This FBI "Scam" Caught 7 Congressmen

[@spectacles-dm]

Go to hensonshaving.com/spectacles and use code "SPECTACLES" at checkout to get Henson's all-new shave cream for free. - Citations in CC. Sources in description.

[@Potent_Techmology]

I think it's unfair to group MLK with Oppenheimer... Oppenheimer's team and fellow german, Klaus Fuchs, singlehandedly aided the Soviets with progressing their A-bomb and his Chevalier Incident is undervalued. The particular incident in 1943, known as the "Chevalier Incident," played a prominent role in the AEC’s determination to revoke Oppenheimers sec clearance. During this incident, Oppenheimer’s friend and fellow professor Haakon Chevalier allegedly approached him with a suggestion that information from the Manhattan Project could be passed on to the Soviet Union.

[@BelowthePlains]

you should look into that Aldo Moro kidnapping again. There are some pretty strange links to operation gladio. you are the only channel i've even seen mention the case. you might be surprised

[@hermanmiller3708]

I am not a Congressman, nor do I aspire to become one. I am an honorable man and NO ONE CAN BRIBE ME TO COMMIT A CRIME FOR ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY. I EXPECT THE SAME FROM MY CONGRESSMAN. AN HONORABLE PERSON COULD NOT BE ENTRAPPED THIS WAY WHETHER THEY DISLIKE ME OR LOVE ME.

[@larrysorenson4789]

😊😊

[@foxbuns]

you have a very pleasant voice to listen to, perfect for youtube or radio

[@jpanda79]

I love how congress's first reaction was to try and make sure they can't be caught again. Shows where their loyalty lies

[@nick.......]

Caught for what? A crime that would never have happened anyway?

[@operacarmen]

The reason they passed such laws is to prevent antisemitic backlash from the public .. many complicated things the public can't (and will never) understand.. so mind YOUR OWN BUSINESS

[@wumi2419]

And where should their loyalty lie if not with money? US is not communist nor has it been.

[@doopboop8359]

​@@wumi2419 to the state, to the constitution, not money

[@wumi2419]

@@doopboop8359 they have no reason to be. Money is "end all be all", so it is better for government officials to sell their services on a market (aka corruption).

[@Idkoscar1]

"I got larceny in my blood" is an incredible quote

[@wokewoke]

💀💀💀

[@markwrede8878]

You got your blood in my larceny!

[@AnarchistGrandpa]

Honestly, that's the most 'Merica thing heard in a minute. I can't get mad at it.

[@Dilley_G45]

An honest politician. How rare

[@rafaelboscan8562]

I wonder if he was also drinking larceny bourbon

[@afterhourscinema782]

*Congress:* "We have to go after corruption!!" **FBI goes after corruption** *Congress:* "Wait wait wait!! Not us!!!"

[@KaranBhatt-fu2gp]

@@andy56dukyCongress - You are fired

[@interwebs_]

It's even simpler today: FBI: Investigates corruption. FBI: "We found out that you're corrupt." Trump: "Nuh, uh, YOU'RE corrupt."

[@presidentmerkinmuffley6769]

​@@andy56dukyYea so they wouldn't be.

[@presidentmerkinmuffley6769]

​@@interwebs_ Too bad that all presidents are currently unable to be charged.... never forget both sides are corrupt.

[@attemptedunkindness3632]

"But Black Dynamite, I sell drugs to the community!"

[@vttklazer]

If the FBI did this today, I’m pretty sure you were gonna lose over 90% of currently held offices

[@ray3576]

Yeah, and they are a really good representation of the diverse races we have in this country.

[@interwebs_]

@@ray3576 What does this comment mean? Sarcasm that the FBI or elected officials don't represent the diversity of the nation? Saying that because there is more diversity in elected officials they are more corrupt?

[@ray3576]

@interwebs_ they are more white.

[@AL-lh2ht]

@@interwebs_ he's virtue signalling, just call him woke and move on

[@interwebs_]

@@AL-lh2ht Lol true, they do hate that

[@markkozlowski9019]

"Show me a man who got rich in public service, and I'll show you a crook." - Harry S. Truman

[@eamonwright7488]

“Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime.” -Larvrenti Beria

[@trod5902]

I believe the quote is actually "Show me a man that gets rich by being a politician, and I’ll show you a crook."

[@Skrapeg0at]

"I am not a crook." -Richard Nixon

[@troodon1096]

@@trod5902 Same difference.

[@FukYouTube420]

Clinton made millions. Bush made millions Obama made millions. Trump lost millions...

[@afterhourscinema782]

*Congress:* "We can't keep getting busted for corruption" "What if we just call it lobbying??" *Congress:* "Brilliant!!"

[@LakesideTrey]

I mean congress did pass anti lobbying legislation the supreme court struck it down

[@negative6442]

@@LakesideTrey The supreme court is just as corrupt, thats why

[@greywolf5590]

​@@LakesideTrey Lemme guess, they got lobbies to shoot it down?

[@operacarmen]

Your comment is an extremely antisemitic comment

[@fanplant]

@@operacarmen I don't get it or did something go twa over my head?

[@johnl.7754]

$50,000 in 1979 is worth $217,149.45 today

[@Knowbody42]

If you locked $50,000 in a vault in 1979 and opened it today, it would have as much purchasing power today as $11,512.80 did in 1979 You would need $217,149.45 today to have the same purchasing power as $50,000 had in 1979

[@nick-tu2xh]

@@Knowbody42of course but we all know what he means man cmon😂

[@azliaheaven]

​@@Knowbody42the point id that back then 50k had that amount of value compared with what we understand 50k today 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@jasoncavari]

Damn inflation hit the FBI too

[@crewrangergaming9582]

he means $50k had the same purchasing power as $200k today ​@@Knowbody42

[@DonHavjuan]

NO. Politicians should not accept offered bribes. They should be offered bribes by the FBI frequently to ensure their honesty. This should come back. RIGHT NOW.

