INGERSOLL: We Badly Need To Address The 100% Disabled Veteran Bullsh*tters

Geoffrey Ingersoll1/4

A few things are true: VA disability is rife with bullshitters. There’s almost nothing that can be done about it. Not necessarily for the reason you think either. At the same time, reform for the process is absolutely necessary or the VA will bankrupt itself.

Sorry to say, but the door needs to be shut on future claims.

It took me 10 years to file with the VA.

They tell you, or at least they did when I was in, to file immediately, as soon as you know you’re ending active service (so, like 3-9 months out). Looking back, the reason why was obvious: The VA is a bureaucratic mess. Better to get it done on the government dime than to wait until it’s your time that’s getting wasted.

At the time, welfare avoidance was reflexive to me. That’s how I viewed it. That’s how I view almost any government benefit. It’s just welfare and I don’t need welfare.

I also didn’t want it on the books that I had things wrong with me. I did and still do. I enlisted and deployed at the height of the insurgency in Iraq. I was not a grunt, don’t get me wrong, but these wheels still have some rough mileage on them.

My view of “VA disability” has since evolved a bit. Firstly: If you were injured during service and will need medical aid in the future, particularly when you are elderly, you owe it to your loved ones to get those things officially recognized with the veteran medical infrastructure.

Secondly: If your injuries, both physical and mental, are permanent and act as obstacles to your professional advancement that others who did not serve, yet nevertheless benefitted from your sacrifice, do not have, then you deserve modest compensatory recompense. Permanently if necessary.

I don’t think that’s even remotely a stretch.

Now, all that said, the VA disability system is rife with abject bullshitters and frauds.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned in disgrace in 2014. The 2010s were the absolute pinnacle of hate for the agency. Veterans were dying in VA parking lots waiting for proper service. Some were going into a VA office to file appeals, running into brick walls of bureaucracy, walking back outside and shooting themselves.

The whole issue was the endless waiting. Delay of essential medical and, importantly, psychological services was at a peak in 2013. More than 600,000 veterans were on a disability waitlist. They had filed and had not been scheduled for screening in at least >125 days.

The agency was caught completely off guard by the most predictable influx of broken veterans with legitimate claims.

After six years of expansive ground war, claims started to skyrocket right around the 2008-2010 time period.

Since Shinseki’s resignation, those wait times have improved drastically. There are now fewer than 100,000 veterans waiting past the 125 window for disability screening. It’s been an absolute sea change, but to what effect?

https://dailycaller.com/2026/07/16/ingersoll-veterans-affairs-fraud-disability-claims-scandal-benefits/

>>24837788

2/4

In 2019, we had finally gotten to the point where we could buy a home, but we needed a VA loan to do it.

My wife’s ~$75,000 in college debt had been paid off. We’d both been promoted professionally and had made significant salary steps. It was time.

There was just one problem: The VA loans had a “funding fee.”

It wasn’t much, I think maybe 2%. But two points on hundreds of thousands of dollars adds up. It would be a five figure cost. The only way to avoid it: If you have even 1% disability rating, the fee is waived.

My wife was clear: Get that can of yours down to the VA.

So I did. First I asked some friends who had filed recently what the process was like. Gist was it was worse than the DMV, buuuuuut … they’d fast track everything.

“If you went to Iraq or deployed at all, they just rubber stamp it,” a close friend told me. “70%.”

70?! Lol, okay.

Navigating the process took me about a month. I still had all my old documentation. I had persistent tendon issues in my elbows, issues in my shoulders, both knees, recurring stress fractures in my feet. Also some back stuff. I’d even had at least one corrective surgery so I could deploy. I blew some guts through my abdominal wall doing one thing or another. Rounding it out, I had the hearing of a man at least 20 years older than me, particularly hearing the human voice in a busy room. Unless someone screamed in my face, I plum could not make out words.

It also took me a long time to admit I had some level of post traumatic stress. It wasn’t the fighting. I hadn’t seen nearly as much as some of my friends. Also what fighting I did see I enjoyed, but that’s another issue entirely.

I did frequently dream of the dead, though, afterward for a long time. I was also anxious almost all the time. I semi-frequently imagined myself dying in various ways. I’d lose track of time and then realize I’d zoned out and been thinking of ways I could die in a given day. These usually occurred most often during high stress periods of my life. I didn’t think this was abnormal, but they still considered it “suicidal ideation.”

None of this, from the bones and muscles to the brain to the mentality, seemed all that crazy to me.

