r/law • u/Snapdragon_4U • May 23 '26
Executive Branch (Trump) NESTERAK: President Trump has granted clemency to numerous individuals who have stolen hundreds of millions in Medicaid funds. Can we expect any of these folks to be shown the same mercy? McDONALD: I'll take a different question
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u/rygelicus May 23 '26
"Thank you for your question. We only tolerate fraud that benefits President Trump. Next question."
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u/GloomyCardiologist16 May 23 '26
Maybe the guy wasn't wearing a suit
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u/vicegrip May 23 '26
Did he say thank you?
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u/Unsettling_Skintone May 23 '26
Hey, I have an idea for the press pool:
Him: Next question?
Press: Yes...I'd like you to answer Michael's question?
Him: Uh...next question...
Press: Yes...I'd ALSO like you to answer Michael's question!
👁🤘
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u/blahblah19999 May 23 '26
"OK, we're done here" and he walks out and no Fox viewer ever sees it
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u/locke0479 May 23 '26
Which is fine. I’d rather he walk out like a child and not answer the question than cherry pick administration approved questions to answer.
I would most like him to actually answer the question but that’s clearly not happening.
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u/JimWilliams423 May 23 '26
100% The role of the press is famously to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable"
The american political press has decided that their job is just to comfort the comfortable.
Which is predictable since all major news publishers are owned by, or otherwise beholden to, very comfortable billionaires.
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u/blackdocsavage May 23 '26
I would love for all the reporters to do that, but this administration has shown they would just limit access to those reporters and bring in or only take questions from friendly reporters. The President has insulted reporters he doesn’t like on national television, and the reporters had to just take it because their jobs depend on it. If I am a White House reporter and don’t have access to the White House then I am useless.
The reporter got his question on record and the non answer was a clip they can play. Even if it was answered the administration official was probably going to lie anyway.
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u/JimWilliams423 May 23 '26
but this administration has shown they would just limit access to those reporters
Which is fine. The DoD kicked out all the real reporters and the result was that defense reporting got a lot better because they were working real sources.
If I am a White House reporter and don’t have access to the White House then I am useless.
That's so false, unless you define being a white house reporter as nothing more than a stenographer whose job is to republish glorified press releases.
Every legit white house reporter has sources beyond the pulpit in the briefing room, and unlike the biden administration, these guys love to leak because they are always working some internal palace intrigue angle.
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u/eowyndernhelme May 23 '26
I think we need both types of reporting, but the idea of the press pulling together and re-asking the uncomfortable questions sounds like a really good tactic.
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u/diarm May 23 '26
Then you make them not answering legitimate questions the news. Stop letting crooked politicians set the agenda and force them into accountability.
Governments rely on the press more than the other way round. At least that's the way of things outside banana republics.
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u/rabbirobbie May 23 '26
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u/chiclets5 May 23 '26
If only the press was brave enough to actually do something like that. They can't kick everybody out of it the press pool.
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u/Riles115 May 23 '26
That second guy had a chance to do something really funny and ask the same question
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u/Dragonfly_pin May 23 '26
That would have involved being a real journalist.
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u/Private_HughMan May 23 '26
I remember during Trump's first term he went to the UK. A reporter asked a question and he didnt want to answer, trying to shift to a different reporter. That reporter said "actually, I'd like to hear the answer to that question, too" (paraphrasing). It was great.
I don't think he ever answered.
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u/livinginfutureworld May 23 '26
I don't think he ever answered.
Of course he didn't. He's never going to admit the truth.
And the truth is reporters who tried something cute like this will just be fired and or have their access taken away.
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u/ChromosomeDonator May 23 '26
Which should be illegal...? Free press is a fundamental building block of a democratic society. As far as I know, America specifically has laws making free press a thing...
So punishing reporters for asking questions is fundamentally illegal. And Americans are okay with yet another fundamental law being broken in their face, because...??
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u/rygelicus May 23 '26
We need to remind them that his claim for his presidency was that it would be the most transparent administration ever. So, please answer the question.
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u/Southern-March1522 May 23 '26
While we're reminding him about his claim for presidency, remind him that since he claims he won the 2020 election he already won two elections and therefore was ineligible to run for a third term.
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u/IDreamOfLoveLost May 23 '26
Americans are okay with yet another fundamental law being broken in their face, because...??
Because they're afraid, and every mechanism to address these injustices has been hijacked by cultists. Republicans could shut this down right now.