[@damonroberts7372]

Yeah. I strongly disagree with any notion that the FBI "invented crimes" in this situation... _legislators_ invent crimes by writing them into law. Law enforcement agencies like the FBI do just that... _enforce laws._ Then the legislators cry foul after being held to the same standards they wrote down for everyone else.

[@redenginner]

Scotus ruled back in June that elected officials can legally receive gratuities in exchange for favorable policy. Bribery now is defacto the law of the land (and debatably has been since citizens united).

[@DiluviumEyesofThunder]

@@redenginner You can see that behavior played out in the classic mobster trope. And what is mobster rule if not a form of proto-civilization.

[@mariusvanc]

Nah, leave the poor politicians alone, the FBI should re-double their efforts to investigate parents irate with their local school boards.

[@doommuffinz5276]

Um... Have you not heard of "sold to the highest bidder"? If the FBI is paying them $50k, an oil baron will just pay $200k.

[@esteemedmortal5917]

Corruption is entirely legal now! Only if you’re a high ranking politician or a billionaire though. Everyone else is going to get fleeced. Badly.

[@SebastianDingleswitch]

Bigly* They're going to get tired of winning.

[@BudewFan_]

@@SebastianDingleswitchboth badly and bigly work, no correction was needed

[@Hillary4SupremeRuler]

​@@SebastianDingleswitch​Snyder vs United States legalized bribery. As you can already guess it was split 6-3 along "party lines." I suppose the "parties" being the pro bribery party and the for the people anti bribery party. Which makes the far right MAGA populism raging against the elites movement so amusing to watch as the working class gets duped out of their dignity, equity, and economic mobility as the billionaire oligarchs (PayPal Mafia funded by Opus Dei puppet Masters like Leonard Leo and Kevin Roberts (director of Project 2025)) pick the bones clean while diverting America's attention on moral panics and culture wars.

[@Hillary4SupremeRuler]

​@@SebastianDingleswitch​Snyder vs United States legalized bribery. As you can already guess it was split 6-3 along "party lines." I suppose the "parties" being the pro bribery party and the for the people anti bribery party. Which makes the far right MAGA populism raging against the elites movement so amusing to watch as the working class gets duped out of their dignity, equity, and economic mobility as the billionaire oligarchs (PayPal Mafia funded by Opus Dei puppet Masters like Leonard Leo and Kevin Roberts (director of Project 2025)) pick the bones clean while diverting America's attention on moral panics and culture wars.

[@veronicaweiss3451]

It's legal now because the government and Congress made it so. So they can get away with it and not be busted for it. Just need power and money. That's why Trump is president.

[@jason8077]

When a state law outlaws a anti corruption investigation thats as fucked as it can get

[@Dilley_G45]

It gets worse when you have Hinter Biden and Nancy Pelosi 😆

[@davidvasquez08]

@@Dilley_G45you mean the whole MAGAts movement

[@erikwirfs-brock2432]

Supreme Court has basically gutted what counts as corruption, so don't expect to many similar investigations like this in the future

[@Dilley_G45]

@davidvasquez08 leftist troll

[@namingisdifficult408]

@@Dilley_G45Hunter Biden, who was charged, tried, and convicted by the Justice Department under his father’s administration?

[@LudosErgoSum]

«I’m corrupt so make it illegal to investigate corruption.»

[@operacarmen]

Mind your own business ANTI-SEMITE... It's funny you people always complain about high prices and low wages, yet you have the time to be on KZbin to watch a political video .. a normal person would STUDY or WORK then watch sports and/or have a drink ... I think the best way to prevent terrorism is to increase prices to force you people to work more!

[@gorkyd7912]

It's actually better to have some politicians accepting bribes occasionally knowing that they are balanced out by other politicians and the limits of their office's power and it would be insanely expensive to bribe them all at once. The alternative is that the FBI can basically decide who gets to stay in office and who doesn't. Because it's very very easy to frame anyone with crime. They can just wire money into a congressman's account from a foreign bank and then produce a fake email, a jury would buy it.

[@canimanamino2433]

​@@gorkyd7912Bribary is never good. The problem is like you said, corruption can come from both sides. The stings would only procure good results if done without bias. However, yeah. We are a biased creation

[@Jartran72]

@gorkyd7912 except the FBI has never done that. Also they need proof of you actually commiting the crime. None of what you described is enough there. How can you be in favor of political corruption? That is insane..

[@PanzerHyena]

Yeah the problem with wanting changes is the only people who can make those changes have no incentive to do it.

[@ceciliacrocker390]

🎉❤🎉

[@michaelhussey8603]

Another problem is the fact that nobody cares, is anyone talking about this? No, they’re focused on non issues like the culture wars

[@EALoArt]

11:43 The fact that some congressmen took the meeting but DECLINED the offer is so incredible, honestly. Even if they all just smelled something fishy 🤷‍♀️

[@sandrafaith]

Corporate lobbying should be illegal. Great video.

[@zigzag321go]

I think corporations do have the right to lobby, but it needs to be HEAVILY, HEAVILY restricted.