So I gathered all my documents from every time I went to military medical and hauled them to every appointment the VA set for me. I went to the ear doctor. I did shoulder and knee stuff. The whole gamut. It took weeks and dozens of hours.

Last stop was psyche screening. I was fine, basically, I said, except I hated crowded, loud rooms and would often become socially paralytic. Early on, when I first got out, if I was drinking in this kind of situation, I’d often suddenly get violent. Pick a mark, a face I didn’t like, and bust him in the mouth.

Did it have an effect on me professionally? Folks, I work in communications. Of course it did.

Also, I’d zone out here and there and picture myself dying. Big woop, amirite! Wrong. The psyche was disturbed. She told me to get on SSRIs (LOL, nah) and go to group therapy (sorry, I’d rather cut down trees with the boys).

Weeks went by and I got my screening back. Every claim, down the whole list, denied denied denied denied. Paperwork. Demonstrated issues. Denied.

Then PTSD: 70.

I could tell you I still had no idea it paid, but you probably wouldn’t believe me. Regardless, it’s true. I had no idea disability generated automatic checks from the DoD — I just thought it would be socialized medicine and, most importantly for me, a waived VA Loan “funding fee.”

But checks showed up one day and I was shocked. This can’t be correct.

https://dailycaller.com/2026/07/16/ingersoll-veterans-affairs-fraud-disability-claims-scandal-benefits/

>>24837792

3/4

My wife, who is just as much a Republican as I am, considered it workers’ comp. It was compensation, a pension, for a sacrifice I made that others hadn’t and had nonetheless benefitted from.

Perhaps that’s true. At least, there are folks I served with who are indelibly f*cked up and they deserve compensation. Yes, forever, until death.

The problem is the way the VA went from 600,000 to 100,000 on the waitlist. The rubber stamp worked for guys who’d done two, three, four, sometimes as high as 10 deployments.

That’s not what we’re seeing today, though.

The issue has become more pronounced in recent years because of center-right personal finance podcaster Caleb Hammer.

He has dozens, probably hundreds of clips at this point.

He once talked to two veterans, one who apparently never left the states, and one who flew into an Arab base, worked, and flew out. They were both at 100% and receiving around $10,000 a month. He had one guy who was a cook receiving $4,000 a month for hearing loss. The guy wanted $8,000 and was working toward that goal, Hammer later said. Another guy studied cyber security as a civilian and seems to have spent most of his time on base. He said he had disability to the tune of $4k a month.

That’s all … eye popping. I deployed three times and spent significant time outside the wire. I’m not even close to that. I’m sure I have friends who did 4x what I did who are not even close to that.

Along with Hammer, you now have allegedly rape-tastic Graham Platner. He has a 100% rating. He was infantry. He might deserve it, who knows, I haven’t really looked into his case (not sure I legally even can, given privacy laws).

Not exactly the poster child you want for VA disability.

The general consensus is VA disability will not get cut because it’s a third rail. Nobody wants to cut benefits for veterans.

That’s an issue, but it’s not the real issue.

The real issue is that unfucking the ratings of 19 million veterans is a massive clusterfuck. It’s an administrative and bureaucratic nightmare. I’m not a mathematician or a risk analyst, but you don’t need to be one to know that over/under on the cost of doing that versus just paying out the benefits is an easy hedge to make.

You just pay out what you’ve already promised and avoid the cost of rerating everyone plus dealing with the wave of legal challenges.

But you don’t move on that easily.

The rubberstamp that worked for actually damaged veterans caught in the forever waiting loop is now getting abused. There are dozens of companies out there offering services to veterans and guaranteeing 100% rating. The yearly cost is over $200 billion and skyrocketing. That’s insane. It’s unsustainable.

As usual, a system devised for people who genuinely deserve help is getting abused by a vast swath of liars, cheats and fraudsters.

The VA needs to close the door. Now. It’s shameful. We need to return to doing it the hard way and actually rating veterans fairly and comprehensively.

Otherwise, the whole system will implode. It’ll take some of my closest friends with it.

https://dailycaller.com/2026/07/16/ingersoll-veterans-affairs-fraud-disability-claims-scandal-benefits/

what’s weird about the media revolt on election cheating last night, Trump didn’t say anything he could of due to all the different way cheating, he didn’t even reveal all parties he knew participated, but they lost their cool for just saying it happened in 2020. To me that was the least provoking speech he’s even done. Thats how biased the media is they can’t even say there is any fraud at all. Everyone in the world knows there’s cheating in elections.

