Thune defers to Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton, who, obviously, wants maximum control returned to the Central Intelligence Agency, and it is a little funny; visibly funny. Because in the background -much to the angst of the SSCI- people are starting to realize how this dysfunctional Intelligence Community apparatus actually works.
With Marco Rubio as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, and John Ratcliffe as Director of the Central Intelligence agency, and Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence, the SSCI has started to lose control over their analyst-centric institutional control mechanisms.
What most Americans don’t yet fully grasp is how ridiculously stupid most of the Intelligence Community actually is. For two decades, particularly when Team Obama was in charge, the IC qualification that mattered was political ideology. The IC became a massive network of analysts, who had no functional ability to interpret reality on the ground – regardless of where the intelligence was coming from.
As a consequence, the IC got almost everything wrong as they chased outcomes borne from the brain trust of leadership within the Senate, within the CIA, and within U.S. Dept of State. Instead of looking at things as they are, the IC always looked at things from the prism of how they wanted it to be. The analysis of the issue flowed from that perspective – regardless of the capability of the Govt institution to create that outcome.
Rubio, Ratcliffe and Gabbard started taking apart that nest of bureaucratic analytical thinking – and focusing on policy that doesn’t come from the Senate. When you take that approach, the Senate loses control. SSCI Chairman Tom Cotton is asked about Acting DNI Pulte and hilariously says: “I have no observations on the matter.” WATCH:
.
Thune and Cotton don’t work for American Citizens.
Thune and Cotton don’t support the leader of the Republican party… President Trump
Thune and Cotton don’t support the will of the voters.
Thune and Cotton are traitors.
That pretty much describes most of Congress?
As Obi-Wan said “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.” A perfect description of our corrupt cartel government
I was going to post the same phrase, Margie!
nuke it.
Which character plays Greedo? Hunter Biden?
“I was just going to see your boss. Tell Jabba I’ve got his money.”
Yet we consent to these types, and by extension, consent to the states existence so, who is really at fault for what we see? Do we not make excuses that sound like fairy tales for adults such as “It’s a necessary evil”, “It’s better than the alternative”, “What about…?”? Do we not love our freedom and liberty enough that we are willing to abolish it all and let the pieces fall where they may? Are we really so helpless that we cannot live and thrive without it all? Will we remain afraid of countless fictitious bogeymen that have been fabricated out of whole cloth to continue this sick, violent, abusive relationship?
Well, yeah… where there is a vacuum, something even more evil will fill it. I’m not fond of Jihad or Communism, so.
That is why I will never vote for Vance.
You are right, of course. The system we have today makes it very difficult to get the government we at the Tree House want and need. With guys like Thune that puts America last and $$$ and influence first, we will have to work extra hard to even get something so very obvious like the SAVE Act, done. Looking back not too long ago, I have to admit that we’ve made huge progress towards freedom, almost all coming from President Trump. We just have to keep our eye on the ball here.
Took the words right off my keyboard!
CONgress clearly does NOT work for We the People. Who DO they work for?
You said it so much better and to the point.
Sooner or later people reveal what they want to hide from others and this often occurs when they let thing slip by their words:
“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. . . . . The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6)
Well said.
Neither Thune nor Cotton are traitors. Thune is lackluster and weak at best, and Cotton is exceptional, even if he is not always in tune with President Trump.
Sundance is right that Pulte is a “placeholder,” which Tom Cotton also understands.
It’s times like this that I”m not sure who to hate more the uniparty is sick,sad, disgusting and I must stop. They sure make it hard.
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-statement-on-appointment-of-bill-pulte-as-acting-director-of-national-intelligence
““At the ODNI, Pulte will be intimately involved in overseeing FISA Section 702, where he could do vastly more damage and the potential for abuse is nearly unlimited. Bill Pulte’s appointment at ODNI is yet another reason that every single Democrat should refuse to reauthorize Section 702 without strong new safeguards for Americans’ rights.”
Yes I am going to use AI (gemini pro to be specific).
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has consistently voted against the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in its current form. He is one of the Senate’s most vocal critics of the program, arguing that the government’s ability to conduct warrantless “backdoor searches” of Americans’ communications violates the Fourth Amendment.
Rather than supporting clean extensions of the law, Wyden has repeatedly demanded structural overhauls to protect domestic privacy.
The 2026 Reauthorization FightAs Section 702 faced its expiration deadline in the spring of 2026, Wyden aggressively opposed efforts to push through a “straight extension” of the law without new privacy safeguards.
The 2024 Reauthorization (H.R. 7888)When Congress passed the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act in April 2024—which reauthorized Section 702 for two years—Wyden voted Nay.