[@I_am_somebody_1234]

Lobbying is :"any attempt by individuals or private interest groups to influence the decisions of government" Bribery is to "persuade (someone) to act in one's favor, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement" Any similarity is pure coincidence, *I swear*

[@asdefull]

Nah no lobbying period, even regulated its still bribery​@@zigzag321go

[@Hillary4SupremeRuler]

You can thank John Roberts (GOP appointment and coronator of King Trump with immunity ruling) for Citizens United and Super PACs aka corporations are people and their money is "speech"

[@senseisecurityschool9337]

It's a problem. Annnd people who work for corporations (almost all of us) have a first amendment right to speak. That's what lobbying is - talking to the people you elected to represent you. So there's no clear good solution.

[@OneAmongBillions]

Addressing *tolerance of corruption* seems to be essential. How do we quantify the dollar amount corruption costs each American? Excellent video. Thank you.

[@pasta-and-heroin]

i did a quick search and found an interesting paper from 2017 on president trump. here's a relevant excerpt: "Researchers consistently find that the costs of increased levels of corruption are large.24 Based on estimates in a study from the 1990s, if the United States government had been as corrupt as Italy’s, per capita GDP would have grown at 2.1 percentage points less every year. 25 This has huge implications for Americans: if GDP per capita had grown 2.1 percentage points less in 2016, output would have fallen by $1,170 per person. 26 Higher corruption is associated with higher inequality, which is associated with lower growth." id love to keep looking, what i really want is a 'corruption costs each American/Australian/Canadian citizen $X.XX every year' or the like

[@blademasterzero]

It costs us our freedom, which I’d argue is priceless

[@Bobspineable]

@@blademasterzero thing is you never truly had freedom, as you can never do anything you want. What they claim as freedom is just security, protection of certain things. True freedom means no laws at all with no one governing over you.

[@ProbablyNotLegit]

The dollar amount equates to the opportunity cost of adding value to individual firms over the economy as a whole. If you can name a single government project since this case which ended up under-time and under-budget, I'd be amazed. Corruption makes everything more expensive due to perversion of the free market, via self-interested attempts to distort it unfairly to benefit the deeply-rooted incumbent monetary, industrial, and political agendas which permeate every level of our society today.

[@ProbablyNotLegit]

For example here in the UK we have HS2: an epic money laundering project which not a single real person in the country wants any more (particularly as they've cancelled the northern lines, which *would* actually have brought benefit), which to this day has vastly artificially inflated the price of construction materials; at a time when our housing crisis is worse than even Canada's. Take a multitude of smaller projects borne with this same corruption, and the inflationary effects of each example of mismanagement coalesce and negatively impact the economy as a whole in the same way - but more invisibly.

[@SuperHorseSense]

More accurately, the quote should have been "I've got some larceny in my blood, but most of it is alcohol"

[@Justinbyleth]

In the wake of Abscam, a man named Chris Smith was elected to Congress from my district in 1981. He’s still there today - an absolutely ridiculous amount of time, and the reason I tense up when I think of Abscam haha

[@samwindmill8264]

My state's senator Chuck Grassley has been there since about that time and is now a 90 year old fossil

[@FoxtrotYouniform]

thankfully these days we would never hand power to somebody to whom it has been made clear they will face no consequences for their actions exploiting said power

[@owenhowever1958]

that would never happen in America

[@hollister2320]

@@owenhowever1958 no chance the yanks elect an actual felon to the highest office in the land who’s deep in the pockets of Russia. Right? 😒

[@jjdelany8130]

Luckily none of us Americans would ever fall for a scam

[@Walter_]

My trust and respect of trump stands as strong and tall as his great wall.

[@owenhowever1958]

@@Walter_ bro drank the kool-aid smh

[@dosmastrify]

0:10 booooo I was hoping this was from 2024

[@cavemandanwilder5597]

Same lol, I got so excited

[@silvagerardo1]

Yep.

[@XenoGen3sis]

Oh sweet summer child, these days are long gone. The only accountability in this vein we MIGHT see will be a result of political retaliation, not a thorough unbiased investigation.

[@BoutiqueLaTrice]

😂

[@CaptainMcShotgun41]

Why what happened in 2024?

[@abcdefgandstuff]

Philip looking kinda extra today.. bro finally decided to wear a spectacle, thus finally living up to his own youtube channel's name

[@spectacles-dm]

😎😎😎

[@V3racious3]

Your venacular isn't "extra".

[@philiphockenbury6563]

Every Philip knows how to look fresh.

[@ZeroKage69]

"click here for $50,000" clicks "just kidding it's our patreon" Sir, please do not joke with me like this.

[@castle9165]

"Abdul Enterprises Ltd." is crazy

[@Molorange]

When people hear that politicians literally tried to pass a bill to prevent themselves from getting busted for doing illegal shit, and still don’t see an issue with our system it just baffles me

[@peterbuckley3877]

The bill should have outlawed this for everybody not just themselves. The FBI used a known criminal and conman to create fictitious crimes to garner convictions instead of actually investigating crimes. Known bad actors were being used by the government to induce people to commit a crime.

[@TheRogueAdventurers]

These channels with these micro documentaries and the dark blender animation and flashy editing are quickly becoming a favourite of mine

[@iainengland8058]

Knew a guy that was a undercover dea agent. He once told me that no government can run without corruption you just have to try to mitigate the most extreme cases of corruption.

[@JimFeig]

The FBI should be recording congress constantly and always run bribery stings.

[@user-ur8hl8lr7q]

If that were the case then the FBI could subvert elected leaders they don't like. It would transfer power from people who are elected to unaccountable civil servants. Imagine all the anti war congressman getting targeted in a sting to destroy their credibility and movement.

[@burp2019]

they'd catch on fairly quickly

[@adisca2k]

@@burp2019 Which also works, if every second offer is a sting they will start refusing real bribes too.