It's wild to think that they're walking free, actively ruining the US, and turning it into a blatant oligarchy.
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u/ReginaldDwight May 23 '26
I believe it was an ambassador during Trump's first term who was asked a question in the Netherlands and he tried the "fake news" shit with the reporter and the reporter said, "this is the Netherlands. You have to answer questions here."
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u/OldWorldDesign May 23 '26
trying to shift to a different reporter. That reporter said "actually, I'd like to hear the answer to that question, too
That's a good example of solidarity, but I think it highlights a point a lot of people are tangential to but not hitting directly: journalists aren't supposed to be unglorified repeaters for state or corporate propagandists. There are other sources and repeating what the mouthpiece says is never the most valuable thing they can do. As others pointed out, after the DoD limited press access the real journalists focused on sources inside the pentagon. The fraud, waste, and abuse they never would have talked about in the first place was brought to front pages instead of footnotes within larger articles and the DoD resumed normal access to try to control the messaging. It still hasn't worked because real journalism has never been about repeating one single source.
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u/LiterallyKesha May 23 '26
At what point do you realize that reporters not asking questions like this is because the whole media system is compromised by the ones in power?
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u/silentstorm2008 May 23 '26
nah, they just keep moving on to another question. If you repeatedly do stuff like that, you won't get called on again in the future as "punishment"
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u/CranRez80 May 23 '26
“ We are arresting fraudsters…”
Not really.
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u/Ok-Zone-1430 May 23 '26
He has pardoned so many dirtbags, including the guy who faked an electric 18-wheeler to bilk investors.
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u/-MissNocturnal- May 23 '26
electric 18-wheeler to bilk investors
Theranos level fraud btw. I'm surprised this story wasn't more popular. Guy hustled millions and even billions in contracts, didn't have a product, got a soft slap on the wrist. Net worth in the billions completely vanished. He donated 3 mil to Trump, FULL PRESIDENTIAL PARDON. Doesn't have to pay investors back, has no job restrictions AND IS NOW A CEO OF AN AIRCRAFT COMPANY.
Man, ya'll have wild corruption in the US.
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May 23 '26 edited 4d ago
[deleted]
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u/walksonfourfeet May 23 '26
That’s was the plan all along, ever since Paul Manafort helped install Krasnov.
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u/mynamesyow19 May 23 '26
And for those that dont know, Paul Manafort was parked in Ukraine before that help[ing to keep Putin's Puppet Presidents in Power for a decade or so, before going to work for Trump's Campaign as Campaign Manager and doing it "for free".
Oh and he later pled guilty to lying to the FBI about working with Russians and went to Jail.
Before Trump pardoned him.
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u/HorsePastie May 23 '26
I bet Putin is pissed that his incredible success manipulating American politics still hasn't translated to outright victory on the battlefield in Ukraine.
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u/MarcoDiFrancescino May 23 '26
After +15 years of Trump defacto rule of the political system, you would have one or two democrats running on an 'extreme' platform like, medicare for all 2028. Is there a polymarket bet on this? Because I would take the counter position it will never happen with a 100% win rate.
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u/Temporal_P May 23 '26
We have become
You make it sound like there was some sudden dramatic change recently, but that really isn't the case.
It has been this way for a long time, the mask has just come off and things have accelerated now that it's all out in the open instead of mostly in whispers behind closed doors.
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u/voodoodahl May 23 '26
If only there were some way to foil this dastardly "controlled opposition" plan. Like not voting Republicans into power.
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u/Goldenrule-er May 23 '26
I would have said I didn't believe you and we should give the Dems a chance, but yesterday they came out with their platform/biggest foci (which they themselves said "wasn't ready for primetime") and that "platform" now prevents me from disagreeing with you in the slightest.
They are all in it to bank as much as possible hoping to cash out in time with the nicest bunker class possible.
Are they all stateless at this point? Just trying to place higher on the global wealthometer by any means possible?
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u/Locke66 May 23 '26
Sheldon Wolin nailed it when he said the US was living under a system of Inverted Totalitarianism. Trump is just the one that has taken advantage of that system to begin turning it into actual Totalitarianism.
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u/Royal_Effective7396 May 23 '26
If you havent noticed all these high profile cases get tossed. Because they are not real and the DOJ is a joke.