It’s almost like the media thinks all the people believes all their lies! It’s time for some government raids on these networks!

Truth Social to sell Wall Street firms the ‘fastest’ access to Trump’s posts

President Donald Trump’s posts on the platform regularly move markets. High-speed access to these could be very valuable to traders and investors.

Trump Media & Technology Group has unveiled a paid-for, licensed data feed that will give banks ​and trading firms “the=fastest” access to posts from influential Truth Social ‌accounts, such as President Donald Trump’s, whose posts often move global markets.

The product, called ‘Truth API’, will deliver posts from the 10 most influential accounts to customers at a significantly ​faster pace than a regular push notification on the Truth Social ​platform, a spokesperson said.

The feed is designed for organizations “most impacted by ⁠the cost of a delay in information”, such as algorithmic trading firms, ​the company said in a statement. “Until now… firms that prioritize tracking influential Truth ​posts have relied on manual monitoring. Truth API closes the gap.”

The move is TMTG’s first step into data licensing, and opens up a new revenue stream for the company, which ​has faced challenges in scaling its media business amid stiff competition from ​larger social media firms.

“Markets already move on Truth Social posts … As adoption grows, we expect ‌Truth ⁠API to become a meaningful, ongoing source of revenue for the company,” TMTG’s interim CEO Kevin McGurn said.

Trump has made several announcements through his Truth Social handle that have jolted markets worldwide, including his “Liberation Day” tariffs and posts ​regarding trade restrictions on ​China, making the ⁠platform a crucial feed for traders, businesses and financial institutions.

The product will provide round-the-clock coverage of influential posts and ​include an archive of posts dating back to 2022.The company ⁠said it has already signed up customers ahead of the Aug. 1 launch.

Firms have been scraping Truth Social data for months, in violation of TMTG’s terms of ⁠service, ​according to a spokesperson.

“We’re going to create a ​lot of friction for those folks that aren’t coming to us directly,” McGurn said in a ​statement.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/media/trump-media-early-access-truth-social-posts-rcna587912

After Tillis’ demands, Todd Blanche meets with Jeffrey Epstein’s victims

At least one survivor of the late convicted sex offender, however, called the meeting “insufficient.”

CHRIS MARQUETTE

07/16/2026, 9:49PM

Hours after Sen. Thom Tillis demanded acting Attorney General Todd Blanche meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, President Donald Trump’s nominee to permanently lead the Justice Department did just that.

In a social media post Thursday evening, Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, signaled he was satisfied that Blanche had followed through on his ask, saying he “commend[ed] Todd Blanche for doing what all his predecessors over the last two decades never did: meet with the victims of Jeffery Epstein’s horrific crimes.”

Tillis, who said he would not vote to advance Blanche’s nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee until Blanche met with Epstein victims, added, “I appreciate his willingness to directly engage and listen to them.”

One victim who attended the meeting, however, decried the meeting as “insufficient.”

“Unfortunately, Todd Blanche treated the meeting as a mere ‘check-the-box’ exercise intended to secure votes for his confirmation,” Danielle Bensky, a survivor whose identity was exposed as part of a flawed redaction process during the Justice Department’s release of the Epstein files that Blanche oversaw as deputy attorney general, said in a statement Thursday.

“He danced around his wording, repeatedly interrupted us and could not commit to anything that would demonstrate good faith ro begin to restore trust,” she added.

Bensky, who was invited by Democrats to testify on a panel of outside witnesses earlier Thursday as part of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation proceedings for Blanche, also said that Blanche “did not adequately account for the release of the materials that exposed survivors’ identifying information and images.”

Bensky said she hoped Tillis will ultimately “recognize that this meeting was insufficient” and that Blanche ”is not qualified to serve as attorney general.”

Tillis has still not said how he will vote on Blanche in the Judiciary Committee. Assuming all Democrats on the panel vote “no,” a single Republican defection could keep Blanche’s nomination from advancing to the Senate floor. A spokesperson for Tillis did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Bensky’s statement, and whether her characterization could affect his decision.

A Justice Department spokesperson in a statement defended Blanche’s meeting.

“Acting Attorney General Blanche, senior DOJ officials, FBI special agents, and victim services representatives met with Epstein victims today and had a productive, initial discussion,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement. “Acting AG Blanche answered questions and walked through what is needed for investigations to proceed.

“While some victims said that they had not reached out to the FBI under this administration, he encouraged victims to meet with FBI investigators as the next step, and attendees spoke with agents after the meeting about scheduling interviews,” the spokesperson continued. “The Justice Department is determined to bring justice for all victims of human trafficking and sex crimes.”

