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So.... The US government was designed to -deny- the executive branch oversight and answers from the departments and agencies that the exutive branch runs? Or

So.... The US government was designed to -deny- the executive branch oversight and answers from the departments and agencies that the exutive branch runs? Or it was designed such that the exutive branch may not appoint or use independent organisations or consultants to perform audits? I dont think that is accurate.

threeseed 2y ago
Not sure what you are talking about. Audits happen all the time in government. What is extraordinary is doing so with (a) no thought to privacy or security, (b) using teenagers with no security clearances, (c) by a billionaire who seems to just be going after his enemies e.g. USAID was investigating SpaceX.
- jandrewrogers 2y ago
  > with no security clearances Everyone has the necessary clearance. People need to stop treating clearances like a magic totem, the executive can grant access like candy if they wish, and often does when expedient. DC is organized around minimizing the need for a formal clearance/access process because it is slow. Between the executive carte blanche and various title authorities with their well-understood loopholes, you can often just do things.
  - threeseed 2y ago
    > Everyone has the necessary clearance Then why did a Federal Judge just restrain DOGE from their work because of a violation of the Privacy Act: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-and-18-states-sue-trump-doge-access-privacy/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-and-18-states-sue-trum...
  - ModernMech 2y ago
    > the executive can grant access like candy if they wish That doesn't mean doing so it can't be a problem when they do. This article is exactly why doing so is problematic and justifies the existence of the clearance process. If they hadn't circumvented the process, the FBI would have found this information instead of Wired, and it could have been handled properly instead of in the public by the media. Going around this process opens people up to being blackmailed or extorted -- what if foreign intelligence found leverage over one of these people before our media and used it to extract government secrets? We don't even know if these people have been trained to handle classified and sensitive information. Do they even know their own rights and responsibilities?

threeseed 2y ago

Not sure what you are talking about. Audits happen all the time in government. What is extraordinary is doing so with (a) no thought to privacy or security, (b) using teenagers with no security clearances, (c) by a billionaire who seems to just be going after his enemies e.g. USAID was investigating SpaceX.

jandrewrogers 2y ago
> with no security clearances Everyone has the necessary clearance. People need to stop treating clearances like a magic totem, the executive can grant access like candy if they wish, and often does when expedient. DC is organized around minimizing the need for a formal clearance/access process because it is slow. Between the executive carte blanche and various title authorities with their well-understood loopholes, you can often just do things.
- threeseed 2y ago
  > Everyone has the necessary clearance Then why did a Federal Judge just restrain DOGE from their work because of a violation of the Privacy Act: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-and-18-states-sue-trump-doge-access-privacy/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-and-18-states-sue-trum...
- ModernMech 2y ago
  > the executive can grant access like candy if they wish That doesn't mean doing so it can't be a problem when they do. This article is exactly why doing so is problematic and justifies the existence of the clearance process. If they hadn't circumvented the process, the FBI would have found this information instead of Wired, and it could have been handled properly instead of in the public by the media. Going around this process opens people up to being blackmailed or extorted -- what if foreign intelligence found leverage over one of these people before our media and used it to extract government secrets? We don't even know if these people have been trained to handle classified and sensitive information. Do they even know their own rights and responsibilities?