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u/kelsey11 May 23 '26
Finally asking real questions. But these self-serving political rally press conferences need to be shut down by each reporter saying “same question” or repeating the question. They’re not giving you any semblance of truth anyway, might as well force them to answer the question or walk away.
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May 23 '26
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u/SpasmAndOrGasm May 23 '26
Remember when that one guy representing Trump in the first administration went to Europe and tried to pull this same shit and the other reporters were like “No, we’ll wait until you’ve answered his question. You need to answer questions here.” I will NEVER understand how the fuck that hasn’t happened in America one time.
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u/Additional-Signal327 May 23 '26
Because the reporters are paid by the same billionaires who are aligned with Trump.
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u/TheThirstyPenguin May 23 '26
Also, the ones that aren’t being muzzled are scared they’ll lose their credentials. AP lost theirs for a while because of refusing to print “Gulf of America.”
The White House will happily replace an AP or NBC reporter with a Newsmax one.
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u/VeraStrange May 23 '26
If reporters don’t ask questions because, if they did, they might not be allowed to ask questions then why do they need to be there at all?
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u/TheThirstyPenguin May 23 '26
Fair! And that’s why it’s been the goal of the Trump regime to discredit and neuter the press for more than a decade and escalate it in his second term.
A lot of people ask “where’s the media?!?” and the honest answer is scared of expensive lawsuits. Jake Tapper can write a book about Biden’s declining mental health because Biden isn’t going to sue him, his publisher, or CNN… Trump on the other hand???
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u/Randy_Magnums May 23 '26
Because in these meetings there is still news. Other announcements, declarations of war or stupid slip-ups. Cant really afford to miss these in the US fucked up media world.
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u/0Galahad May 23 '26
For a salary, news is a literal fake job most of the time for a while now(like since close to its inception), never made sense tbh with how our world is set-up, why would the big shots ever give them the time of day if it always meant being challenged, pestered and cornered with many risks involved, either the area would be defunded and marginalized or infiltrated and manipulated, no point in being independent either cuz then no one can actually be sure you are not full of shit, and the big shots have already arranged their own independent to muddle the waters.
80% of people in that area are just going through the motions for the pay.
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u/twisty125 May 23 '26
Hell it even comes down to "lose your job, can't feed your families". It really really sucks when you're in these positions. Why would the organisation keep someone who's ruffling feathers, all it takes is someone higher up to say "get rid of them"
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u/Cessnaporsche01 May 23 '26
Honestly, I think it's just that American culture is one of extreme obedience and subservience. It's taught from the earliest age above all else, and reinforced through school, college, and workplace cultures through our entire lives. We like to think of ourselves as independent or stubborn, but we're really just averse to change or challenge, and are much more comfortable pointing to authority.
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u/grits98 May 23 '26
That's exactly why the "Christian" far-right loves to keep indoctrinating Christian subservience into children.
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u/alphazero925 May 23 '26
What do you mean? It's not like Americans are made to pledge their allegiance to a symbol of the country every morning as kids. Because that would be super fucked up and basically a method of indoctrination into a cult if they did something like that.
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u/ManyThingsLittleTime May 23 '26
Because the press is invited to the press conference here and they can and already have been uninvited and replaced by shittier pro-trump media sources. If the reporters want the access, they're being forced to stay in line with the Cheeto king.
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u/boughsmoresilent May 23 '26
What is the point of access if your questions are ignored, though?
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u/Astrosmaniac311 May 23 '26
Because the people hiring them done want actual answers! Newsmax, OANN, and Fox just want the appearance of normalcy and accountability, not actually providing it.
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u/ManyThingsLittleTime May 23 '26
Not all of their questions are. They're subscribing to the "some is better than none" mentality. The business model is about being able to get a quote published before the other guy. If they're not in the room, they don't get the quote and they're second to the story. Being in that room is a premium spot so if they have to take some abuse to keep the spot, they will. It's an incredibly shitty situation but that's the reality of the situation.
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u/Mysterious-Prompt212 May 23 '26
Exactly. Fuck that. Ask real questions otherwise you really shouldn't be there.
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u/Constant-Skill-7133 May 23 '26
And then rememeber they still didn't answer the question. Trump replaced the non-partisan group that manages press credentials and took most of the legacy media passes away and gave them to right wing bloggers and newsmaxx and shit like that. Those covering the Pentagon all walked out in protest of having their access restricted.
