• SkepticalButOpenMinded@lemmy.ca
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    8 months ago

    I’m not convinced it is a good thing that both are being investigated if the investigation into Buttigieg is just political smearing. HRC’s emails show the cost of abusive investigations. Investigations aren’t cost free, either monetarily or in terms of public trust in institutions. It implies he did something worth investigating, and devalues the seriousness of real investigations, like those against Trump.

    When the review was announced, Buttigieg had flown on FAA planes 18 times out of 138 flights for official trips since becoming secretary early in 2021, according to The Washington Post. He takes commercial flights most of the time, and when he uses FAA aircraft, it’s usually because it’s cheaper than commercial flights, a Department of Transportation spokeswoman said.

    This does not seem to be something worth investigating.

    • squiblet@kbin.social
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      8 months ago

      devalues the seriousness of real investigations

      The only thing people like Green or Jordan doing Congress is distract, distract, distract.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Huh?

      If they investigate him, and everything is cool, then it’s cool… Which is what the article sounds like.

      If he’s abusing it, just to a much smaller degree, then that’s still an issue.

      Like, that’s the whole point of not just holding people from your “own team” accountable. If someone might be doing something wrong, you investigate them no matter who they are.

      Do you think an investigation means a huge thing where he testifies in front of Congress? That’s not an investigation.

      • chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        The problem with investigating false allegations, aside from the waste of tax payer money, is that the damage is done in the beginning of the investigation. The fascist talking points are now about excessive spending from the Democrats. They won’t even bother retracting statements when they are found to be false.

        • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          What do you think an investigation is?

          It’s just looking at his flights, and seeing if he was flying free when he should have been paying.

          From the article, that’s already been done.

          How much do you think that possibly costs?

          • BURN@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            The republicans don’t care what the outcome of the investigation is. They just want to use it as a political gotcha.

            Government investigations over frivolous things are a waste of taxpayer money and time.

            • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              Government investigations over frivolous things are a waste of taxpayer money and time.

              It’s getting concerning no one answers this and acts like it’s a giant thing…

              What do you think an investigation is?

              Like, an audit would take a low GS employee an afternoon…

              What do you think an investigation entails that it’s prohibitively expensive?

              • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                Whats wrong is this is retaliation by Republicans. Did you read the article? They’re framing it as taxpayers paying for Peter to receive gay sex awards. Does that sound like a pressing issue? Or a real thing to you? Does that sound worthy of investigation? The Avengers should have never stopped Thanos.

                • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  They’re framing it as taxpayers paying for Pete ro receive gay sex awards.

                  If I said Donald Trump cheated on his taxes to fund the cloning of hitler in the hollow core of the Earth, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do anything about him cheating on his taxes…

                  I feel like I’m going crazy here, I don’t get why I’m not be clearer here.

                  • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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                    8 months ago

                    Because your argument is fucken nuts, bro. This isn’t an excersize in proactivity. Its obvious politcal retaliation.

                  • MooDib@lemmy.world
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                    8 months ago

                    I think you’re looking at it from a rational view. However, most people don’t actually look into things and instead just read headlines and make assumptions from there. They should absolutely look into any type of fraud, waste, and abuse but generally it is done behind closed doors. The only reason this is being broadcast out to the world, despite there being seemingly overwhelming evidence of no wrong doing, is to create headlines and a PERCEPTION of wrong doing. That perception is all they care about because to their constituents perception is reality.

              • BURN@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                It’s not just this case. This is a much wider pattern from the republicans to waste taxpayer money investigating things that they have no need to be involved in.

                The same idea applies to the hunter Biden probe. It’s politically motivated investigations that don’t need to be done, but are done because the republicans can use taxpayer money to hash out their problems.

                Nobody is saying this specific audit cost millions of dollars, but it certainly cost a whole lot more than just the salary of a single person for a few hours.

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Yeah, but when you have obvious and public cases of MASSIVE corruption in “your own team” and you fail to adress that… instead gojng after any “petty” corruption in the other team…

        Yeah. That’s a problem.

        • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          If someone steals 100 million from a charity, it doesn’t mean we dont care if someone else stole 10k…

          And it certainly doesn’t mean we don’t even look if someone stole 10k

          • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            You missed the point.

            Or your ignoring it because you know that your team doesn’t care aboutnl corruption, just scoring political points.

            Either way you slice it, republicans are patently and blatantly corrupt and only going after democrats because they’re democrats.

            • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              Either way you slice it, republicans are patently and blatantly corrupt and only going after democrats because they’re democrats.

              So?

              Literally who cares what they’re doing. Dems should be investigating everyone regardless of party.

              Otherwise no Dem will ever be held accountable, because Republicans are completely incompetent. It won’t take long of that for grifters to take over both parties.

              Holding everyone accountable shouldn’t be a controversy statement.

              • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                Otherwise no Dem will ever be held accountable

                held accountable for…what, exactly? having a big cock? or having a job? or, Biden doing business after leaving the whitehouse? Or Pete Travelling? Literally none of these house investigations- which are being done by REPUBLICANS- are being conducted in good faith. it’s partisan politics, and it’s a massive waste of time. Because Democrats do hold their own accountable where republicans absolutely do not.

                There is zero evidence of corruption here- or else it would be moved to criminal courts- See, for example, Senator Menendez.

                • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  Or Pete Travelling?

                  I’m trying to stay on topic here…

                  But yes, if he used government private flights when he should have paid for his own travel.

                  It doesn’t matter if Republicans abuse it more. Democrats are supposed to be the adults in the room. And adults don’t get to get away with stuff just because the toddler threw shit on the walls.

                  If he didn’t do anything wrong, then it’s very easy to prove. There’s all types of records for this stuff and a GS6 could put a report together in an afternoon.

                  There’s zero reason not to do that

                  • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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                    8 months ago

                    If he didn’t do anything wrong, then it’s very easy to prove. There’s all types of records for this stuff and a GS6 could put a report together in an afternoon.

                    There’s zero reason not to do that

                    And there’s no reason to waste the House of Representatives time with a floor hearing or panel, either. Because either he did or didn’t. And if he did, it would have been shouted at from the rooftops rather than dragging out meetings. So we both know he didn’t. Then there’s the $1 salary thing which is just Greene dicking around because… they have nothing else they can do.

                    It doesn’t matter if Republicans abuse it more. Democrats are supposed to be the adults in the room. And adults don’t get to get away with stuff just because the toddler threw shit on the walls.

                    Just re-read what you just said. “it doesn’t matter if Republicans [are corrupt assholes]. Demcorats are not supposed to be [corrupt assholes] and [not-corrupt assholes] don’t get to get away with [being corrupt assholes].” I don’t know about you, but I’d like to have a congress that isn’t filled halfway with blatantly corrupt assholes that seem to be doing everything in their power to fuck over Americans. maybe that’s just me.

      • SkepticalButOpenMinded@lemmy.ca
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        8 months ago

        I am not against holding “my own team” accountable if there is some valid reason to think there is something worth investigating. If there isn’t, it is a witch hunt, and witch hunts are harmful. They can be used to harass, waste time, and slander by vague insinuation. More to the point, the public has finite attention. News of pointless investigations can be used strategically to drown out real ones, which is a threat to democracy. That is, I believe, what Republicans are presently doing.

      • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        The problem is, Republicans don’t tell the truth. When you actually press the investigative committee into Hunter Biden about the evidence they have, they’ll quietly murmur there isn’t any. But otherwise, they’ll very loudly suggest they have evidence and outright lie.