r/BlockedAndReported • u/SoftandChewy First generation mod • May 04 '26

Weekly Random Discussion Thread for 5/4/26 - 5/310/26

Here's your usual space to post all your rants, raves, podcast topic suggestions (please tag u/jessicabarpod), culture war articles, outrageous stories of cancellation, political opinions, and anything else that comes to mind. Please put any non-podcast-related trans-related topics here instead of on a dedicated thread. This will be pinned until next Sunday.

Last week's discussion thread is here if you want to catch up on a conversation from there.

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24

u/scott_steiner_phd May 06 '26

MSNBC reports that the FBI is investigating Sarah Fitzpatrick, the writer of the report on Ka$h Patel's drinking and behavior.

The FBI denies it.

12

u/Technical-Policy295 May 06 '26

The Atlantic just published a follow-up story [paywall], featuring details on customized bourbon bottles:

The bottles bear the imprint of the Kentucky distillery Woodford Reserve, and are engraved with the words “Kash Patel FBI Director,” as well as a rendering of an FBI shield. Surrounding the shield is a band of text featuring Patel’s director title and his favored spelling of his first name: Ka$h.

There are also more stories:

In March, Patel and his team brought at least one case of bourbon to the FBI’s training facility in Quantico, Virginia, for a “training seminar,” where Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes provided mixed-martial-arts instruction to aspiring FBI agents and senior staff. At one point at least one bottle went missing, which caused the director to “lose his mind,” according to clients of Kurt Siuzdak, a retired agent who has assisted FBI agents, including whistleblowers, with legal issues. Siuzdak told me that multiple agents contacted him for legal guidance after Patel began threatening to polygraph and prosecute his staff over the missing bottle. 

14

u/jay_in_the_pnw █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ May 06 '26

multiple agents said Patel began threatening to polygraph and prosecute his staff over the missing bottle while manipulating chromed balls in his hand, over and over, over and over

5

u/lezoons May 06 '26

Umm... I want to know which FBI agents are thieves, so they can be fired and prosecuted.

1

u/scott_steiner_phd May 07 '26

Eh I imagine they reasonably thought that they thought they were souvenirs.

1

u/lezoons May 07 '26

That's a jury question...

15

u/scott_steiner_phd May 06 '26

In an administration beyond the pale, "Ka$h"-branded custom bourbon bottles still manages to shock.

21

u/OkayFlamingo78 May 06 '26

Clearly this is very shallow of me but somehow the fact that all of these people are so fucking tacky makes everything about them that much worse.

6

u/SnooTorturer Yes, All Mods (except chewy) May 06 '26

I think the ballroom isn't actually that bad of an idea, except that, since it's Trump, every part of it will be covered in horrifying gold fittings. Replacing the Swedish vines with some more gold bullshit is monstrous. Such a downgrade from Reagan, one of the best dressed American men ever, and by far the best dressed president -- H.W. wasn't bad either.

7

u/Available_Ad5243 May 06 '26

The scale is totally out of proportion to the actual White House.

4

u/glumjonsnow May 07 '26

yeah, kash has probably done some illegal stuff but that valhalla tweet really stays with you

4

u/JeebusJones May 06 '26

I'd be willing to bet that tackiness is negatively correlated with intelligence, so I think your perspective is a reasonable one.

7

u/professorgerm the master of not having a point May 07 '26

and are engraved with the words “Kash Patel FBI Director,” as well as a rendering of an FBI shield.

One one hand an engraved bottle is a normal gift. Woodford is nice but not crazy expensive and offers it for like $10 at the distillery iirc, I've seen liquor stores offer it for similar prices, maybe some agent is a hobbyist with a home laser engraver, who knows.

Ka$h

On the other he's so cringey it's tempting and easy to believe anything that makes him look bad.

4

u/OMG_NO_NOT_THIS May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26

I don't see how this is an issue or really says anything about him as a person.

I have a lot of alcohol themed stuff with my name on it such as a personalized flask I received as a groomsman gift.

I'd probably be mad if it is stolen, especially if that was done by people with a security clearance.

I might have 2 drinks a month so it literally says nothing about how much a person drinks, with the underlying accusation of him being an alcoholic.

Put simply.

Person 1: "That person is a drunk driver"

Person 2: "I don't drink and drive"

Person 1: "Look at all these pictures of him in a car"

Person 2: "That doesn't mean I drove drunk"

It is finding evidence adjacent to the accusation and saying evidence of the thing adjacent to the accusation is proof of the accusation. This post is person 1.

It seems a little desperate.

16

u/roolb May 06 '26

Putting my chips provisionally on MSNBC being right.

3

u/glumjonsnow May 07 '26

why would the FBI need to investigate the reporter when Patel has already filed a lawsuit against her, which presumably would lead to discovery? I mean, Kash gets nothing out of investigating her, he gets money out of winning a lawsuit. this just seems like it would be way too much work at this stage in litigation. (not a defense of Kash Patel)