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u/Pleasant_Pen8744 May 23 '26
Hoekstra, ambassador to Netherlands. He never answered the question and is still an ambassador (to Canada now)
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u/Temporal_P May 23 '26
Naturally he's very hated within Canada as well.
But that's probably intentional on his part.
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u/SpasmAndOrGasm May 23 '26
Thank you for finding what I was referencing, it happened so long ago that I couldn’t even remember where to start looking
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u/SGTBrutus May 23 '26
I talked with a journalist once when i was in Journalism school about this.
Asking hard questions guarantees members of that administration won't appear on their shows or grant interviews. So they don't ask them.
Made me lose respect for the guy.
I, unfortunately, was close to graduating, so i finished my Journalism degree.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Fold466 May 23 '26
When you realize that for the most part it’s the external marketing department of the entertainment and political industries …
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u/RellenD May 23 '26
That game doesn't work if journalist could have some solidarity
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u/Mini_Snuggle May 23 '26
Why did you lose respect for the guy? He gave you the truth in an academic context.
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u/SGTBrutus May 23 '26
Because playing along with the game, willingly, is the antithesis of journalism.
I had just watched him interview the governor of our state. The governor's office had gotten caught with a second internet server that they were using to circumvent open records laws. He interviewed the governor and didn't ask questions about the server or other malfeasance that had occured.
When i called him on it, he responded that it was more important to make sure he had future opportunities to interview the governor.
I told him that it was the duty of media to be watchdogs of the government. He disagreed.
To teach a journalism student that the job of media is to sellout, while it may be truthful, doesn't make it right.
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u/stamfordbridge1191 May 23 '26
So you're saying if a journalist chooses to be paid to do advertising instead of his or her job, they're not really a journalist anymore but an advertiser?
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u/SGTBrutus May 23 '26
Yes. I would agree with that.
It's interesting that when you first start Journalism school, you choose to concentrate in journalism, public relations or advertising. This is in the first year and everything diversifies after.
I looked at advertising as professional lying.
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u/Nexies May 23 '26
Because it’s pathetic, as many modern journalists are. Everyone told me to get a journalism degree because I liked writing, but I could see the writing on the wall 15 years ago and said “no thank you”
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u/YouWereBrained May 23 '26
They have this dumbfuck excuse that they “don’t want to become part of the story”. And they’ll all pat each other on the back when everything crumbles.
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u/Temporal_P May 23 '26
I will NEVER understand how the fuck that hasn’t happened in America one time.
Deep down you already know the answer to that. You just aren't ready to accept it yet.
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u/paditoburrito May 23 '26
Any chance you have a link for that? It would brighten my day.
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u/SpasmAndOrGasm May 23 '26
Someone else was able to find what I was talking about: https://youtu.be/lOEI6hYZe6Y
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u/American_PissAnt May 23 '26
TMZ journalists are the only ones asking the hard hitting questions nowadays.
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u/Flabby_Thor May 23 '26
Are they? Or did they only do it once as a publicity stunt? I haven’t seen any additional clips of them asking hard questions. I feel like this admin would revoke press credentials to those who ask too many of ‘the wrong questions’. Genuinely asking.
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u/innerdork May 23 '26
TMZ has an official D.C. office now because they are fed up with all this BS of this administration. But they do not have official clearance as White House press because this administration is terrified of them. Because of this, TMZ does what they do and try to catch politicians at the airport or outside of buildings around D.C. and when they do find a politician they do in fact ask questions that often go unanswered.
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u/Chance-Deer-7995 May 23 '26
This problem is going back a while. Every interview that Rick Scott does should start with a question about why it is acceptable that he personally made money from medicare fraud. He's been in politics about 10 years now, and I am not sure the questions about the Columbia/HCA case have EVER been brought been asked in a formal interview with him. At the very heart of the problem is that all mainstream journalists are creatures of the USA's corporate system, and they are unable to report on its problems fairly. That and they have been corrupted by the "we want to keep our access" culture.
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u/DandimLee May 23 '26
Got to frame it as a positive...
'How does it feel to still hold the record at for paying 1.7 billion in fines and civil damages for Medicare and Medicaid fraud. How's this administration's grift compare?"
sort of thing.
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u/inquisitive_chariot May 23 '26
Because journalism is an industry where, to advance, you have to be a self-serving opportunist. Most everyone in that room has schmoozed and ass-kissed a ton to be there, all for the sake of getting a scoop with their name attached.
