William Webster, the only man to head both the FBI and the CIA, has urged the US Senate to reject Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s nominees as directors of the bureau and national intelligence, arguing that they are unqualified.

Writing to senators, Webster, who is aged 100 and who was appointed by both Democrat and Republican presidents, called on them to “weigh the critical importance of nonpartisan leadership and experience” and suggested that Patel and Gabbard possessed neither attribute.

“The safety of the American people – and your own families – depends on it,” he wrote, emphasising the importance of Senate confirmation hearings that will scrutinise the two nominees.

Wesbster, who was appointed as FBI director by Jimmy Carter in 1978, took aim at Patel’s suitability to head the bureau, implying that he exhibited an over-zealous loyalty to Trump that could undermine the rule of law and set a “dangerous precedent”.

  • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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    1 day ago

    this is the only silver lining to a trump presidency.

    these 2 institutions are at the core of almost all of the violence and misery that humanity has had to needlessly endure over the last century+ and their neutering would be a benefit to the future.

    • Darkard@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      And you think putting two fascist boot lickers in charge is going to somehow reduce human suffering?

    • glimse@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Ever think about who will be doing the neutering?

      Those institutions provide us benefits as well suffering and “neutering” those institution means cutting the good parts and keeping the shitty parts…it won’t lead to replacing them

      • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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        1 day ago

        i’m okay with fascists fighting each other to detriment of their goals.

        what “benefits” or “good parts” are there?

        • glimse@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Public services? Currency? Distribution and organization systems? The US government does a lot for its citizens. Not enough, if you ask me, but nobody in Trump’s administration is going to “neuter” tax loopholes or health insurance companies. They’re going to neuter the services because they don’t benefit the rich.

          • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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            1 day ago

            Public services? Currency? Distribution and organization systems?

            please provide sources of the cia & fbi offering these services.