[@russellst.martin4255]

I would suggest that perhaps we stop electing idiots, drunks, and criminals to begin with, but that kind of thing seems to be pretty en vogue right now. Then again, the entire operation is really too far gone for it to matter anymore anyway.

[@Worldofweez]

Policy went out the window so fast this election cycle. Idiots think this is going to be good for the economy and that will trickle down to them. In reality our economy is based on global hegemony which we keep letting slip because our allies have come to see us as stupid and unreliable, which is totally fair. Not to mention we now have 5 years to fix the climate or we are pretty much on the roll to serious existential risk and one of the biggest polluter's government is now in the hands of climate deniers who rolled back environmental protections already. The incel vote thinks they saved the country from going over the edge when really they yanked the wheel and veered off a cliff.

[@adamsfusion]

It's unfortunately been the case since 5 minutes after the founding. It sucks to say, but the founding fathers were just wrong about how the dynamics would play out.

[@nullFoo]

The kinds of people who (1) want to run for government and (2) have the money to fund a campaign are guaranteed to be the kinds of people who accept bribes and don't care about actual citizens

[@3_Klos1122]

Speak for yourself I’m not voting for those people

[@MrTavrosNitram]

@@3_Klos1122 ugh, go on then, who did you vote for

[@OscarNassar1]

Imagine approving the budget that would eventually end up as a fake bribe that would land you in jail

[@zacfromtheclub]

I've been waiting for a high quality video on the ABSCAM for a long time! Excited to see its from one of my favorite channels.

[@AmericanActionReport]

John Jenrette was my congressman until I moved to Columbia. Around the same time as Abscam, the FBI was also targeting members of state legislatures in something like Abscam, and around 20 South Carolina legislators were caught in the FBI's net. The FBI's MO involved asking each victim if they could recommend another legislator to enter their agreement. A friend of mine, Rep. Joyce Hearn (1929-2021), was one South Carolina's top legislators, and she told me that the FBI's scam was so obvious that only the most stupid legislators fell for it.

[@timfool]

So a lot of them fell for it

[@BaronVonQuiply]

Lauren Beobert fell for it despite the timeline suggesting that was not an option Louie Gohmert still hasn't gotten back to me on it yet though

[@Splooth_Sleeping_Battery]

22:40 *cricket noises*

[@vitamin1917]

lol

[@cuzthatshoweyroll]

That was a wild transition for sure

[@WildHorizon]

@@cuzthatshoweyrollyeah fr my first thought was “wtf kinda transition is this?”

[@benmcreynolds8581]

I love my country but I'm ashamed of my country as well. I'm fed up with how broken our system is. This 2 party political system has destroyed our ability to evolve and adapt. It's no longer functional. Our focus is so distracted by emotional and immature topics that it's dumbing down our collective intelligence. Republicans and Democrats have failed this country. People are no longer able to work as a team. (Teamwork: This is stuff we were taught in elementary school. We were taught that teamwork is important in order to succeed) Yet our own country has shown it's not capable of any sort of effective, productive, adaptive behavior. There is so much potential here in America, but so much is going to waste thanks to how out of touch our political system is. Our system is incapable of flexibility, of adaptability, and it's holding us back from progress. Poverty is a much more widespread issue than anyone is willing to admit. Addressing poverty should be the most important problem that our country has to face. These people have been running our country into the ground. I swear past generations would be so disappointed & disgusted by those who are in control nowadays.. Just tossing so much away, even if it means so much around them falls apart. Community, small towns, local shops, unique places, creative forms of entertainment... It's all gone "because it isn't profitable" As if none of that stuff has a much deeper value to our society? It's all being replaced with the same cookie cutter places in any town you now visit. Starbucks, banks, fast food, bars, grocery stores, insurance companies.. Where did the soul go? The culture we used to at least sorta had in the 90's? Why should we lose all of this over "profits?" and should just accept a bland unaffordable soulless dysfunctional version of things now? We all deserve better than this.

[@bestaround3323]

Sadly, ranked choice voting just failed in my state

[@brucelytle1144]

I truly believe that Donald Trump is going to try his best at correct what you are speaking of! I'm registered as Libertarian, for just these reasons! Trump has been the most Libertarian I've experienced! You will never win as Libertarian. Trump has changed the make up the Republican party, He has shifted the conversation to more Libertarian ideals. I support him in his endeavors! Liberty is scary, deal with it!

[@rocketGimbal]

⁠@@brucelytle1144 if you honestly believe Donald trump is going to do anything but line his own pockets at the expense of the American people, I am sorry but you are in for a rude awakening in the next few years. Inflation is about to go turbo under his terrible economic policy. And that's not even getting in to his straight up fascist rhetoric about minorities. Things are about to get a whole lot worse for the American worker. In two years when you are spending more on groceries than you thought possible, and rampant price gouging has exploded the cost of living, remember the GOP super majority and their fascist overlord that put us in that situation. Anyone serious about fixing this country in a meaningful way should never vote GOP again. The Dems are terrible in their own liberal way, but they are jalapeños to the GOP's ghost pepper. In all of the ways the Dems are bad - corruption, etc.- the GOP is guaranteed to be 10 times worse, and Trump the king of it all. One of the most blatantly corrupt felons to ever hold office

[@YourPalKindred]

​@@brucelytle1144 😂

[@Jartran72]

@brucelyte1144 Hahahahhahaha the felon billionaire who openly took Saudi, russian,ukrainian and chinese bribes in hia first term, lowered billionaires taxes, who is filling his cabinet with siccophanta like anti vaxxers in charge of public health.. That guy is gonna fix it? I mean in a matter maybe. Because burning it down so it can rebuild in a couple decades could wok for sure. But it is going to be painful and horrible to endure the authoritarianism in the meanwhile. Tarrifs will hurt the population and all he deported workforce will be even worse. Not to mention all the checks being removed from Giga corporations. Thank god I live in europe because america willl be even more of a hellscape the coming decades.

