments are made. And lots of other things. Comforting. … White nationalist Andrew Torba, who is the CEO of the right-wing social media platform Gab: “We live in a culture where you can make ‘racist’ posts online and not get fired now. Deal with it. This won at the ballot box.” … Acting DC US Attorney Ed Martin then sent another letter to Musk assuring him that he will protect his team of DOGE racists and hackers from the mean libs who are tormenting them: “We will investigate them and we will chase them to the end of the Earth to hold them accountable. We will not rest or cease in this. Noone is above the law. I am proud that we have been able to assist local law enforcement in protecting the DOGE workers.” ‘Noone’ is not my typo. That’s how the US Attorney wrote it in his letter. … WaPo reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is appointing a third Musk DOGE member, Tom Krause, to a senior position in the department overseeing the nation’s payment systems. Once again, this was not announced to the public and was told to WaPo by inside sources in the Treasury. They are trying to hide everything they do. Even their identities. … Krause was previously instructed by Musk to order career non-partisan Acting Secretary David Lebryk to cut off payments to USAID. When Lebryk refused because there was no legal authority, he was then forced to resign. Now Krause has Lebryk’s former position. Krause, and by proxy Musk, will now have control over the Treasury system responsible for disbursing more than $5 trillion in annual payments, including for Social Security, Medicare, tax refunds and thousands of other things. … Fox Contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier: “I have colleagues who are really upset right now. They are concerned that funding for the research that they are doing is going to be cut off. We do a lot of valuable research in the cancer community. I can empathize with these Democrats right now. Change is hard, but it’s for the greater good.” … Trump was asked if he had any reaction to the new Time cover which showed Elon Musk sitting behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. Trump looked visibly agitated. Then said: “No. Is Time magazine still in business? I didn't even know that.” … He knows it very well, because Trump just praised Time in December, saying it was “a great honor” to be on their cover as Man of the Year. … Trump continued to get questions about Elon Musk, and continued to get more annoyed: “Is there anything you've told Elon Musk he cannot touch?” Trump: “Well, we haven't discussed that much.” When it starts to sink in that a big chunk of the American public thinks Musk is really in charge and he is just a doddering old fool, there will be hell to pay. He’s fighting it right now, but the more it keeps getting brought up to him the better. … Then the next reporter: “Will you put Elon Musk up on the podium for us to ask him some questions? Trump, now fuming that these questions are not about him: “Sure. He's not shy. Elon is not shy.” … Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba was obviously given a very accurate briefing about how to handle Trump to get whatever you want out of the US. He opened up their joint press conference today with this: “I was so excited to see someone who is such a celebrity on TV, to see him in person. On TV, he is frightening and he has a very strong personality. But when I met with him, he was very sincere and very powerful and with a strong will for the US.” … The guy laid it on pretty thick, but Trump didn’t seem to mind. … Ellen Weintraub, Chair of the Federal Election Commission, is refusing to leave her position despite being fired by Trump: “Received a letter from POTUS today purporting to remove me as Commissioner and Chair. There’s a legal way to replace FEC commissioners — this isn’t it.” Weintraub was appointed to a six-year term in 2002. … Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY): “This onslaught against the FEC, when that agency is currently reviewing complaints against the President, reeks of corruption.” … Bloomberg: “6 commissioners run the FEC, with no more than 3 from a single party allowed to serve at one time. Weintraub, a Democrat, voted to investigate the president over allegations involving violation of rules barring coordination between his campaign and allied Super PACs and matters regarding accusations that Russia tried to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.” … NBC is reporting that Casey DeSantis is now seriously considering running for Governor of FL in 2026. One source: “I have heard donors have been urging her to run, and while it’s not something she has wanted to do, they are causing her to at least stop and listen.” Another source: “It is a real possibility.” … Casey last May: “When people talk about me running for governor, I think it speaks highly about the governor himself. I think when people see me, it is because they are so happy about everything that this governor has done for the state of Florida. When people start talking about ‘Oh, you know, you should run,’ that’s because Gov. DeSantis is a rock star and that’s because people are so proud of everything that he’s done for this state.” … I packed up, left FL, and moved to Maine. But maybe everyone else is happy. … The Hill reports that Justice Sotomayor just gave her first public remarks since the election at an event in KY: “If we as a court go so much further ahead of people, our legitimacy is going to be questioned. I think the immunity case is one of those situations. I don’t think that Americans have accepted that anyone should be above the law in America. Our equality as people was the foundation of our society and of our constitution. I think my court would probably gather more public support if it went a little more slowly in undoing precedent.” … Andrew Cuomo is leading substantially in the latest Emerson College/PIX11/The Hill poll for NYC Mayor at 33%. Eric Adams is second with 10% percent, and former City Comptroller Scott Stringer - 8%. Cuomo hasn’t formally announced he is running, but he is expected to soon. … Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded