this feels like something you probably ought to know before you go into the courtroom, tbh - ThreadSky

golikehellmachine.com • 2 days ago

this feels like something you probably ought to know before you go into the courtroom, tbh

JUDGE COLLEEN KOLLAR-KOTELLY: Is there an administrator of DOGE at the present time?

GOVERNMENT COUNSEL: I don’t know the answer to that

Comments

markshore.bsky.social•2 days ago

fresh from the courtroom sketch artist

gsjphd.bsky.social•2 days ago

this is a scribble on a cocktail napkin

and "cocktail" is spelled wrong

skoryy.bsky.social•2 days ago

Fascinating how they keep tap dancing around Musk running the department.

bananapantz.bsky.social•2 days ago

How do we make this clear and salient to the public?

Govt says no one is in charge. Trump says Elon is in charge and doing great things. DOGE is doing unpopular things.

This has to be a marketable political point.

golikehellmachine.com•2 days ago

depends on what the judge says

bananapantz.bsky.social•2 days ago

Does it?

It’s a political argument not a legal one. I suppose it might matter a bit to messaging.

But you “just ask questions”. Why won’t the government be clear about who is hurting you, when Trump keeps saying it publicly?

They are being slippery, they are lying to the courts, they are

bananapantz.bsky.social•2 days ago

Getting access to your data and they can’t even defend it in court. They are outside the law.

(I’m not great at this, but I urge others who are better to figure out what arguments to make)

nirgalm25.bsky.social•2 days ago

I think the best you can do is, "govt lawyers are lying and saying musk isn't in charge to try to get away with cutting cancer research". Contrasting "govt" and "trump" probably won't scan bc Trump is head of govt. and doubt about musk being in charge of doge doesn't make sense when he obviously is

nirgalm25.bsky.social•2 days ago

tbh i don't think this is going to resonate outside the most engaged 15%. no matter how you message it. People are understandably more concerned with the cancer research than the lying about it.

and on the democracy front "no kings" is just more obvious

bananapantz.bsky.social•2 days ago

How about, this is what a King does. He appoints people who aren’t accountable to our democratic representatives?

ubermitch.bsky.social•2 days ago

I remember when I was a child me and my friends would occasionally ghost-ride our bikes

ubermitch.bsky.social•2 days ago

anyway, I never would have guessed an 11-year old flinging a bicycle down a hill would be directly analogous to the operation of the federal government, but here we are

davidandrews.bsky.social•2 days ago

Sometimes the only thing you can do when you’re a lawyer is make sure no one tells you something so that you can never risk lying to the court - it has limited use and I’m not sure it’s a good approach here, but then I’d never be in the position of defending anything Trump or Trump related in court

stopbyforcoffee.bsky.social•2 days ago

So much for accountability.

mrunfocused.bsky.social•2 days ago

As an attorney, I believe I should know my client’s name before I walk into the courtroom. Doesn’t feel like a high bar.

billypilgrim65.bsky.social•2 days ago

It makes sense. These lawyers are not sure whether they work for the US Constitution or the President

jmchao.bsky.social•2 days ago

I don't use ChatGPT, but I'm wondering how AI would answer that question. I'm assuming they'd all say Elon.

golikehellmachine.com•2 days ago

i mean, i'm not a lawyer, but, like, if i were going into a courtroom to defend this, i feel like "who is the administrator for this" is a question i would reasonably be expected to be able to answer

gozermac.bsky.social•2 days ago

Seems like their lawyers could fucking read this for questions that might need answers.

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47984

dnlmsstch.bsky.social•2 days ago

They can say it because it would subject that person to deposition and discovery and court orders.
If the attorney says a name and its wrong they will have to correct the record in writing.
Its best not to have an answer.

dnlmsstch.bsky.social•2 days ago

*can't say it

liberallibrarian.bsky.social•2 days ago

It's like in the Godfather when Kay tries to give Tom Hagen a letter for Michael, and he says if he takes it that means he could be hauled before court to reveal where Michael is.

golikehellmachine.com•2 days ago

right, they're trying to tap dance around, but at some point - probably this week - a judge is going to tell them to stop dicking around or risk getting sanctioned

dnlmsstch.bsky.social•2 days ago

Yes your honor let me go back to the office and try to figure it out but if the white house won't return my calls there is nothing I can do...can I have another couple of weeks

nnscott.com•2 days ago

The pessimistic part of me wants to say this is true, and go nattering on about how the courts will fail to take any useful action against these jerks, but golikhellmachine does not deserve pessimism in his threads and no one can predict when the tide will change so hey there, hope springs eternal.

kitncaboodle.bsky.social•2 days ago

At some point a judge is going to order the administrator to appear or there will be sanctions.

williameasley.bsky.social•2 days ago

They ARE sending their best and brightest

fanshawe.bsky.social•2 days ago

Not to brag, but "who is your client" was usually an easy question for me to answer back when I was practicing

rcownie.bsky.social•2 days ago

Soon the only lawyers defending DOGE will the ones who aren't finicky about questions like that. Or ethics. Or the law.

rimbrakemonkey.bsky.social•2 days ago

Tough to defend an action no one wants to be responsible for

pandurmonium.red•2 days ago

Look, I'm not a lawyer but neither are they.

melico.bsky.social•2 days ago

Gonna have to start hiring DOJ lawyers based on who has the biggest fetish for getting yelled at by judges

chathamharrison.bsky.social•2 days ago

Yet that lawyer might be the best-informed person in the US government for all we know

isaac32767.picknit.com•2 days ago

Ignorance is strength!

westviewwandam.bsky.social•2 days ago

This is akin to dreams where a person is doing a presentation in front of the class buck nekkid but 1000 times worse. 😳

gschenendorf.bsky.social•2 days ago

Only if the person in question is capable of shame

sammysmoot1212.bsky.social•2 days ago

I always thought government agencies had something called "enabling legislation" which laid out things like admins, purpose etc. I don't remember this happening for Elmo's Workshop.
Did I miss it somehow?

jaoswald.bsky.social•2 days ago

One of the first Executive Orders was to squeeze "DOGE" into the shape of the US Digital Service, the Obama-era "tech people take temporary assignments to help the government do web sites" office.

sammysmoot1212.bsky.social•2 days ago

Thanks 👍

snowflakeelitist.bsky.social•2 days ago

How can an agency be allowed to function without someone officially in charge of it? Shut it down then.

vituperativeerb.bsky.social•2 days ago

Indeed!

jackwaltimore.bsky.social•2 days ago

I'm not a lawyer, but is "Counselor, can you tell me who your client is?" a bad sign from a judge? It seems like it is.

orcishlaw.bsky.social•2 days ago

I would be scourged and/or horse whipped if I couldn't answer such a basic question about my client.

stinky-doggy.bsky.social•2 days ago

I think this means “Yes but we said he officially isn’t, so if I answer the question in court right now I’ll be fed to wolves by end of day”

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply