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Comment by TimTheTinker | Hacker News Reader

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How ignoring the law not fascism? Mandates do not supercede law, nor allow the executive branch to operate outside branches of government that are not under it's control, and yet Congress does nothing, that's is actually how fascism really does start, when what "dear leader" says is acted upon even though it is clearly illegal

Which actions that Trump has taken were illegal?

1. closing USAID, he can't do that, it's has to go through Congress

2. Given Musk and minions full access to federal and private records, breaks FISMA and CFAA

3. The "buy out" of employees, violates Administrative Leave Act and Anti-Deficiency Act

4. The Spending Freeze that he backed out of, the one that would have required an Act of Congress

5. his upcoming attempt to end the Department of Education and defund it, without Congressional Laws behind it.

6. Firing inspectors without giving Congress 30 days notice to review the action

I could go on, but I have a feeling it won't matter to those who think he can do no wrong.

> The Spending Freeze that he backed out of

OMB rescinded the memo, but the freeze appears to have continued (in defiance of a court order against it, which is another level of illegality.)

Mussolini was elected too

At least, at the beginning

He later had his power gave to him by the king which should have put him under arrest

1. Musk wasn't elected. 2. Musk's merry band of misfit incels wasn't elected. 3. Government offices are created by statute, and they're terminated by statute.

My God, you people are exhausting and terrible.

As I've said elsewhere, Musk and the Doge employees only have audit power - not executive. There's a very big difference between those types of powers.

Musk is not terminating any executive departments or agencies. Neither is Trump (except perhaps some that are not statutory).

USAID still exists. It clearly wasn't obeying its statutory mandate -- that's what gives Trump the authority to bring its current activities to an end and fire a lot of its employees. It will likely be ended by Congress after what's been revealed, but we'll have to wait and see.

> Musk and the Doge employees only have audit power - not executive.

You've said this, but it's obvious that's not what they're doing, and no one is attempting to stop them. Literally unchecked corruption. Musk should be in prison for this - it's very close to treason.

Giving their billionaire buddies feee reign on us government systems does

LMAO. You clearly need to read more about Hitler's rise to power and how he was actually elected. You people really do not understand politics nor democracy.

Hitler and Mussolini weren't fascist dictators at first. They became that gradually (though in retrospect, biographers have identified such ambitions early on).

Comparing Trump to those guys 2 weeks in, when Congress and the Supreme Court are very much alive and able to pounce on him, is rather early, no?

Four years and 2 weeks.

There's sufficient evidence. He has shown us who he is, and what he is.

Uh, if you wait until he's a fascist dictator, it's too late.

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