[@staygoldpwnyboy923]

SPECTACLES DONT MISS

[@hjalmarselberg5653]

Close enough, welcome back Lemmino

[@BobbinMcferry]

Representative democracy; pick any lobbyist you like

[@sirris2008]

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. They need to follow Australia in having an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)

[@jakob5481]

They dont? Thats crazy...

[@squigglywiggly6855]

Doesn't look like that's working for them anyway

[@LakesideTrey]

We do the Government Acointability Office they frequently publish good stuff

[@ezybro2K]

As an Aussie wouldn’t surprise me if the ICAC is just as corrupt

[@wy477x]

Australia is infinitely more corrupt than the usa. I don't think that's a good idea.

[@Т1000-м1и]

I like how in the script they wrote "just after X months", setting off the calculation of the amount for later

[@animepabu5526]

gotta love how as a society in general we just accept the fact that those in power abuse it and have always done so and even when we try to prevent it from happening it just does. Like a good person becoming a politician will only get up high if they are willing to play the game of bribes, favors, etc. wild stuff

[@l-l]

lobbying needs to go.

[@fifi9648]

Agree. I’m a dumbass college student but I’ve been saying this for years. Not sure of the logistics, but it’s pretty obvious that so much government corruption stems from lobbying

[@l-l]

@ it's quite literally just whoever has the most money likely wins. It's insane that it's considered a fair part of the democratic process. It's genuinely rigged

[@state_song_xprt]

The implicit assumption that underpins this entire video is the idea that politicians should not commit crimes, but given the results of this week's election I think it's very hard to argue that's a universally-held belief

[@stevethemastersword]

i love how many people dont understand what the hell entrapment is, entrapment isnt just when you bait somebody with a fake scam, its when you FORCE somebody to engage in a crime

[@ceciliacrocker390]

🎉❤🎉

[@normandolinic2044]

Force ? Not sure what your trying to say?

[@ceciliacrocker390]

@@normandolinic2044, really?! 🫣😒

[@stevethemastersword]

@@normandolinic2044 if a cop says "go break that window or ill arrest you" and you break that window and he arrests you thats what entrapment is, its not just baiting somebody into a crime, it involves an aspect of coersion, implied or otherwise, if the "shieks" said "take this bribe or we'll kill you" THAT would be entrapment, but this is just bait

[@clinttube]

@@stevethemastersword You're right that it isn't just when somebody gets baited, but the remaining statements are wrong. They do not have to force you to do anything to constitute entrapment. Repeated inducement of somebody other unwilling/not predisposed to commit a crime could easily be entrapment and is WAY more likely the case when people claim entrapment. Actual force is rare in entrapment defense because that's blatantly obvious and a crime in and of itself.

[@dylanscalfscalf9488]

I love how at 20:28 it links to your Patreon and not an offer for $50,000. You got me.

[@ZonamaPrime]

@8:45 This is someone who we have proven irredeemable, caught in the 70's still doing criminal things in the 2020's... this man is a lifelong career criminal, of which we barely know the extent.

[@lxvelycall]

how is this guy not at 10m subs yet...? this is one of the best video essays i've ever seen

[@hearts4gene]

I have a hard time concentrating on videos like these and rely on captions. It might seem like a small thing but i heavily appreciate the captions done properly instead of the automated ones ! :)

[@attempted_realist]

They call that "campaign donations" now.

[@bvk5613]

thank you for writing your own captions.

[@chuck1026]

This should be issued like drug tests fully random for any congressperson at any time

[@peter_de_Jong817]

"Smart" politicians make sure it's called lobbying or some NGO crap.

[@wahidtrynaheghugh260]

“Abdul Enterprises Ltd” is crazy work 💀

[@ContagiousRepublic]

It's very sad they're not doing this every year.

[@henrikhumle7255]

The end of this video is extremely poignant. It ultimately comes down to you and me, and whether or not we are actually willing to turn off our TV's or PC's and get up out of our couches and gamer chairs to go out and wave a sign around, knock on doors or hand out fliers in the rain. Whether or not we are willing to actually participate in democracy and protect democracy. Democracy isn't something that you just deal with on election days and then hand over to others for the rest of the year. It's something that you're a part of every day. And every day that you don't care to do anything to protect it, is another day where your complacency enables corrupt to get away with doing whatever they want. Politicians trading stocks although they obviously have insider information in regard to policy became and remains legal because no one cares to get in the way of it. Politicians selling their votes on various matters for cozy fake jobs once they're out of office became and remains legal because no one cares to get in the way of it. Democracy withers on the vine because so few of us actually care to do anything about it. And I get that it's difficult! I get that we have jobs and responsibilities, and that things are rough right now, and that we're all feeling pretty miserable. But all of that is only going to get worse the longer we decide we won't take whatever spare energy we have and push back against it. That's what it means to hold your leaders accountable. That's what democracy is. And if we're NOT willing to do that, if we're not willing to knock on doors or stand around in the rain, then we're simply not willing to preserve our democracy.

[@RedwoodTheElf]

"Can you spell "Bribery"? I knew you could!"

[@WaddupItsYaBoi]

Henson picked the right fuckin' dude holy shit that ad transition was maximum effort.

[@kaylah9206]

I just gotta say, you look great with the 70s look and I love the stache

[@Hiddensecret9]

Ultimately, ABSCAM remains a unique event in American law enforcement history. The operation was successful in terms of exposing corruption, but the controversy surrounding it led to a more restrained approach in later years. The legacy of ABSCAM is still felt today, as it set the stage for how the FBI and other agencies handle undercover operations targeting government officials.

