4 ms·

Obama (for the most part) went after National Security leakers, IIRC. Trump seems to be going after any federal agency that does not pursue goals that he wants

Obama (for the most part) went after National Security leakers, IIRC. Trump seems to be going after any federal agency that does not pursue goals that he wants.

cmdrfred 10y ago
To keep this in context the "National Security leakers" leaked data about the Orwellian surveillance state he created and journalists that were murdered by US armed forces.
- btilly 10y ago
  Actually the Orwellian surveillance state was mostly created by Bush. Obama only inherited and expanded it. (And now Trump looks like he wants to USE it...)
PKop 10y ago
What are you talking about... serious question? Seems as if what Trump has initiated is no different than previous administrations upon taking office [0]. Are you sure there's some clear break from past precedent? [0] https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/825001424455077890 https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/825001424455077890
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- WalterSear 10y ago
  https://twitter.com/MsKellyMHayes/status/824707261754994690 https://twitter.com/MsKellyMHayes/status/824707261754994690
- btilly 10y ago
  I am quite sure. Moves like https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/whitehouse/epa-science-under-scrutiny-by-trump-political-staff/2017/01/25/1f8424a2-e35b-11e6-a419-eefe8eff0835_story.html?utm_term=.35d2bd397afa https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/whitehouse/epa-scien... to provide political review and censorship of scientific work is something that hasn't happened in this country since McCarthy was taken down. Or take the reinstatement of the Holman rule. See https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/house-republicans-revive-obscure-rule-that-could-allow-them-to-slash-the-pay-of-individual-federal-workers-to-1/2017/01/04/4e80c990-d2b2-11e6-945a-76f69a399dd5_story.html?utm_term=.9628dc4f9cef https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/house.... This rule allows politicians to target individual civil servants. This is again not business as normal. This rule was removed under Ronald Reagan in 1983. No administration since has sought its reinstatement. This again fits into the theme of creating "chilling effects" from partisan oversight of what is supposed to be a politically neutral organization. For a third example, see http://www.salon.com/2017/01/10/please-dont-tell-us-the-truth-house-gop-blocks-budget-watchdog-from-reviewing-cost-of-obamacare-repeal/ http://www.salon.com/2017/01/10/please-dont-tell-us-the-trut.... The CBO is widely viewed as neutral, and has been kept that way for many years. It routinely provides estimates for every bill of what that bill's impacts are likely to be, including the estimates of the impact on our deficit. However House Republicans want to repeal the Affordable Care Act and do not wish to be embarrassed by estimates of how much removing some of its inflation limiting provisions will impact our federal deficit. So they are banning the CBO from calculating this number. I can cite plenty of precedents for all of these actions. They are all before my birth, or in other countries. They are emphatically NOT business as usual in the modern USA.

Obama (for the most part) went after National Security leakers, IIRC. Trump seems to be going after any federal agency that does not pursue goals that he wants.

cmdrfred 10y ago

To keep this in context the "National Security leakers" leaked data about the Orwellian surveillance state he created and journalists that were murdered by US armed forces.

btilly 10y ago
Actually the Orwellian surveillance state was mostly created by Bush. Obama only inherited and expanded it. (And now Trump looks like he wants to USE it...)

PKop 10y ago

What are you talking about... serious question? Seems as if what Trump has initiated is no different than previous administrations upon taking office [0]. Are you sure there's some clear break from past precedent? [0] https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/825001424455077890 https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/825001424455077890

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
WalterSear 10y ago
https://twitter.com/MsKellyMHayes/status/824707261754994690 https://twitter.com/MsKellyMHayes/status/824707261754994690
btilly 10y ago
I am quite sure. Moves like https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/whitehouse/epa-science-under-scrutiny-by-trump-political-staff/2017/01/25/1f8424a2-e35b-11e6-a419-eefe8eff0835_story.html?utm_term=.35d2bd397afa https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/whitehouse/epa-scien... to provide political review and censorship of scientific work is something that hasn't happened in this country since McCarthy was taken down. Or take the reinstatement of the Holman rule. See https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/house-republicans-revive-obscure-rule-that-could-allow-them-to-slash-the-pay-of-individual-federal-workers-to-1/2017/01/04/4e80c990-d2b2-11e6-945a-76f69a399dd5_story.html?utm_term=.9628dc4f9cef https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/house.... This rule allows politicians to target individual civil servants. This is again not business as normal. This rule was removed under Ronald Reagan in 1983. No administration since has sought its reinstatement. This again fits into the theme of creating "chilling effects" from partisan oversight of what is supposed to be a politically neutral organization. For a third example, see http://www.salon.com/2017/01/10/please-dont-tell-us-the-truth-house-gop-blocks-budget-watchdog-from-reviewing-cost-of-obamacare-repeal/ http://www.salon.com/2017/01/10/please-dont-tell-us-the-trut.... The CBO is widely viewed as neutral, and has been kept that way for many years. It routinely provides estimates for every bill of what that bill's impacts are likely to be, including the estimates of the impact on our deficit. However House Republicans want to repeal the Affordable Care Act and do not wish to be embarrassed by estimates of how much removing some of its inflation limiting provisions will impact our federal deficit. So they are banning the CBO from calculating this number. I can cite plenty of precedents for all of these actions. They are all before my birth, or in other countries. They are emphatically NOT business as usual in the modern USA.