this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2025
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Summary

Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old DOGE staffer recently promoted to a senior adviser role in the State Department, is reportedly the grandson of former KGB spy Valery Martynov.

Martynov was executed in the Soviet Union after being exposed as an FBI informant. Coristine, an alleged former cybercriminal, previously worked in the General Services Administration and now has potential access to sensitive diplomatic data.

Concerns have been raised over his background and apparent lack of a security check.

The situation fuels fears about foreign influence in U.S. government operations.

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[–] PantanoPete@lemmy.zip 3 points 19 hours ago

So what? The KGB hasn't existed for 30 years or more. My dad was a dead beat, what does that matter? The bigger problem is what he is doing not who his parents and grand parents were lol

[–] eugenevdebs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 1 day ago (2 children)

What kind of North Korean "sins of the father" shit is this?

Punish him for his actions of helping Musk take over the government in a coup, not that his grandad did spycraft every nation did in the Cold War.

I don't care if he was the grandson of Jesus Christ and Buddha if he is a dipshit fascist. Fascists get called out for being fascists, not being related to one they might have never known.

[–] daepicgamerbro69@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago

What kind of "nuanced" concerntroll is this? No sane person would say shit if the kid was a political moderate but since he's a fascist swine AND alleged grandson of a secret police officer, 100% I am going to use it against him.

[–] michaelmrose@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago (9 children)

National security isn't fair because its more important than being fair and those who are for any reasons suspect are free to do any of the other hundreds of millions of jobs.

People are absolutely suspect because of their associations.

[–] Mic_Check_One_Two@reddthat.com 9 points 23 hours ago

Exactly this. Top Secret clearance typically extends out to three degrees of separation. They’ll check on you, your friends/family, and their friends/family. Because when national security is concerned, they don’t want to risk a leak due to something like a cousin being a spy and going drinking after work with the employee.

[–] WhatYouNeed@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

100%. This arsehole deserves it.

[–] TokenBoomer@lemmy.world -4 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

National security being more important than being fair has been justification to do many of the most horrific acts in recent history.

[–] michaelmrose@lemmy.world 3 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Nonsense. Its normal for a small number of highly secure roles to go only to people whose loyalty is beyond and known doubt. This means if you have questonable family you can only be a CEO, scientist, dentist welder or race car driver or you know all the other jobs other than say head of the NSA or part of the team with access to all our secrets

[–] TokenBoomer@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago

Advocating for nepotism on the basis of loyalty and national security is partly why we are in this mess. America has never been a meritocracy, and we should stop pretending it ever was.

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[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 34 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Even if this stupid asshole isn't related to a KGB spy...WTAF:

recently promoted to a senior adviser role in the State Department

He's a FUCKING TEENAGER. The guy cannot even legally drink. Cannot rent a car.

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

Elon's just excited he found someone almost as rizzless as he is.

[–] Kalysta@lemm.ee 15 points 1 day ago (4 children)

And what is anyone doing about it?

I am seeing nothing but stories today about how trump, musk, and musk’s incel groupies are all tied to russia. And no one arresting them for being undocumented foreign agents.

So why bother reporting?

[–] Spzi@lemm.ee 1 points 3 hours ago

why bother reporting?

Here are some of the many ways this could be answered:

  • To exercise this core freedom, to not lose it. What comes out of it is a much less important question. The day news outlets remain silent about wrongdoings because they believe nobody cares anyways is going to be one of the darkest days towards the death of democracy.
  • Separation of powers means the Press is not the Legislative, which is not the Judicative. The question seems to assume they were all one, or since the Press lacks the means of the other two, it's mission would be kind of futile. But since these powers are separated, it is irrelevant to the Press wether and what legal actions follow (aside from being stories worth covering in themselves). It's simply not the job of reporting to carry out arrests, and the lack of arrests, even when necessary, does not devalue the reporting. Maybe even on the contrary: It's probably of much more value to society to report about things which aren't already dealt with.
  • It is totally relatable to feel powerless, maybe even getting accustomed to things going south. But I think we should be extra careful how these sentiments are communicated. A necessary prelude to that darkest day from above, is when outlets still report, but are met with nothing but indifferent "water is wet", "can't do anything so why care at all?" comments.
[–] yunxiaoli@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago

Who would arrest them? Dems and gop both have spent a century placing nearly all government power with scotus and the executive. The judicial isnt going to start drafting an army of armed officers of the court, so that just means the executive is going to continue to use all of the power both parties decided to give it.