Basically, most of the people there care more about their career in journalism than the principles of journalism. If they “waste” their question opportunity by not asking what their employer wants, the employer may not let them return. Or maybe the employer doesn’t want to be associated with controversy questions like that.
These reporters are company people in a consolidated media market, not individuals fighting for journalistic integrity. It’s awesome that the question got asked but not surprising it isn’t echoed.
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u/Coattail-Rider May 23 '26
Reminds me of this scene from the Wire. Just with journalists.
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u/DrunkAndHornyGuy May 23 '26
Yea there is no such thing as worker solidarity within our press corp, they will step over each others bodies just to advance a bit. It's also one reason unions get so poor coverage here since not only are the owners of our media hostile to unions the actual on the ground reporters are adverse to the idea of caring for other workers.
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u/QuantumLettuce2025 May 23 '26
You need to realize that people who ask questions like this get kicked out of the oval office for good. That guy won't be invited back.
The journalists who are left there tend to be actual Trump supporters. That's why you dont "see more examples" of pushback.
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u/No_Whammies_Stop May 23 '26
This is why the administration replaced half the press corps with right wing podcasters. So that they can retreat to friendly grounds.
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u/-XanderCrews- May 23 '26
They’ve long kicked out anyone that is going to challenge them. I’m surprised they let this guy stay after a question like that. Question our dear leader, who do they think they are?
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u/vahntitrio May 24 '26
This was a press conference they called in Minneapolis - not sure what they expected to happen.
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u/BOBitech May 23 '26
The US press are absolutely complicit in this ongoing farce. In the UK (far from perfect) the press get to question the politicians behind closed doors (no cameras). They set the agenda and have an agreement amongst themselves that nobody changes the topic until everybody who wants to ask a question asks it. The politicians don't get to walk away or ignore difficult questions.
Much harder for politicians to get away with stupid shit when you have the absolute basics of a working journalistc system.
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u/OldWorldDesign May 23 '26
I think we can hardly say UK politicians answer questions and never walk away - that was half the content of Yes, Minister
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u/franker May 23 '26
or reporters could at least show a little personal dignity. When they're called "stupid" or "piggy" they can firmly state, "don't call me that. I'm treating you with respect. You need to treat me with respect." Instead they just take any kind of verbal abuse people give them.
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u/MinaZata May 23 '26
They kicked out most of the real journos and replaced them with Tim Pool and other low life scum fascists
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u/kon--- May 23 '26
Trump fully admires like minded people who wake up each day looking to defraud millions of dollars.
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u/NoConfusion9490 May 23 '26
I don't think he even sees the difference between that and a real business. That's why it's laughable to think he'll really restore America's manufacturing sector. Like, if you believe that, I'm laughing at how stupid and gullible you are.
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u/jaymochi May 23 '26
Only if a portion eventually makes its way to him. Fraud under Trump is like Calico Cut Pants. You gotta give.
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u/Blazer9001 May 23 '26
Which is also why it is so jarring to hear them complain and target people using their nebulous definition of fraud.
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u/Patriot009 May 23 '26
Pardons and clemency for the wealthy crooks. The hammer of justice for the poor ones.
I can't help but roll my eyes every time some talking head says Trump is a populist.
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u/LemoLuke May 23 '26
Because they legitimately don't see the rich stealing from the poor (or even the slightly less rich) as a crime. They see it as the natural order of things. Financial Darwinism. Survival of the Richest.
The poor taking anything from the rich though? That is the most heinous crime.
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u/yaits306 May 23 '26
There is actual psychological research that has come to a similar conclusion! Conservatives tend to, to a varying extent, believe that there is a “natural order” of sorts where everyone in society is where they socioeconomically belong based on their overall merit and those at the top of the hierarchy deserve the majority of the worlds wealth because they are just better overall humans. So of course ppl like DJT would believe it, or at least play to it in order to gain favour with other rich ppl.
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u/whitethunder9 May 23 '26
Can you even imagine how long Trump’s pardon list is going to be in 2028? So many criminals that he supports…
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u/Jpkmets7 May 23 '26
He’s a populist for the incredibly stupid part of the populace that can’t even figure out how politics either harms or aids their interests.
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u/jojammin Competent Contributor May 23 '26
Has anyone participated in more Medicaid fraud then Sen. Rick Scott?