[@phantomshitter]

2:49 bros rocking that life on mars drip and thought we wouldn't notice

[@DaveSCameron]

“Best country in the world!” 😂😂😂😂😂

[@BrettShadow]

Name a better one

[@LakesideTrey]

Our corrupt politicians often get prosecuted. Take George Soros and the Mayor of New York as recent examples.

[@janemiettinen5176]

Land of the free, with most incarcerated citizens, many times over. I think these sorta sentences are part brainwashing, part irony.

[@ceciliacrocker390]

​@@BrettShadow, hahaha, name one that shares no treaty...

[@BrettShadow]

@@ceciliacrocker390 Still waiting

[@baileyroddog]

Hehe thank you for adding me on the “thank you for voting page” i appreciate it. After all, I was just doing my job as a citizen of the United States of America.

[@SandyWolf-]

Back in the day when they actually arrested criminals 😮

[@mb9326]

Let's pass legislation to prevent us from being busted being corrupt, Hah.

[@rooknado]

“Largest federal anti-sting operation” No wonder all the photos are all in black and white :p

[@Acidology]

The way you transition from corruption to a razor brand was the craziest part of this story to me haha.

[@JRDShamrock]

there shouldnt be a line to draw. a politician should not be corrupt period.

[@IStealButterdToast]

I’m unsure if this makes me a pessimist, but I believe that when given the chance under certain circumstances, all humans will choose the more immoral and “corrupt” option if it means they will get a reward in some form or way

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

​@@IStealButterdToastThere's a tumblr post I saw once that spoke of a study that fount autistics are less likely to do that. Of course, it framed autistics as bad for that, so...

[@drkclshr]

@@IStealButterdToastfrom what i understand, people can do immoral things under pressure or when told to by an authority

[@Shade-78]

I never cared for history much while I was in school but you make it so interesting the way you present it I guess it also helps knowing I don't have to take a test on it thank you so much❤❤❤😊

[@MNIceMan44]

Weird how it keeps happening

[@slybunz8057]

No matter where you place on the political spectrum, you can get behind getting rid of corrupt politicians who don’t have your needs in mind.

[@CostlyFiddle]

had to switch to headphones cuz all i could look at was that shiny stache

[@Arctic740]

Extremely high production quality bro. This channel will blow up

[@s1ddh4r7h.p]

So some congressmen got red-teamed by the FBI then said it was wrong? Lmao

[@HairyButWhole]

Corruption is such a beautiful thing, spreads like rust until all is rotten. I think the system is beyond rotten at this point so good luck clearing that mess.

[@Link_240]

cant stop staring at the shiny mustache 😵‍💫

[@cindirose3390]

Ho ho, I like the Host's 1970s vibe of his appearance. He even used the word "Spooks" for the Agents. 😂

[@vista3790]

ik something was wrong when “the sheikh” was asking for a drink lol

[@RepriseYT]

sheikhs and Muslims in general drink all the time, especially the wealthier ones

[@wilfredmacdonald8245]

I used to cater aircraft, I can verify that many wealth Muslims drink some of the highest quality alcoholic drinks. They also hire some of the most expensive European prostitutes. They are some of the best hypocrites on this earth.

[@Worldofweez]

Is the look you're going for Pascal/Holbrook from Narcos? If so, you're right on the money.

[@nicholasgignac7065]

We need to do this again. Yes I have concerns that this can be weaponized politically but run this against every senator and house Member as a one off. make legislation that any sting like this has to be broad against all political parties. …..unfortunately its the very people on the receiving side of the sting that would have to vote on continuing it.

[@kevinjosephmckay]

I have no concerns. Multiple representatives declined the money, one reported the attempted bribe to the fbi.

[@burp2019]

there's probably enough non-corrupt members to get it through, and if that fails they could just do what many others have done by slipping it in with something else

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

​@@kevinjosephmckay Imagine being the FBI employee being called about the sting your coworkers are doing.

[@kevinjosephmckay]

@youtubeuniversity3638 Yeah that's horrible! Well get right on that. (Click) Anyway... My favorite is Jack Murtha, blue dog Dem from southwest PA, coal country. They'd put a suitcase full of cash on the table and he wouldn't exactly take it, or decline it, he'd deflect and say something like, "You know there's a mine in my district you could invest that in, put a lot of my constituents back to work."

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

@@kevinjosephmckay Acually I meant it as more humorous...

[@JamesTheGamerWasTaken]

The government getting caught by a agency of the government before GTA VI is crazy

[@dukes1993724]

Lol. Don’t expect a fix anytime soon. Look who’s back in charge now.

[@Krushnow]

A wild cuck has entered the comment section.

[@heidirabenau511]

Technically from 20 January 2025

[@Krushnow]

My reply to your comment was censored, I wonder who's the one voicing support for the corrupt side.

[@Quizack]

@@Krushnow Don’t be disingenuous lmao. If I click on your profile, I can see that comment, and you just called him a name by saying “A wild ____ has entered the comment section”. It was picked up by moderation. Not because you’re “exposing corruption” or something.

[@Krushnow]

@@Quizack I never claimed to be exposing corruption, it was certainly meant as an insult. However, we all know that certain insults are seen as non acceptable because of ideologically driven censorship. You not being able to even quote me is more than evidence.

[@celestialnubian]

They did the same thing in the 2000s in Tennessee. It was called Operation Tennessee Waltz.

