The bombshell report by The New York Post alleged that sources within the FBI had called Patel “in over his head” and his deputy, Dan Bongino, “something of a clown.”
“Patel apparently did not have his own FBI raid jacket with him and refused to step from the plane without wearing one,” the report, citing a highly respected agent, read.
FBI agents who were working on Kirk’s case “had to stop and ask around to find an FBI raid jacket — a medium-sized one — that would fit,” and eventually Patel was given a jacket belonging to a female agent.
However, according to the report, the FBI director complained that “two areas on the upper sleeves did not have Velcro patches attached” and refused to leave the plane until those areas were patched, prompting agents to remove their own to loan to him.
Difference there being everyone knows that’s a mockery and not genuinely intended to be true.
For the ‘allegedly true’ stuff that is actually realistic and realistically knowable but is on dubious grounds in actual facts, that can backfire without much upside.
Did any of the shit the right spreads ever backfire? Did “Hilary has a penis” backfire? Did pizzagate backfire? Did “Obama was born in Keyna” backfire? But yeah, if you say something untrue about Patel it will… what? Make some democrats switch sides?
The truth doesn’t matter any more. Making fun of those people is the only way you can get to them right now. If you prefer to sit this one out that’s fine.
I’d say the Pizzagate and birther movement did backfire to some extent, some moderates alienated by how ridiculous they were. Ultimately it wasn’t enough to stave off the Trump presidency, but if not for Pizzagate and birther movement, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Trump managed to even get the popular vote in 2016, for example. I didn’t even recall the ‘hilary has a penis’ thing at all, so I can’t speak to that.
Everything that “alienates moderates” also serves to rile up extremists. It worked perfectly for Trump. He rose to power spreading lies about immigrants and won elections by lying about the economy. I really don’t understand how someone can still think he can be defeated with facts.