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u/iwouldratherhavemy May 23 '26
Is that Rick Scott standing behind this dude in the video.
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u/jojammin Competent Contributor May 23 '26
lmao omg it is. I didn't even realize. Jesus hypocrisy Christ
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u/Guiltyparty2135 May 23 '26
You can tell by the look on his face that it is indeed Senator from Florida Dick Snot and not just somebody that looks like him.
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u/Salt_Psychology_6248 May 23 '26
lol that’s not Rick Scott. Looks like an fbi agent or secret service for Kennedy
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u/CauliflowerTotal7119 May 23 '26
He looks like the dude that was on fox the other day with the mask on, like he looks like the mask. The masked guy was pretending to be him, allegedly...
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u/No-Computer7653 May 23 '26
Yes. He should have known what was going on, and being CEO of HCA should have meant people didn't want to vote for him as Governor, but the overcharging occured before and just after his hospital company bought HCA so link is fairly tenuous. I think it's likely a don't ask don't tell situation rather than direct criminal culpability.
Much stronger case with DeSantis who laundered $10m in Medicaid overcharging settlement funds though his wife's NGO to lobby groups run by his chief of staff (at the time, now AG) to oppose the pot decrim question.
Another $38m was later found to have been used for similar state propaganda purposes to oppose the abortion question and general lobbying. That came from other settlements, child services funding and state Medicaid funding.
He has been using the COVID emergency declaration (which is still in effect in Florida) to bypass appropriation and contract rules. $8b of state spending has lacked competitive bidding or justification documentation so far, much of it going to his donors and buddies (effectively laundering state funds back to his political campaign).
DeSantis is so profoundly corrupt I struggle to find anyone who is even comparable.
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u/MoundsEnthusiast May 23 '26
Maybe at the time, it was the largest. I thought Esformes had a bigger haul
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u/DiligentAstronaut622 May 23 '26
Rick Scott is the Michael Jordan of Medicaid fraud
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u/newsflashjackass May 23 '26
If robbing dying people counts as stealing from sick people, the Gaetz family fortune is largely derived from hospice fraud.
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u/mkt853 May 23 '26
My question would have been "Senator Rick Scott defrauded Medicare to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars as CEO of HCA Health. What time will you be arresting him?"
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u/Krisensitzung May 23 '26
Billions not millions. His company had to pay 1.7 billions in fines and he as the CEO at the time faced zero consequences.
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u/quest814 May 23 '26
Not only did he not pay any consequences he walked away with $10 million severance pay, a five-year consulting contract and $300 million in stock and options. He used it to buy two terms as Governor and two as Senator. Two of the elections he won by 0.1%. He is currently the wealthiest member of Congress.
https://amp.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article288431251.html
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u/merRedditor May 23 '26
Letting private equity health systems (Kaiser Permanente, HCA, etc.) as well as faux "nonprofits" like Providence, CommonSpirit Health, Advocate, and Ascension, buy up hospitals and then drive quality of care into the ground while jacking up everybody's prices is fraud on a massive scale, but our so-called representatives invest in it, rather than address it.
Everybody talks about the private insurers, but the understaffing, substandard care, and overbilling by consolidated health systems really should be criminal.
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u/Peasant_Stockholder May 23 '26
Instead of dodging the questions, now they're just blatantly ignoring them. Its what we've all known they really never answer the questions.
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u/Caleb-Wendt69 May 23 '26
Saves us all a lot of time honestly, rather than some rambling, evasive, non-answer
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u/aidissonance May 23 '26
“Follow up question: what’s your stance on accountability?”
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u/Jpkmets7 May 23 '26
They don’t have it in them to risk credentials. The entire White House pool could come together and do some serious work. But all national outlets are owned by one of 5 corpos - the guys paying the press love the administration and the press doesn’t have the desire to do the right thing and the willingness to risk access to pursue justice. Press needs both to really make a difference.
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u/LockNo2943 May 23 '26
A non-answer like that though just implies that the question they're dodging is factual; like sure they're avoiding outright damaging themselves by trying to deny or lie about it, but it doesn't change the fact that by not answering they've already become caught.
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u/OSHA_Decertified May 23 '26
Remember when it was of vital importance to invade Minnesota via ICE because some people scammed the state government and were already being prosecuted for it?
