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Meet Bill Pulte. He leads this week’s Jerks of the Week, where we’ve rounded up another crew of the nation’s worst.
BILL PULTE. First up is Donald Trump’s disastrous pick for acting Director of National Intelligence, Bill Pulte. Pulte’s background is in the building business, and he’s been serving as Trump’s director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. He has zero experience in national intelligence, and not even the lowest form of security clearance. He’s so unqualified that even a few Republican senators are scrambling to block his appointment, pointing out that the DNI role is one of the only ones with an explicit clearance requirement. Trump is unconcerned though, since his main goal is for Pulte to gut the office.
What Pulte is experienced in is being Trump’s lapdog and a total creep. As part of his current job, he’s dug up dirt on a number of Trump’s enemies, playing a key role in his vengeance campaigns against New York Attorney General Letitia James, Fed Governor Lisa Cook, and Sen. Adam Schiff. Trump himself has suggested that Pulte will be doing something similar in the DNI job, saying “he may find out some things about the rigged elections.” If his lack of qualifications and clearance didn’t worry you enough, that part definitely should. Meanwhile, a video has emerged of Pulte hosting a strange event involving a lime green dildo (I kid you not) and an award that says, “Bill Pulte F*cks…Only the Young.” Disgusting.
TRUMP’S DOJ. Speaking of bogus investigations, Trump’s Justice Department on Friday sent one of its attorneys to watch over processing of primary ballots in Los Angeles. The move comes as Trump complains about how long it’s taking them to count the ballots, saying it’s a sign of “cheating.” Well no, Don, it’s called California law, which stipulates that all ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days after are valid. DOJ Attorney Bill Essayli is throwing his own tantrum, claiming on social media that his office is undertaking “multiple election fraud investigations” in the state—something the LA District Attorney’s office says it’s heard nothing about. Lol.
DONALD TRUMP JR. & PETER NAVARRO. Then there’s Don Jr., whose blooming bromance with a top Trump aide is paying off. Peter Navarro has been part of Don Sr’s entourage since his first term, and he’s since become fast friends with his oldest son. Don Jr. even visited Navarro when he was in prison for refusing to comply with a subpoena in the House’s investigation of Jan. 6, and Navarro later dedicated his book to him as someone having “my back when it was against the wall.” Awww. Last year, Navarro made it up to his friend by vouching for a $620 million Pentagon loan to Vulcan, a company Junior just happened to invest in three months before. When called out for this blatantly corrupt move, all Navarro had to say was that it’s “fake news,” which under this administration obviously means “it’s 100% true.”
SCOTUS. Since gutting the Voting Rights Act was so much fun for the majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, it has set out to make sure that every state that disenfranchises Black voters succeeds. Their latest move was to uphold Alabama’s gerrymandered map that eliminates one of only two Black-majority districts in the state. They say they just can’t interfere this close to election time. But that didn’t stop them for failing to save the map Virginians voted for. Ridiculous.
GRAHAM PLATNER. Last up is Graham Platner, a U.S. Senate candidate from Maine who just might fit in better with the MAGA creeps across the aisle. He’s once again embroiled in scandal following reports that he sent sexual messages to women while married and was demeaning and violent towards women he dated. These accounts are just two more bullet points on a growing list about the would-be Senator—including comments downplaying rape, a now-covered tattoo of a Nazi symbol, and the fact that he’s a child of privilege cosplaying as working class. Of course, Platner insists all of this is in the past, and he’s a better man now. But the texts are from as recent as a year ago, and the women’s accounts corroborate some of the worst claims he’s denied. My verdict? Maine deserves better than this jerk. There are other Democrats on the ballot. Vote wisely, Maine.
Of course, the biggest jerk of the week, month, year, and decade is always Donald Trump himself, but there’s only so much space here to write about all the horrible things he does in a single day, much less a week. Fuck Trump.
Now scroll down for our Heroes of the Week!
