this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2025
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politics

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Summary

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt struggled to justify claims of government fraud during a press briefing, despite weeks of investigations by Elon Musk’s DOGE.

Instead of proving fraud, Leavitt pointed to contracts that simply conflicted with Trump’s policies. When pressed by reporters, she claimed wasteful spending was fraudulent without offering evidence.

Meanwhile, Musk’s team has accessed sensitive data from multiple federal agencies, raising concerns about privacy and oversight.

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[–] StormMission907@lemmy.world 123 points 5 days ago (8 children)

How do Trumps press secretaries say stuff with a straight face. Last time was the same. Trump spews nonsense and she smiles and repeats it.

[–] AdamEatsAss@lemmy.world 59 points 5 days ago

Some people just don't care or don't realize how stupid they look.

[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 44 points 5 days ago

She’ll do anything for money and power. She’s a 27 year old married to a rich 60 year old.

Maybe it’s true love, but given her choice of employer, I’m assuming she’s in it for the cash.

[–] clif@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago

The last one is now a governor.

... So apparently it pays to vomit lies that align with whatever he says. Seems the people love it.

[–] otto@sh.itjust.works 14 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Because they’re delusional and actually believe it. They’ve convinced themselves of this fantasy reality so they never have to admit that they’re wrong and can act like the biggest piece of shit in the world without deserving any consequences for it.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

The real question is whether anyone believes it. Evidence indicates that too many people do. It works

Imagine having the superpower to say any ridiculous thing and have it become real (to 50% of voters). Of course in this case the superpower is easily manipulated followers, but wouldn’t you use that for evil if you could?

[–] NielsBohron@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

wouldn’t you use that for evil if you could?

I wouldn't, but I can see the temptation, even for people that aren't sociopaths.

I'd like to think that even if I was using that power to go around official channels, it would be in the service of the greater good and I would strive to leave the lower and middle classes better off than when I took office (but of course that could very easily turn into a God Emperor of Dune-situation where I'm trying to keep everyone on the "Golden Path" that only I can see, which is of course the danger of any dictator, benevolent or otherwise)

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Honestly if I had that power, I’d try never to speak again. Think of Black Bolt from the Inhumans. He was so traumatized by the damage his voice did that he just never opened his mouth

[–] NielsBohron@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

On the other hand, if you have the power to help people and you don't use it, isn't that immoral, too? Especially when the harm you might be doing is merely subverting the free-will of oligarchs and bigots to ensure the physical safety of marginalized groups?

It's the trolley problem on a larger scale with hypothetical superpowers

[–] TimeSquirrel@kbin.melroy.org 6 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I'll tell you the moon is made of cheese for $1.

[–] Nollij@sopuli.xyz 4 points 5 days ago

Google Moon (Google Maps of the moon, showing landing sites and whatnot) proved it - if you zoomed in all the way, you could see that it was made of cheese. At least you could, until the woke media forced them to take it down! (/s)

You can still find articles about it and showing it.

[–] SamboT@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

If i give you millions of dollars, are you willing to look quite dumb?

[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com -4 points 5 days ago

TBH it's better than Mat Miller smirking his way through a genocide.

And either way it's a pointless tv show.

[–] kibiz0r@midwest.social 63 points 5 days ago (2 children)

The video: https://youtu.be/9fr7XjK_57o

“This is fraud”

holds up signed contract authorizing the payments

[–] Mog_fanatic@lemmy.world 41 points 5 days ago (7 children)

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. There's so many comments on there being like "oooooh they didn't expect her to have that much evidence. Get WRECKED libs." How can anyone see that and genuinely think any evidence of any type of fraud was provided in any way? Like the reporter immediately said afterwards, this all just looks like spending that they don't like and somehow that proves it as fraudulent.

Somebody make it make sense. How are these adults.

[–] Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works 26 points 5 days ago

In answer to your last question it is an unfortunate, but incontrovertible, truth that the only single qualification for becoming an adult is staying alive long enough. That’s it.

I’ve been adulting for almost three decades. No fucker has ever made me sit an exam. It’s crazy. I wouldn’t trust me to adult, but here I am…

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 9 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

It has to be true. Homelander said so himself.