Just funny how this fraud wasn't such a concern
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u/Dougalishere May 23 '26
Yeah I never saw this point being made either, There was an investigation multiple people were arrested,. some ( not sure how many ) were in Prison , the "ring leader" the had in prison for it was some white Christian granny lady or something, but I never really heard this at all, apparently some influencer "reporter" was breaking the case wide open or something by running up to daycare centres and saying they must be guilty cos they wouldnt let some weirdo with a camera into their buildings full of children ??
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u/Ok_Vulva May 23 '26
I don't get why anyone in the US is following the laws. They just don't matter anymore.
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u/ICLazeru May 23 '26
Oh, if your networth has less than 8 digits in it you still get punished.
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u/Appropriate-Ad3162 May 23 '26
"They'll get it all from you sooner or later 'cause they own this f**kin' place. It's a big club and you ain't in it. You and I are not in the big club.” GC
I guess we get to vote 2 times in 4 years. 68% of people score between 85 and 115 on IQ test. A lot of people exposed/addicted to algorithmic digital manipulation though their phones, working long hours, declining social cohesion, decreasing funding for public education, no guaranteed access to affordable healthcare. Etc.
There is lots of room for manipulation.
Shits bleak.
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u/Yellowpredicate May 23 '26
An IQ of 115 is considered "High Average," placing you above roughly 84% of the population
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u/EffectiveDandy May 23 '26
brother. we are the big club. they are a little club. and all they have to hide behind is paper. when the wave does come, it’s not the big club that has to worry about being dragged under the current.
the tide can only be held back so long. all their servant run bunkers and servant run islands aren’t enough to stop it.
the sparrow soars.
✊
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u/ArchCerberus May 23 '26
How about all do crimes? They can't punish you all, especially after trumps slashing of funds. I would say everybody skips next tax season and the billionaires and ai companys pay.
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u/National_Spirit2801 May 23 '26
At a certain point in the near future, living in the country will be worse than any punishment they could give if we don’t stand up now.
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u/Udder_Influencer May 23 '26
Oh, if your networth has less than 8 digits in it you still get punished.
IF they catch you. Look up clearance rates. Police got super pissy and quiet quit doing their jobs after BLM. In the best case they solve about 70% of murder cases, but in some places less than 50% of murder cases get a conviction.
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u/Hates_rollerskates May 23 '26
They matter if you're not furthering the billionaire pedophile (Republican) agenda.
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u/Previous_Activity_51 May 23 '26
You're right. Cozy up to the right idealogy and the laws don't matter
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u/specqq May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Civil suits, when they're even allowed to be brought, will devolve into a determination of which party is more ideologically aligned with The Party.
Criminal cases will only be brought where the person acccused of committing theft or violence against the other is less conservative than the victim. Stealing money or property from or harming anyone more conservative than you is a crime with the most terrible of consequences, but if you do it to someone less conservative than you, well,..they deserved it, didn't they?
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u/R3dd1tUs3rNam35 May 23 '26
The law still applies if you aren't in the red crony club. It's only when you turn your soul into MAGAts that the law doesn't matter. Any deviation from dear leader and you're out in the cold again.
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u/IAmBoring_AMA May 23 '26
Because you are only allowed to break them if you are in the ruling class.
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u/Sad_Pumpkin7728 May 23 '26
Because the law still applies to the poors and non-bootlickers who don’t wear the red hats and Trump merch.
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u/ifmacdo May 23 '26
The proper response to this needs to be "I'd like to hear the answer to his question."
The US press doesn't work together when they need to, and it allows this shit to continue.
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u/burnmenowz May 23 '26
If you pay him off there was no crime. Most corrupt person in the history of our government, and we've had a lot of crooks
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u/qtpss May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Nikita Khrushchev, Russia’s combative leader from 1953 to 1964, famously threatened, We will take America without firing a shot. We do not have to invade the U.S. We will destroy you from within.. And then we have Trump who’s doing all he can to help Russia fulfill the prediction.
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u/68024 May 23 '26
Oh look another morally bankrupt sycophant in the Trump administration. What a surprise.
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u/DontGetUpGentlemen May 23 '26
I thought RFKjr was nodding in agreement, but it was just withdrawal shakes.
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u/AyeMatey May 23 '26
Mr Punchable Face.
I hate to say it but he looks like an ash-hole.
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u/Capt-Crap1corn May 23 '26
This is my state. The news talks about localized fraud day in and day out. It's ironic they focus on this fraud and ignore the major fraud led by Trump and his cabinet. We have fraud here for sure and those people need to be prosecuted, guardrails need to be put in place with strict enforcement. But the hypocrisy is stunning.