This Past Week
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Amid the daily onslaught of infuriating news, we have to acknowledge the heroes among us. The list continues to grow, as more and more of us stand up to the tyrant and his fascist regime. Courage is infectious. Be brave!
SCOTT PELLEY. Speaking of jerks, CBS’ Editor-In-Chief Bari Weiss would have fit right in on the list. She’s been overseeing sweeping firings, with the goal of getting in Trump’s good graces so the network’s parent company, Paramount, can complete a merger with Warner Bros. On Monday, 60 Minutes’ Scott Pelley bravely called her out. He accused Weiss of being “brought to kill” the show and pointed out the glaring incompetence of new staff. By Tuesday’s end, he was fired. That didn’t stop him from speaking out some more, denying the network’s claims that it tried to “find a way back” with him and saying he was “shown to the door.” Since then, he’s said CBS News is “on fire.” Pelley refused to be a part of it and put his job on the line. That’s why he’s a hero.
THE JUDICIARY. The judiciary had yet another heroic week, starting with a federal judge’s decision Friday to strike down a Trump Administration policy stalling decisions on the immigration applications of nationals from dozens of countries. This week also saw wins for transgender people, with brave judges upholding a decision blocking Trump’s ban on them serving in the military and ruling that states can go ahead with their legal challenges to his campaign against them. Meanwhile, another federal judge ruled that the National Park Service can’t stop an anti-Trump group from carrying their “86-47” flag near the National Mall, saying that it can’t be interpreted as a call to violence against him. Damn straight, judges.
STATES SUING TRUMP. Also putting pressure on the Trump Administration are the seven states suing to block its billion-dollar deal to end a wind project off the New York coast. New York and six other states say the deal will be a blow to their economies and climate goals. New York’s Attorney General Letitia James sums it up: “We are fighting back to stop this illegal agreement that threatens to erase over a thousand union jobs and cheat millions of New Yorkers out of clean, affordable energy.” Right on, states.
KENNEDY CENTER. Yes, it took a court order, but the Kennedy Center staff got right on removing Trump’s name from its building, signage, and general branding. The Center’s management earlier this week sent a memo to staff members with instructions, and they immediately (gleefully?) started covering up and removing Trump’s name. Hallelujah.
ALBANIAN PROTESTERS. Albanians have been rallying for a week against a billion-dollar luxury resort being developed in a protected area on Sazan Island, off the country’s Adriatic coast, by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. The activists have adopted the pink flamingo as their symbol because environmentalists say local wildlife, which includes flamingo habitats, will be destroyed by the project. The demonstrators are rightly incensed that the public has had no consultation or input. Albania’s anti-corruption prosecution office has opened an investigation into the project. These Albanians are setting a good example for the rest of us.
HONORABLE MENTION: CONGRESS. Three good moves this week suggest that Congress—and even some members of my old party—are growing some spine. First, on Wednesday, House lawmakers passed a resolution to put an end to Trump’s war in Iran, with four Republicans crossing the aisle to make it happen. They also approved a bill to place fresh sanctions on Russia and send billions in aid to Ukraine, this time with 18 Republicans in support. Republicans in the Senate had their own ballsy moment, with four of them voting with Democrats to block the SAVE Act. Nice work, Congress. Now let’s keep it up.
Did we miss anyone? Send your heroes our way!
Good Reads for This Week
Nobody’s Perfect —The Dispatch
In Politics After Trump, Nothing Is Disqualifying —Matt Lewis & the News(letter)
Fetish Object —Boiling Frogs
Why I Won’t Debate Critics of Israel —Sam Harris
When a Party Compromises Its Principles for Money —The Great Transformation with Mike Madrid
Trump’s Elite Enablers —Lincoln Square
Trump Just Handed His Enemies List to the Intelligence Community —Salty Politics
If You Thought Tulsi Gabbard Was a Problem… —Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance
Hopeium —Light Against Empire
Joe Walsh —Everyone Should Have a Mistar Chris
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