to Trump’s statement about Gaza and his threat to “obliterate” Iran if they try to assassinate him: "The Americans sit, redrawing the map of the world — but only on paper, as it has no basis in reality. They make statements about us, express opinions and issue threats. If they threaten us, we will threaten them in return. If they act on their threats, we will act on ours. If they violate the security of our nation, we will, without a doubt, respond in kind." … Harris County (TX) DA just arrested Andrew Taake for an outstanding warrant for online solicitation of sex with a minor. Taaka was incarcerated for unrelated crimes he committed on J6, but when Trump pardoned him he was released from prison despite the active warrant. “Before Taake’s release from custody, a member of our HCSO Fugitive Warrants Div requested that fed authorities hold him, due to his pending warrant in Harris County. The Bureau of Prisons informed HCDAO they needed a certified warrant to prevent Taake’s release. A clerk faxed a copy of that warrant on 1/15/25, but Taake was released 5 days later, in accordance with President Trump’s Pardon order.” … But they just tracked him down and got him. All the best people. … Reporter Roger Sollenberger: “Trump nominee Kash Patel disclosed he’s receiving $1-5 million in shares of a Cayman Islands holding company directly tied to a Chinese corporation the Senate and a pro-Trump nonprofit accuse of ‘slave labor.’ Patel says he won’t divest. Patel’s disclosure says that his shares in the company—Elite Depot Ltd—would begin vesting Feb. 1, two days after his Senate confirmation hearing, will continue to vest through November, and that he won't back out.” … But wait, there’s more: “But Patel appears to have lied about or misrepresented the company on his disclosure, claiming under penalty of perjury it was a ‘fashion management company.’ But it filed as an ‘equity holding company’ in the Cayman Islands. Equity in what, you ask? Patel got millions in equity from this company as payment for being a ‘consultant,’ according to his financial disclosure. Not salary, and apparently no retainer. For doing just 8 months of work. We have no idea what he did.” Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … Sen. Chris Murphy: “So, the incoming FBI Director worked for 8 months as a fashion consultant to a shadowy Cayman holding company connected to a Chinese Communist Party slave labor manufacturer and he gets up to $5m in fees (for 8 months of work! wow!) that only vest after his nomination. WTF.” Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … Fox is reporting tonight that Democrats on House Appropriations Committee have sent a letter to SecDef Hegseth asking him why he has just requested $137,297 for home repairs/paint for a government residence, especially since DOGE is cutting spending across the entire government. … Trump added WaPo columnist Eugene Robinson to his USAID conspiracies, while calling for him to be fired: “Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post is INCOMPETENT! So sad to see him trying to justify the waste, fraud, and corruption at USAID with his pathetic Radical Left SPIN. He should be fired immediately!!!” … Fox reported the back story behind 30 Democratic Representatives going down to the Dept of Education Building today. Wednesday night, 96 members of Congress wrote a letter to Acting Education Secretary Denise Carter requesting a meeting. They were ignored. So members showed up today and tried to go inside the building, but they locked the doors. … Republicans in the House and Senate continue to fight with each other over budget negotiations. The Senate has released Lindsey Graham’s bill, which packages some of Republicans’ biggest immediate priorities like funding for deportations. But the House and Mike Johnson continue to ask for more time so Trump’s entire agenda can be put in one huge package. … Senate Majority Leader John Thune said they are ready to go and aren’t waiting for Weak Mike Johnson to get his children in line: “The American people gave President Trump a mandate to deliver on his key priorities: securing the border, rebuilding our defense, and unleashing American energy. The time to act is now, and Senate Republicans are ready to roll.” … Despite the fact that the Senate is ready, Johnson told Fox he still isn’t: “There won’t be any details announced until the end of the weekend. Possibly not until Monday.” … Andrew Cuomo is leading substantially in the latest Emerson College/PIX11/The Hill poll for NYC Mayor at 33%. Eric Adams is second with 10% percent, and former City Comptroller Scott Stringer - 8%. Cuomo hasn’t formally announced he is running, but he is expected to soon. … Bloomberg reports that AG Pam Bondi has dismantled the DOJ's foreign bribery unit’s ability to investigate and monitor foreign interference in our elections. The unit is now only able to investigate cases involving drugs or trafficking under Bondi’s new directive. … Bradley Hope reports that Bondi also just eliminated DOJ’s Kleptocracy Initiative, which seized Russian oligarchs' yachts, planes and real estate pursuant to sanctions. Hope: “The units recovered billions in stolen assets since 2010. But here's the real story: Sources say a key objective is gaining control of a multi-billion dollar forfeiture fund - money seized from corrupt officials that was meant to be returned to victim countries. Where's that money headed? Bondi's memo cryptically mentions ‘other law enforcement purposes.’ Multiple sources say this means funding new detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay and Texas. … Former DOJ national security prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky told Bloomberg: “Taken together, these changes are an invitation to foreign actors to interfere in American affairs. Even worse, it’s an invitation to Americans to help them do it.” … A very reliable Univ of Michigan consumer sentiment survey shows inflation expectations from consumers is spiking since last month because of Trump’s tariff threats: "About one-third of consumers spontaneously mentioned tariffs, up from 27% last month and less than 2% prior to the election. This is only the 5th time in 14 years we have seen such a large one-month rise in year ahead inflation expectations." … Essentially conceding the lawsuits filed by FBI employees, at least for now, DOJ has agreed not to release the list of names of FBI agents to the public who were involved in J6 investigations. Their agreement states that if they decide to release it, they must give two days' advanced notice so the agents can return to court to contest it before it goes out. … Trump was asked today about his plan for the US to take Gaza: “It’s been very well received. Basically the United States would view it as a real estate transaction.” … Meanwhile, Trump said he is interested in getting his hands on Ukraine’s commodities in exchange for further aid: "One of the things we're looking at with President Zelenskyy is having the security of their assets. They have assets underground. Rare early and other things. But primarily rare earth. Really, we want security, because as you know, Europe is putting up much less money than us." … That is Elon Musk talking. Trump is speaking, but he’s saying what Musk wants. … Marge Greene said on the 'Politically Georgia' podcast that she is thinking about making a run either for Governor of GA or for Senate against Jon Ossoff in 2026: “Of course I’m considering all possibilities. No decisions have been made, but I would be telling a lie if I didn’t say I wasn’t considering it.” … NPR in SF reports that the FCC is now investigating local SF station KCBS for its coverage of recent ICE raids. Deportation Czar Tom Homan has accused them of intentionally “tipping off” migrants on when their agents are in the area for an operation. … Trump-appointed FCC Chair Brendan Carr told Fox said he opened the investigation after KCBS shared the live locations and vehicle descriptions of immigration officials: “We have sent a letter of inquiry, a formal investigation into that matter, and they have just a matter of days left to respond to that inquiry and explain how this could possibly be consistent with their public interest obligations.” … David Loy, Legal Director for the First Amendment Coalition, told NPR: “Law enforcement operations, immigration or otherwise, are matters of public interest. People generally have the right to report this on social media and in print and so on. So it’s very troubling because it’s possible the FCC is potentially being weaponized to crack down on reporting that the administration simply just doesn’t like.” … Loy said it thinks this is being done to deter other news organizations from reporting anything critical about the Trump Admin: “It’s an intimidating exercise. The process is the punishment. Even if charges are never filed, people have to look over their shoulder to wonder, is the government going to come after me because I report something that the government doesn’t like me to say?” … What is also happening here is that both Tom Homan and Donald Trump promised deportation numbers would be exponentially higher than they have been so far. A lot of ICE raids they set up for photo ops, where they expected to round up big numbers of people, didn’t pan out and they looked like fools. So they continue to blame local officials and media. …Sen. John Kennedy was asked on Fox about his push to add a work requirement for Medicaid recipients: “For some people, the best way to get back on your feet is to get off your ass.” … Rep. Mike Lawler joked about her fellow Republican Nancy Mace: “Nancy Mace has gone so far off the deep end she makes Marjorie Greene look like Susan Collins.” … Mace wasn’t amused: “Thanks, Mike. You are totally clueless when it comes to women’s issues. Clueless.” … Trump announced that he is bringing back plastic straws: “I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don’t work. BACK TO PLASTIC!” … This is something very personal to him. He would be lost without his straws. Don’t tell Fox host Jesse Watters, though. He says only Beta males use straws. … Trump announced that Paula White-Cain will lead his new White House Faith Office, White-Cain is a member of the New Apostolic Reformation movement, which seeks to overthrow the U.S. government and replace it with a Christian theocracy led by so-called "apostolic pastors." … She often speaks in tongues while on stage. It actually freaks me out a little when he gets on a roll. … White-Cain has repeatedly said Trump was chosen by God. In a speech on J6, 2021 in DC, she said, "Let every demonic network that is aligned itself against the purpose, against the calling of President Trump, let it be broken, let it be torn down in the name of Jesus." … New Apostolic Reformation leaders view Trump as an agent of chaos sent from God to disrupt American government long enough for the apostolic pastors to take over American society and create a Christian nationalist theocracy. … Many evangelicals were not thrilled with the pick. Jon Root, a Christian activist who worked for Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA: “I’m hearing from a credible source that Trump is well aware that Paula White has been trending all day on X and that the response to him appointing her the head of the Faith Office is receiving a TON of negative backlash. Pray that Trump receives wise, Biblical counsel and does the right thing by firing and disassociating from her. False teachers should be nowhere near the WH and should never be in a highly-regarded position of advising him on matters of the Christian faith.” … Cain is also married to Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who has been in a legal dispute with guitarist Neil Schon for years over Paula gaining access to the band’s bank account and finances, and for Cain performing the band’s music at Mar-a-Lago. Schon is not a fan of Trump. … This was a letter from Schon’s attorneys to Paula in 2023: “We demand that you immediately cease and desist and refrain in the future from inserting yourself in any business of the band and any legal entities used by the band as this contradicts the existing agreement between Mr. Schon and Mr. Cain.” I boycotted my favorite band in high school since they kicked Steve Perry out. Schon and Cain both did that one.