[@spaghettisaucer8870]

0:50 was it a no show house

[@zeophalanx1751]

close enough, welcome back Lemmino

[@Stannely1]

22:07 more demure, might I add

[@KlockworXMusic]

Me, a minute into the video "Ok, now do it again"

[@sandrafaith]

2:49 lololol

[@tracewhite2879]

This just did this to the Mayor of Jackson MS. You should make a video on it

[@whatsagoodusername6891]

FBI??? Corrupt??? Now you're gonna tell me the CIA assasinated kennedy. 😂

[@michaelrees350]

Well no the issue is that the FBI actually is corrupt

[@LinkiePup]

No politician is above corruption. Doesn’t matter the party. Doesn’t matter the gender. Doesn’t matter the age. No one in a major position of political power can escape corruption.

[@davidvasquez08]

16:49 where’s the emu?

[@charlesbrain6220]

Top comment

[@korbindallas4552]

I jumped to comments to see if anyone else saw the same thing.

[@theninjaguy2]

If the "Sting Operation" described in the intro is an accurate representation, then the FBI should not have been able to use those recordings in a criminal case, what they did is the literal definition of Entrapment.

[@RedTail1-1]

I don't know about that expectation of privacy bit.. when I am in a hotel room I kind of expect anything going on inside to be private. Same if I am inside someone's home. They really had to stretch for that one.

[@astrophysicz]

If it's not a space you own or rent, the people who do own or rent that space are generally free to have any kind of technical infrastructure they want, including things like nanny cams or smarthome devices. It doesn't make much sense to illegalize people from owning such things in their own spaces.

[@Worldofweez]

It's really not much of a stretch at all approaching it logically, its pretty well established case law even for the time. If it's not a space you have some kind of legal contract to be occupying like a lease, mortgage or deed, you are kidding yourself if you think you have an expectation of privacy. If you extend your logic into the real world you'll see how problematic that is. For example, if a guest had an expectation of privacy in your home it would be illegal for you to take pictures or recordings inside your own residence. It's a concept they teach in high school civics/law classes, pretty straightforward. I mean no offense by this, but if you 'don't know about the expectation of privacy' then maybe learn before commenting and spreading that ignorance to others.

[@My_Old_YT_Account]

It's not their hotel room, it's the sheik/FBI's

[@jameshurst6119]

I'm old enough to remember Abscam

[@gabrielrussell5531]

19:46 Ah, 1988. Of course it's the outgoing Reagan administration.

[@clinttube]

This was during a period where Democrats had MASSIVE majorities in the House and Senate. It's House and Senate genius, not presidency. And it's RETIREES - AKA the people who got voted out (Democrats at that time, by a huge majority). Democrats averaged over 60% of House seats during Reagan's terms and controlled the entire congress for 26 years straight until 1984. Which is when the RETIREES would register as lobbyists, not the people that got voted IN (predominantly Republicans replacing Democrats). To be clear, I'm NOT making ANY claim about corruption in either party, only correcting the record since people are up-voting this without realizing it's a self-own. That said, you will note 6/7 indicted congress members were also Democrats.

[@PrecisaS]

Least corrupt republicans

[@happyhattergamer8078]

That was a smooth transition to the ad, but great video!

[@twisted202]

Total. Government. Reform.

[@ceciliacrocker390]

💯 % agree

[@openthinker6562]

This is playing out like a TV show: a team of agents slowly finding bigger and bigger fish

[@FPoP1911]

