With some regularity, I get quote-twitted by a fellow named Kurt Schlichter, who has amassed a significant following on the twitters. He’s done it a few times in the past few days, this being his latest effort.
Patriots do a lot of things, none of which Scott has done. Wanting foreigners who hate us to come here to try to destroy us is not one of the things patriots do. https://t.co/ELA9xuZPXx
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) August 29, 2026
After Kurt has his say, there tends to be a swarm of his followers, whether bots or real, in my replies, offering such insightful comments as these.
Dumbest shit I have ever heard. The Constitution is for American citizens specifically.
This is retarded. America isn’t a suicide pact.
The constitution only applies to us citizens.
Actual patriots recognize that if only Americans are worthy of the protections granted by the Constitution. If anyone can be an American then no one can. Also, fuck off Jew.
Now Kurt, as opposed to the people to whom he panders, isn’t stupid. So it left me wondering why he, as well as a few others, nonetheless spews such blithering idiocy on the twitters. Granted, it could be that he simply supports Trump, for reasons unclear, and will say whatever he has to in order to maintain the level of idiocy necessary to keep his followers from being cognizant of law and reality. There are no shortage of people willing to pander to fools to maintain their status among the MAGA faithful.
The Washington Post, however, has provided a far more rational reason for Kurt, and people like him, to pander to fools and spew things they know to be nonsense. They’re being paid by the Pentagon.
The Pentagon has secretly installed several conservative military veterans with large online followings in government roles, declining to disclose their assignments as they amplify Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s viewpoints and attack those who scrutinize the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the matter and corroborating material.
You’re never going to guess whose money is being used when the Pentagon pays “influencers.” Well, maybe you can.
Those involved include Rob Maness, a retired Air Force colonel, and Kurt Schlichter, a retired Army colonel, people familiar with the matter said. Pentagon records reviewed by The Washington Post show that both have active official government email addresses as of this past week and are assigned to the office of Anthony Tata, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. The email addresses include a “.civ” suffix, meaning they are labeled as civilian employees, rather than as military personnel or contractors.
Oh, Kurt. You’re getting paid and don’t share the wealth?
Both served for decades in uniform and, since retiring, have turned from the military to conservative commentary. Maness has more than 135,000 followers on X, while Schlichter has nearly 620,000.
Another retired Army colonel and influencer, Thomas Anderson, was listed in Pentagon records earlier this year with a “.civ” email address and assigned to Tata’s office, according to people familiar with the matter and records reviewed by The Post. An attorney, he writes online under the pen name Cynical Publius and has more than 323,000 followers on X. He was no longer listed in Pentagon records late this past week, the people familiar with the issue said.
I haven’t bothered to look back to see whether I’m on Maness’ or Anderson’s radar as well, but it’s a perverse source of pride that the big guy, Kurt Schlichter, finds me so persuasive that he needs to come after me to blunt my message.
But why has Hegseth been paying “influencers”?
Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and Army National Guard officer, has attempted to reshape the public discourse about Pentagon affairs. Last year, he imposed new restrictions on Pentagon press corps members that forced dozens of journalists out of the building and later introduced a new, primarily right-wing press corps to replace them.
It’s bad enough for the Trump administration that so many of his initiatives have failed and resulted in real life harm to so many. Saying he won the war in Iran and that the Strait of Hormuz is under his control and open doesn’t make it real, as has become impossible to ignore now that the four to five week war has gone on for six months without a strategy, an end game or any path to resolution in sight.
While Trump does his best to spread his fantastical grasp of reality, the influencers do their job of backing him up. Telling people that this is the golden age and the greatest economy in the history of the world doesn’t make gas or groceries affordable. Lying to people about the Constitution doesn’t mean they lose their rights, although this tends to be more about who has the guns than who has the rights.
But that hasn’t stopped the guys on the payroll like Kurt from earning their keep.
Added in: I forgot about this, but it seems appropriate here.