The 2023 NDAA ExtensionIn December 2023, Wyden voted against the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)—a massive, typically bipartisan military policy bill. He opposed it specifically because a short-term, four-month extension of Section 702 was attached to the must-pass legislation without a standalone floor debate.
Proposed Legislative ReformsWyden supports reauthorizing Section 702’s foreign intelligence gathering capabilities, but only if paired with significant domestic safeguards. He is a lead sponsor of the bipartisan Government Surveillance Reform Act, which aims to:
Sen. Wyden blocks vote on straight extension of FISA
This video features Senator Wyden’s recent remarks on the Senate floor where he outlines his opposition to reauthorizing Section 702 without sweeping privacy reforms.
noting: for reasons I cannot explain, but will emphasize, President Trump AND CONGRESS has decided that spying on American on US soil with a secret court is hunky dory.
NO IT IS NOT.
I don’t give a damn that wyden is a democrat…forget about it. He is and has been against 702 reauthorization more than any other DC creature. Is he the combs of the hannity show? I doubt it. Wyden is a interesting american. I will not qualify him as a patriot in the sense that most of us understand what patriot actually means (he is after all, a peacenik, highly transactional, etc.) but there is the question.
why do so few Congress rat bastards push back on fisa renewals?
the answer is obvious and you need not look further than wydens’ purse. He has few shells. He doesn’t get paid off.
isn’t that interesting?
God Bless America
The Constitution seems to cover us We The People but somehow it doesn’t cover Congress?! Amazing how Congress has slipped the bonds of our extraordinary God given Constitution! JMO
Yes it is interesting. He is from Oregon, was involved with the whole Bundy affair and the murder of the Rancher whose name escapes me. Portland Oregon is infamous for harboring Antifa and just today we find many if not all those arrested in New Jersey for rioting at the ICE facility are home based in Portland.
I am not sure why this Pulte guy is more of a threat than Tulsi has been or why President Trump doesn’t seem all that concerned about safeguards for American Citizens either.
LaVoy Finicum?
Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, was killed by the FBLie. Finicum, 55, was a rancher, foster parent, and I think the leader of the Bundy standoff at the wildlife refuge. He was murdered in cold blood. Total setup. I’ll never forget it.
Wyden’s facelift is failing.
Wyden has always been a civil libertarian type going back to the 80’s when he was in the House (OR-3, SE Portland and a bit east).
He has always been one for privacy rights. Been pretty consistent on that one.
The darting eyes and obvious nervousness is telling my spidey sense that Mr. Thune has many skeletons to try and keep hidden.
Did you notice the little weasel beside him, Lankford? He was even more twitchy than his normal twitchiness. I can’t believe the people of OK continue to send this POS to DC to represent their great state.
The C1A needs to be disbanded and a whole new organization replace it. It has been corrupted from it’s inception. Democrats created it as a cover to bring in thousands of Nazis into America. It has been doin dirty jobs for primarily Democrats since then All the movie and TV exploits of Missions Impossible is just misdirection entertainment.
Maybe they work for Democrats, North J, but what about when the CIA targeted John Fitzgerald Kennedy?
The Democrat Party of the 60’s is nowhere near the Democrat Party of today.
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” would never pass muster for the Dems today!
All alphabet agencies need to go! They are unelected entities!!!
BOTH sides of the aisle.
It’s the old “Conflict of Visions” that Thomas Sowell warned us about. Gad Saad touched on this conflict on Bongino’s podcast this morning.
And then there is the old TDS where, “Evrything that DJT does is evil, by definition” mind virus, which escalates everything out of proportion.
The article said they, CIA, do NOT know what is happening ON THE GROUND.
See a big problem there.
Tune and Cotton 🙂
Sea Island, Georgia.
I choked a little on my iced tea!
If Thune and Cotton are against Pulte, then I am for him.
sometimes this shadetree logic works. sometimes it sends the likes of Jesus from chicago into the whitehouse for 8 long years.
choosing the lessor of two evils isn’t a path forward for maga…and I KNOW you already know this.
we must refuse to vote for weevils. (hat tip to master and commander,…you may also like to roar in laughter if it happens upon you)
all in good fun…no offense. you simply reminded me of a really great movie, one I am fond of…mostly because I spent so much time at sea with shipmates that have many gone to Davey Jones locker. I will probably be the last one of my time, so I submit to you that this is yes, selfish of me to want to find some humour in the problems of the day.
God Bless America
Here’s the Problem…..The United States is the Worlds Primary Reserve Currency….This is what gives the Communists Democrats and Rhino’s power…. What’s the Tradeoff????