Ooh new spectacles dropped. so I started the video and great openning, I think it's the heart of the paradox of sting operations in terms of ethics, the answer to the question of "would this crime happen if the state wasn't trying to prevent this type of crime as a whole?" I think the answer to that maybe lies in the fact that perhaps we should look at crime in a different way, not as someone's character and being but an act and I don't mean it in the very different very of that applies to addiction for example but in a legal way. Inducement I believe is the term. Now usually it's a binacry subject and depending on ideology people see it differently but basically the question people are asking in their heads without asking the question itself is "is it ethical to tempt someone?" which implies temptation somehow lessens the weight of a crime or even social wrongs. I believe the weight of the crime itself and the weight of motivation are separate factors, for example I'd like to think most people would understand that if someone was hungry or in any state of desperation where food, shelter or clothing has are in an existentially precarious state, both weight of the crime and motivations should be taken into heavy consideration. Someone stealing food without harming anyone is basically as close to innocent as possible in ethical consideration. But even violence should be taken into consideration both in itself and in terms of context of a situation. For example, prevent petty crime, or not petty but individualistic crime in terms of motivation and person, think of it as legal personhood in the face of the law and society. To try to sting this is in a way questioning the law abidingness of the individual as a person on a daily basis. In the same way people have expectation of privacy, an individual should expect the state to view him as law abiding unless proven otherwise, innocent until proven guilty on a macro scale not judicial, on the executive scale where enforcers of the law are expected to view an individual as a decent person as the baseline without prejudice. To sting random people in the subway with wallets is trying to catch a few pickpockets. The weight of pickpocketting as a crime on individuals and the material and immaterial loss compared to possibility of creating a crime for someone who would or wouldn't have done it otherwise in terms of ethics math, yeah the math isn't good. In far few words, potentially catching a few pickpockets, at the expense of invading the expectation of innocence and worst possibly being the trigger for someone's first time in crime does more social harm than good. Oh and just the scale of the problem is one that can't be prevented by the threat of the police sting. So even in terms of game theory it's not just ethically problematic but effectively has no impact on the problem. But people aren't any one thing. In terms of social roles, I sometimes feel a person's social role should be where the law is facing them. As people get more authority, the threat of the damage of their crimes increases exponentially. Let's say you're not friendly to the unhoused, you think the homeless might stab you or mug you or assualt you, sexually or otherwise. It's a horrible crime but the extent of damage again is individualistic extending to victims and families. If statistically cops stinging dark allies in the night as a drunk man or woman, would lower mugs and assualt, if it could be done in a manner where the resources of the stings were enough to prevent half of them by creating the illusion to the criminal that not only this drunk lady in the alley could be a cop but are other cops would be around, if statistically significant changes showed it could be done, the ethical math would be in a state where I'd explore the unforeseen sideeffects it might have. If we could have researouces to reasonably tempt people for a possible assualt on another human being. Politicians, Judges, basically entire administration of the government are given authority over the very life of people under the sovereignty as exclusive right to [lethal] violence . Sovreighn might not be a king, it could be a democratically elected institution that still carries that doctrine. Even without that doctrine it carries massive authority over life of individuals. I can make the same argument about white collar or financial crime. In both cases the possibility of a crime carries the risk of it affect untold man hour of lives of untold number of people, the collective costs over individuals and the overall society. Corporate greed behind Ford Pinto killed people but nobody individualistically wasn't accused of murder, but soemone somewhere chose to ignore guidlines and literal laws that existed to prevent people dying. Negligent homicide, is still homicide. If you in a role were expected to prevent a loss or life and knowingly crossed or ignored it, you as a person may not be a murder but as a technicaly chief officer or some place, are very well a murderer. So people in places of authority as far as I'm concerned are given that society as part of social contract, even the rich in fact. If someone's abuse of power leads to that wide a damage, especially in case of public servants, should be expected to treat every moment of that role as if in front of a sting operation. The ethical math of it is easy. The extent of it would be a matter of debate but the ethics of it, barely. Internal Affairs should in fact tempt cops, that's their job as far as I'm cocncerned as preventative incentive as to not abuse that power. Oh and in ALL those cases, financial temptation in terms of bribes with anything of material value should be encouraged. Every person who has ever given opportunity to hold power over their fellow man should be tested for financial temptation. Not just as judicial need to prevent that crime but in fact it will bring about the conversation that maybe their salary isn't enough, it would be a conversation about their labour, a very much welcome ones. If a cop takes 100 bucks from me to kill someone, he has done a crime as a person, might have abused some his power but he contact killed as a person. If a cop takes 100 bucks from me to look away while I kill someone, this crime questions their cophood not personhood if you will. Their social role and their failure in the role they have taken is under the question not their morality or law abidingness as a person. But there's a reason we don't hear this conversation. To admit that is to admit inducement and financial temptation reveals a part of a persons being. It would mean that a cop taking 1000 bucks as a bribe to say help theft with the cost of someone's monetary loss of a warehouse, a person who sees a wallet in subway(not even take it from another person, found and not returned) and takes it at the cost of someone never findign their wallet, and a supreme court judge taking tens millions to rule in the itnerest of a company at the expense of people's who died and will die because of X safety concern, it would mean that all of them are the same thing in terms of moral and social wrong, an individual's whole being just being wrong rather than failing at a role. Without our roles we're all civilians and we may do crime as one but in our roles we may do crimes both as civilians and in that role against the wider society. Let the punishment fit the crime, which is very different from eye for an eye. Crimes of those who have committed them in roles that they had given authority over someone or something and their failure in that role led to unimaginable number of deaths, should in fact be life imprisonment not 5K or something fine as far as I'm concerned, they have lost part of their social personhood through that crime as far as I'm concerned. And in their roles they are expected to be checked over and over, if society had the resources I'd say try to tempt and induce a crime in the highest echeolons of society, a minister in cabinet should be tempted with money to betray his duies, twice a day. That indeed would in game theory, overcharge the price of selling public trust in a preventative manner. Believe me if society knew exactly the cost to benefit ratio, they would agree to 5 million per anum salary for their congressmen in return for preventing mfs from taking million dollar bribes and in that world I would in fact say literally a congressman taking money in their duty very well deserves a 25 year stretch in very uncomfortable federal prison? why? because not only they'd very much deserve it, they might start preaching about correctional system reforms as well. And I wrote a very poorly written legal philosophical essay why? Because every single person or entity that instead of trust but verify, argues for lack of transparency, will always, always, when all that is done, at the end of the day, eventually... f*ck you, me and everyone over. See someone make a claim but is offended if you check? RUN.

[@zutubanger]

close enough, welcome back lemmino

[@kaplanbahadir2301]

Probably the best Spectacles vid yet.

[@XboxUnitD77]

"I have fired the horse catcher" -The Horse loose in a hospital The idea that congress can make investigation into them all but impossible is fundamentally ridiculous. If anything the FBI should have even more freedom to investigate the government internally. I'd make it super lax to investigate internally. The belief of "If you did nothing wrong, you should have nothing to hide" is key here. I believe that government should be held to a higher standard, and expected to play ball fairly. I understand that some corruption can be good, and there is 100% shady shit that happens behind closed doors, and ultimately there is a judgement call to be made on what exactly to prosecute, there should be investigations. Walking into the office, you should be accepting that nothing you do will be private to the rest of the government and you are essentially always under surveillance. Walking out of the office should be with a list of "acceptable wrongs" or in handcuffs. If you don't think corruption is real, or that most of congress is bribed, I have but 1 example. Cigarettes. The fact that anything remotely cancerous is super restricted (Asbestos, Lead, etc), but well documented and highly proven cancer causing cigarettes, just get a warning label and a 18 age restriction. That's it. Cigarettes WILL cause cancer, not if, when. Yet they are perfectly legal, highly taxed, but legal. We removed lead from the gas because that was bad for people indirectly, why not cigarettes that is harmful directly. There is 0 reason a universal ban on cigarettes shouldn't be passed today, but it wont, because corruption, bribes, and tax revenue.