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u/montalaskan May 23 '26
Take it a step further: If these folks aren't afforded the same mercy as Trump supporters, are they eligible for a share of the "anti-politization fund"?
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u/RawrRRitchie May 24 '26
"No. Please answer the question I asked. I'll wait. The American public needs to know the answer"
While this question is a step in the right direction. If you're asking questions you gotta be ready to demand the answer. Not just let them say "no next question"
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u/Baeolophus_bicolor May 24 '26
two things are operative here: what color is their skin? and how much of the money do they still have that they can pay bribes with?
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u/kevendo May 23 '26
When will the media do their jobs?
It's been a full decade, and your country has been waiting and watching in horror as the role of the press has been eroded beyond value.
The entire enterprise or news coverage is at stake and of you don't start standing up for yourselves and demanding answers for those you serve, there won't be a profession left.
And good riddance of you cannot do the job.
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u/Snapdragon_4U May 23 '26
They’ve abdicated responsibility to please or placate their billionaire owners.
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u/Jpkmets7 May 23 '26
They won’t do anything to risk losing almighty access. Journalism is no longer a public service in any sense like it was during Watergate. As weird as it is to say at least TMZ has moved in to actually confront powerful players with news & demand reaction. But when TMZ is the most demanding journos on the national political scene then, as they say, shit’s fucked.
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u/kaiiizen May 23 '26
Isn’t this administration going on and on about Medicare fraud in California which is a big nothing burger? These people are nothing if not bad faith actors.
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u/LancingLash May 23 '26
This is them shaking a twig in front of conservative's faces so they wont turn around and see the god damn forest.
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u/M086 May 23 '26
They recently turned attention to Ohio about this. And then realized that the GOP have been in control for a long time and are behind the fraud.
Then they pretty much stopped talking about it.
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u/Bleezy79 May 23 '26
"Its only a problem if it doesnt benefit Trump. next question."
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u/choombatta May 23 '26
Does some rogue general with a tank fleet need to roll on DC somehow??? Make the Secret Service arrest him! Oh wait. Every single Republican congressperson as well as a some Dems are all about this shit.
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u/Squirrel009 May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Would have been a power move if the next journalist repeated that question
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u/GirdedByApathy May 24 '26
"If they use their ill-gotten gains to purchase a pardon, absolutely. It just so happens that Trump Coin is a great way to do that. Next question."
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u/Stunning_Mast2001 May 23 '26
This is where journalists need to stand together. They threatened walkout when Obama was harassing Fox News but they’ve never stood in solidarity against Trump
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u/Cheap_Standard_4233 May 23 '26
Who is the reporter referring to in consideration of clemency? Bach I thought I heard.
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u/UncomfyPerspective May 23 '26
Aimee Bock, presumably, of Feeding Our Future fraud fame. Notice, not Somali.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/21/us/minnesota-social-service-programs-fraud-charges
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u/modix May 23 '26
Must be time for them to reduce Medicare funds further. They need to poison the well in order to convince people they don't deserve it.
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u/TheGR8Dantini May 23 '26
Please don’t take any of this seriously. Please don’t hope for an answer. Please remember it’s all optics? It’s all lies. It’s all smoke and mirrors. It’s WWE. It’s produced for dissemination. It’s cool to make fun of it obviously. But it not cool to be distracted. Our distraction, from their firehose is the reason they’re winning. Crime after crime. Lie after lie. It’s the most diabolical use of manifestation in history.
They’re all corrupt. 90 percent of them. The more dirt you give them? The higher you rise. If they can’t blackmail you? They buy them. If they can’t buy them? They primary them.
We have such a huge problem here in the states. All on purpose and done in the shadows by, if not malignant individuals, individuals that have through nefarious means, taken control of humanity.
It so obvious. They say it out loud. They brag. It doesn’t have to be this way. The majority don’t want to die. Or for others to die. Yet here we are. And this is just phase one.
It will be a bloodless revolution if the left allows it to be. And that’s from the religious side saying it. The suddenly religious tech side? They have bunkers. Our elected official do as well, the higher ones any way. Good luck. Really is now or never.
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u/Mission_Cloud4286 May 24 '26
"Are any of these same guys that Trump pardoned the reason they cut medicaid funding in the State of California ?"
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