This is why Thune, Cotton, Rhinos and Democrats etc act the way they do……
Term limits for Senators is a necessity.
Not necessarily.
Repeal 17A & it’s much harder for “lobbyists” to bribe them.
Then repeal 22A because those arrogant, smug bastages had no right to limit our choices for POTUS without also limiting themselves to a like number of terms.
One “rat”is as bad as the next “rat”!
Tune? If that was a misprint it is epic.
Tune should be T-O-O-L.
Would be the correct pronunciation.
Cotton is useless
Cotton is a Lawyer…..so, Yes…..
Cue the picture of Cotton looking all Sassy with Sasse and Schumer outside
the capital gym.
Wasn’t Cotton one of the Sea Island, Georgia traitors working to replace President Trump in 2016?
Watching Thune, Cotton, Lankford, & Barrasso stand together at these contemptible “news” opportunties (often Capito is now included), is smelling the swamp in full stench.
Cotton is a real disappointment, as early on, it seemed that he just might be worthy – ah, but the perception faded and became blacker over time.
Whenever I see them with Tune, they remind me of oxpeckers.
Notice how Caputo always looks up to him? like he’s the Master? It sickens me.
Pulte was confirmed by the Senate in 2025 to be head of the FHFA. Since he’s already had a Senate confirmation, Trump could presumably put him in permanently. I assume he is there to take over for now because Tulsi has to leave soon.
I also assume he’s had some long chats with Tulsi on what is left to be done.
Am I the only one who heard this from Cotton?
Cotton ” look forward to working with ODNI Gabbard in her last 4 weeks <snip>…..to take the DNI back to its original intent as a mere coordinator of the IC.
Did I hear that right? Senators squirming an hoping for a return to business as usual on the SSCI?
you heard it right.
Cotton shrinks when exposed to too much heat.
You are not the only one – I heard that, had a WTH moment and listened to it a second time. They really think they are our betters; they are beyond despicable.
That’s what he said. It seems unimaginable she would agree to that. So he sounded incoherent. All I can make of it is that’s he angry at how she’s done the job and angry at the new appointment. His words were meant to show that anger.
I’m waiting to see what happens between now and the end of June.
My, my. It was Pulte who referred Letitia James for criminal investigation for mortgage fraud.
He also questioned the regularity of the respective mortgages of Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook (Cook is the Fed board member Trump is trying to fire).
When I was serving at a particular MAJCOM (Major Command headquarters in the Air Force) back in 2012 and asking around about potential 3-letter-agency jobs after my service commitment was up, I was told by multiple people it was a bad idea. The rumor there was that the FBI and the CIA were currently engaged in an internal civil war thanks to the Obama administration. In the years since, it has always looked to me like Team Obama won.
I fully grasp “how ridiculously stupid most of the Intelligence Community actually is”.
We learned that through the absolutely ridiculous happenings of the past 9 years? Maybe 15? 20?…
The IC spied on regular Americans for political purposes.
The IC spied on an American President(s).
The IC spied on members of Congress/Senate.
The IC made the life of anyone who supported Trump, or who was speaking out against government corruption, miserable in a million tiny ways. People were put on No Fly lists (Tulsi), or de-banked, or de-platformed, etc. etc. etc. Don’t believe in mass vaccinations? You’re fired! Decided to “parade” on January 6th? JAIL FOR YOU and we’ll beat you on your way in. <spit>
They have Zero credibility left, even now, while I hope things are changing. Any Congress or Senate person who supports the corrupt and overreaching IC, and/or seeks to keep CONTROL of those organizations, and not for good, should be eyed with great suspicion. I sincerely pray things are changing. We really need to kick those Senators to the curb by the regular, legal, voting process.
“brain trust”!
There have been 5 elections since MAGA was created by Trump.
There are maybe 5 MAGA House members in Congress and 0 MAGA senators.
Someone will have to explain that to me.
While you are doing the explanation throw in how we have 0 MAGA states.
The worst thing about stupid people is that they are too stupid to know how stupid they are. This let’s them think they are smart and there’s not much more dangerous than a stupid person that thinks they are smart. There are many such employed by government.
Can’t fix Stoopid.
Yikes! Cotton is more than angry!!!
We must be over the target! Thune is a JOKE.
Peanut butter their butter. Dead criminals commit no more crimes that is a fact prove me wrong. Add Schumer and Super Chris. To balance the senate.
Thune and Cotton are both our enemies.
They are mortal enemies of God given individual liberty, the Constitution, republicanism (original definition), and The Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.
They should be treated as such.
“I have no observations on the matter.”
That’s code for: “You have no idea how frustrating this is to not be in complete control of things that are, by design, supposed to be beyond my influences.”