XPost: alt.politics.trump, talk.politics.misc   
   From: polyprus@gastro.org   
      
   On 2/23/26 8:13 AM, super70s wrote:   
   > White House Communications Director Goes Full Donald Trump With Olympics   
   > MVP Whine   
   > Steven Cheung used a very familiar term to disagree with the sports   
   > decision.   
   > By Lee Moran   
   > HuffPost.com   
   > Feb 23, 2026, 04:57 AM EST   
   >   
   > White House Communications Director Steven Cheung cried foul over the   
   > decision to name Canada's Connor McDavid as the Most Valuable Player of   
   > the Winter Olympics men's ice hockey tournament.   
   >   
   > McDavid earned the accolade despite Canada's thrilling 2-1 loss to the   
   > U.S. in Sunday's showdown finale at Milan Cortina 2026.   
   >   
   > Cheung slammed the move and deployed a word that President Donald Trump   
   > frequently uses to falsely claim that the 2020 election, which was won   
   > by Joe Biden, was stolen from him.   
   >   
   > "RIGGED!" Cheung wrote on X, the Elon Musk-owned platform formerly known   
   > as Twitter, quote-posting the news.   
   >   
   > https://x.com/StevenCheung47/status/2025654405349949769   
   >   
   > And the Trump aide added: "@usahockey's Jack Hughes and Connor   
   > Hellebuyck should have been named co-MVP's for their heroics."   
   >   
   > FBI Director Kash Patel, meanwhile, controversially celebrated the U.S.   
   > hockey win alongside the players. And the president marked Team USA's   
   > history-making 12 gold medal haul in Italy with a series of his posts on   
   > his Truth Social platform.   
   >   
   > ---   
   >   
   > Kash Patel Faces Backlash For Flying To Winter Olympics, Partying It Up   
   > With Team USA   
   > Patel reportedly used an FBI jet to check out the final days of the   
   > Milan Cortina Games and joined Team USA in the locker room following its   
   > gold medal win over Canada.   
   > By Ben Blanchet   
   > HuffPost.com   
   > Feb 22, 2026, 05:44 PM EST   
   >   
   > FBI Director Kash Patel is facing backlash for reportedly using an FBI   
   > jet to head to Italy where he spent the final days of the Winter   
   > Olympics watching hockey and, later, celebrating Team USA's gold medal   
   > win over Canada on Sunday.   
   >   
   > Patel, a hockey fan since his childhood, was spotted at the U.S. men's   
   > semifinal game against Slovakia, and later at the final, where he was   
   > seen celebrating with Team USA center Dylan Larkin in the locker room   
   > after America's overtime win.   
   >   
   > "Congratulations Team USA," Patel appeared to say while making a shaka   
   > sign with his hand during Larkin's post-game Instagram Live feed, per a   
   > clip shared by MS NOW's Ken Dilanian.   
   >   
   > A separate video, shared by ProPublica's William Turton, appears to show   
   > Patel chugging a beer bottle before he throws his hands in the air and   
   > pounds a table with his fist.   
   >   
   > Team USA's Matthew Tkachuk is then seen draping his medal around Patel's   
   > neck before he joins the winning hockey players in a sing-along to Toby   
   > Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue."   
   >   
   > Another clip depicts Patel sipping a different beer as President Donald   
   > Trump, overheard on a phone held by the FBI director, suggests that   
   > Patel can help arrange to fly the team out to attend his State of the   
   > Union address and, later, for a visit at the White House.   
   >   
   > "I got it, boss, I got it," replied Patel in a slurred voice. "I'm on   
   > it, I'm fucking on it."   
   >   
   > On Sunday, he took to social media to remark on Team USA's golden   
   > accomplishment. The conspiracy-pushing FBI director also shared snaps   
   > from the post-game celebration, including one that shows him cracking a   
   > smile alongside coach Mike Sullivan.   
   >   
   > Patel, whose partying occurred on the same day that an armed man was   
   > shot and killed after entering the secure perimeter around Trump's Mar-   
   > a-Lago estate, later addressed the "very concerned media" over the clips.   
   >   
   > "Yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the   
   > newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker   
   > room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys- Greatest country   
   > on earth and greatest sport on earth. =J<<"<<," he wrote.   
   >   
   > Critics on social media swiftly slammed Patel over the trip, with some   
   > resurfacing his old comments knocking then-FBI Director Chris Wray for   
   > using a government-funded jet to "go on vacation."   
   >   
   > https://x.com/Kash_Patel/status/2025663993205936176   
   >     Unity, Sacrifice, Attitude- what it takes to be the best in the   
   > world. These men live and breathe it. Now Team USA are gold medal   
   > champions, legends standing on the shoulders of giants. Thank you for   
   > representing the greatest country on earth, in the greatest game ever   
   > created.&  pic.twitter.com/hBG987pxM2   
   >     -- Kash Patel (@Kash_Patel) February 22, 2026   
   >   
   > A number of users also pointed to the Justice Department's   
   > controversial, slow-drip release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.   
   >   
   > "Are the Epstein files there?" X user Gerald Celente questioned.   
   >   
   > Another user, Hannah Cox, reacted to Patel's Instagram Live selfie with   
   > Larkin, simply writing, "Meanwhile, solving no sex crimes mind you."   
   >   
   > "Why is Kash Patel in the locker room?" asked @AmanitaFugax on X. "They   
   > don't even try to hide their corruption and self enrichment anymore.   
   > This guy is a podcasting grifter. He should not be anywhere near public   
   > service."   
   >   
   > On Thursday, Patel headed to the Milan Cortina Games on the FBI's   
   > Gulfstream jet, sources told MS NOW's Dilanian and Carol Leonnig. The   
   > report estimated that Patel's trip to Milan cost taxpayers as much as   
   > $75,000.   
   >   
   > FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson confirmed the trip but argued it was not   
   > "personal" in nature, claiming it was planned months in advance, and   
   > Patel was there to meet with Italian officials for meetings and   
   > briefings related to government duties.   
   >   
   > Williamson went on to defend the trip by claiming that the FBI plays a   
   > "major role" in security for the Games as well as the World Cup, which   
   > is set to go down this summer in the States.   
   >   
   > "So we have a U.S. consulate briefing on Olympic security and current   
   > FBI posture, as well as thanking FBI personnel on the ground," he wrote.   
   >   
   > Patel has previously come under fire for using an FBI jet to go see his   
   > girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, perform at a wrestling event   
   > in Pennsylvania last year.   
   >   
   > He later defended the move, arguing that he's not allowed to fly   
   > commercial and declaring that his partner is "a rock-solid conservative   
   > and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than   
   > most will in ten lifetimes."   
   >   
   > Patel is the first known active FBI director to make an Olympic-related   
   > trip since Robert Mueller did so in 2003, although that trip occurred   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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