(I just rewatched S3 and started S4 no spoilers pleas)

[–] chuckleslord@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago

Like the demons from Frieren, they found the magic word that lets them do what they want. There is no further thought

[–] Zess@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago

Confirmation bias just like everything else in their pathetic lives.

[–] kibiz0r@midwest.social 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] captainWhatsHisName@lemm.ee 3 points 5 days ago

Hopefully adult bots

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

When trump gets elected trolls crawl out of their dank holes to self pleasure themselves over the end of the USA

[–] Jericho_Kane@lemmy.org 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

No one questioned when trump said that it would be a good idea to nuke a hurricane. Americans are piss babies that are scared to upset the upper class.

The fuck are you talking about? A lot of Americans thought that was stupid.

[–] cultsuperstar@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago

They use a lot of words that they don't know the meaning of, like fascism, woke, and Christianity, to name a few.

[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 51 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Of course there was no fraud. That is what the checks and balances in the bureaucracy are there for you dolts.

[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 26 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I mean, there probably is: you can't have trillions of dollars moving through that many hands without something shady happening.

But like, DOGE isn't going to find it. They can't. They're operating as if fraud means money just "vanished". Like they're going to find some account is missing a billion dollars nobody can account for. That's not what fraud looks like at scale.

It'll be more like, contracts awarded (or not awarded) based on listening to businesses say things that they know not to be true, intentionally misrepresenting information and their positions to shape public spending. For example, convincing California to not build transit because you promise you can dig them tunnels, when you know full well you're never going to build them tunnels.

That's what fraud looks like, and there isn't a DB query for that.

Not saying he hasn't tried. "SELECT * FROM government WHERE fraud_flag = 'fraud';"

"Damn, didn't work"

"Maybe the flag is 'secret_fraud'..."

[–] Nollij@sopuli.xyz 4 points 5 days ago

He tried that, and it didn't work. That's how he knows the government doesn't use SQL.

Of course, he probably just typed it into Google. Or asked his own shitty AI how to find fraud.

[–] thallamabond@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Also inspector generals, but 17/74of them have been fired now.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

Another illegal move.

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 33 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

So it’s fraud to pay NY the legally contracted $80M to house migrants in 2025, but it’s not fraud to electronically claw-back the payment six weeks into the year, without congressional approval?

That will be all Press Secretary Barbie.

[–] Banana@sh.itjust.works 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

This is extremely offensive. Barbie wouldn't do this. She is not Barbie.

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

I always saw Barbie as just an empty vessel for the thoughts and words of her handler. I guess she technically does have her own personality after all the movies.

[–] Banana@sh.itjust.works 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

To be fair, I was totally being facetious haha

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Oh I figured, but you never know how the next person will read a thread. It can’t hurt to see both sides on something as trivial as name-calling. Press Secretary Barbie is not a hill to die on. Lol

[–] Banana@sh.itjust.works 8 points 5 days ago

I'd welcome an actual Barbie as press secretary after this fucking clown show.

[–] Malfeasant@lemm.ee 2 points 5 days ago

Barbie ... handler

I see what you did there...

[–] yarr@feddit.nl 26 points 5 days ago

without offering evidence.

These folks were never the one to let pesky facts get in the way. All that "evidence" was planted by Democrats, I'm sure.

[–] Banana@sh.itjust.works 27 points 5 days ago

This is exactly why they want to dismantle the department of education. They can't have people, mere civilians, know what fraud is.

[–] Hoomod@lemmy.world 13 points 5 days ago (1 children)

DEI hire can't do her job properly

[–] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 2 points 5 days ago

I wouldn't be surprised if Karoline Leavitt was only hired cause she's blonde, white, and someone thought she was attractive.

[–] BetaBlake@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago

Trump should know fraud, he's been perpetrating it for decades

[–] BrokenGlepnir@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

This administration is an expert in fraud. After all wasn't the president found liable civilly for it?

[–] Placebonickname@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

I’m actually waiting to see if they’re gonna release a DVD set of Sean Spicer press secretary conferences.



[–] cabron_offsets@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

Literally plz

As always the left think she crashed and the right think she’s amazing and the divide deepens.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

Press secretaries always lie, it is part of their job. Donald Cuck's secretaries are special because all they do is lie and their lies are so unbelievable it is like we are in an episode of Black Mirror.

[–] Punchshark@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 days ago

She is a cunt 100%