[–] SickofthisShit@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago

America is in shock at the moment.

[–] WhatYouNeed@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

You knew about this before? I didn't. Report it.

Information is key.

[–] redwattlebird@lemmings.world 89 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Surely the fact that he's 19 and a senior advisor in a state department is more damning than his lineage? And that Trump is very obviously friendly with Putin?

I think this familial connection is just a storm in a teacup which is sitting inside a much larger storm.

[–] Placebonickname@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (2 children)

U know what I was doing at 19 years old? Nothing…nothing that counted as work. I won a bacon eating contest at college and played a ton of Mario Kart 64.

[–] Saleh@feddit.org 3 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, and other people led successful military campaigns and even empires at that age.

Alexander "the great" was 20 years old, when he got into power.
Scipio who later defeated Hannibal got his name on the roaster for a daring charge as an 18 years old officer.
Pennypacker was 16-19 years old when he became captain in the US Union army and was 20-22 when he became Brigardier General and was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1865

This is just some quick examples i found, but history is riddled with young people excelling in leadership roles.

[–] Placebonickname@lemmy.world 2 points 12 hours ago

Yeah, but that’s like when people died from old age when they were 40 have their midlife crisis by the time they’re 21, get married at 12 and cheat on your wife at 16. Have to set up alimony payments. …

[–] stardust@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And that was very responsible of you. Wish more people would be participating in bacon eating contests over actively making the world a worse place. Please play video games and go have harmless fun. It's better for society.

[–] Alenalda@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I see what youre saying, but clearly pigs were harmed for this fun.

[–] Ridgetop18@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 19 hours ago

What this country needs is more pigs being harmed in the name of fun.

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[–] simplejack@lemmy.world 174 points 2 days ago (6 children)

Big Balls looks like a Connecticut boat shoe that came to life.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

I know it's a long shot, but I so want sanity restored and people like him rounded the fuck up and charged with breaking into government systems.

I want the legal system to wipe that fucking smug look right off their faces.

[–] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 86 points 2 days ago (2 children)

He looks like a half dressed toddler. Nice of him to give everyone an immediate visual cue for what they’re about to deal with, I guess.

[–] LillyPip@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

I love it when the Nazis make themselves this punchable. Makes it easier for the sentiment* to take hold.

e: autocorrect fail

[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago

Maybe musk will start carrying him around.

[–] Veedem@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago

That’s a wonderfully specific yet accurate description. Up you go.

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[–] NotLemming@lemm.ee 15 points 1 day ago
[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 114 points 2 days ago (6 children)

[slightly off topic]

I'm a native of the Northeastern United States and I've lived in numerous areas depicted in the media as being under the influence of 'organized crime.' To wit, Harlem, lower Manhattan, Hell's Kitchen, and Staten Island.

Actual tough guys never have nicknames like 'Big Balls.' Never. The guys you fear have names like 'the Chin,' or 'Bumpy,' or 'Legs.' Al Capone's buddies called him 'Snorky.'

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 59 points 2 days ago (12 children)

Yeah street names are always an endearing insult

[–] GeeDubHayduke@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I worked in construction and we used radios to communicate between crews. One kid insisted we call him 'AntDawg.' His name was Anthony.

It's started with 'Labradoodle.' He put up with that for two days before bitching he didn't wanna be Labradoodle. Everyone agreed it was too annoying over the radio, so we all agreed to shorten it. Doodle still hates his name.

[–] Mic_Check_One_Two@reddthat.com 4 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

I know a dude who introduced himself with “hey, my name’s Mike but call me Spike.” I think it was one of those “I just changed schools and want to reinvent myself as someone cooler” scenarios.

That was like 15 years ago. To this day, we still call him Spmike (pronounced “SPUH-mike”).

[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 29 points 2 days ago (6 children)

Pilot's nicknames / unofficial callsigns often are as well, some kind of back handed reference to a fuck-up or troublesome character trait.

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[–] watson387@sopuli.xyz 81 points 2 days ago

You can't even make this shit up...

[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 46 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It is so sad how fitting this image is and will be for the foreseeable future.

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[–] grue@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago

How the Hell does someone have a background as both a cybercriminal and a GSA employee at 19? I mean, sure, you can be a cybercriminal as an adolescent. But why is the GSA even hiring anybody that young at all?

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