(I hope Tillis and Cornyn are arrested for corruption when they retire.)

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/07/16/congress/blanche-listens-to-tillis-01002573

Spicer: ‘A lot of negative comments’ from MAGA faithful after Trump address

Fri, July 17, 2026 at 9:28 AM

Sean Spicer, a White House press secretary in President Trump's first administration, acknowledged negative reactions from some in the Republican Party to the president's Thursday speech about U.S. election security and said Trump should've presented more of a path forward.

"I saw a lot of negative comments from the MAGA faithful saying, 'What else can we be doing? What else are we doing?'" Spicer said on NewsNation's "Morning in America" on Friday, using the acronym for Trump's campaign tagline "Make America Great Again."

"Raising an issue and not having a solution is a bit of a problem," he added.

Spicer has supported Trump's unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.During his speech on Thursday evening, the president called on Republican lawmakers to push through his top legislative priority, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act.

This legislation would require Americans to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote and an ID when casting ballots at polling sites. Democrats say these new requirements would disenfranchise many voters.

While Spicer expressed his support for passing the bill, he saidRepublicans "need a more concrete path of how to do it."

"When you tell someone that there's a major problem, we need to have a solution, we need to have a path forward," Spicer said."I don't know that he gave a lot of people that, aside from just saying pass the SAVE Act, and even on that front we've been doing, and talking about that on the right for a while."

Democrats slammed the president's claims of widespread election fraud on Thursday evening, with all 24 Democratic governors calling his address "deeply alarming" in a joint statement.

"No amount of lies and conspiracy theories can change the fact that our country's elections have repeatedly been proven to be safe and secure," they said. "These attacks are intended to intimidate and silence voters."

The Democratic leaders vowed to "fight back against the Trump administration and stop any and all unlawful attacks on every American's constitutional right to vote."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/democrats-call-bull-trump-election-025853272.html

=Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing backlash after defending homeless drug addicts and justifying their drug abuse by claiming drugs are used to “stay sane,” and that methamphetamine protects homeless people.

“You sleep out on the street for a couple of weeks and tell me that you’re not using something to stay sane or using meth to so that you don’t go to sleep to protect yourself,” she said as if meth use is obviously used for the purpose of safety.

The comment came during a City Hall press conference on Wednesday.

Later, when a reporter said, “You said that people are on the street using meth for protection,” Bass lashed out and denied ever saying such a thing.

“Well, no. What I said is— no! What I said is is that I know that people have used meth to stay awake at night, so they don’t fall asleep because they’re worried about being assaulted. Meth is not protection!” Bass claimed.

WATCH:

Meanwhile, Bass is also facing criticism for suggesting taxpayers should fund dental care for the “unhoused” meth addicts, according to Fox.

“How many people that you meet that are unhoused don’t have teeth at all? They don’t have teeth. Why? Because meth rots your teeth,” Bass reportedly said during a candidate forum last week as she vies for reelection.

“You can’t succeed without teeth. So there needs to be comprehensive healthcare provided to people,” she added.

Instead of addressing the homelessness crisis, Bass prefers to excuse the cause of homelessness and then have taxpayers pay for the consequences.

Former Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Spencer Pratt chimed in on the insane comments, slamming his former competitor for her 3-year-old-level incompetence and lies.

“Homelessness doesn’t cause drug addiction. Drug addiction causes homelessness,” Pratt said.

“3 year olds understand this. Why doesn’t Karen Bass?”

People Need to Use Meth to "Defend Themselves"

0:29

https://rumble.com/embed/v7ao06i/?pub=4

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/07/wth-karen-bass-says-homeless-people-need-use/

DEMOCRAT DISASTER IN WISCONSIN: Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez DROPS OUT of Governor Race After “Serious Mismanagement and Inaccuracies” in Campaign Finance Reports Force Her Exit

by Jim Hᴏft Jul. 17, 2026 1:00 pm

In a humiliating collapse just weeks before the August 11 Democratic primary, Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez (D) has DROPPED OUT of the race for governor.

Rodriguez announced her exit Friday morning, July 17,admitting that the campaign finance scandal rocking her bid had become an “ongoing distraction” she could no longer afford to carry into the primary or the general election Democrats desperately want to win.

A Milwaukee JournalSentinel review of Rodriguez’s January campaign finance report found more than $100,000 in apparent duplicate contributions, the same donor listed as giving the exact same amount on the exact same day, sometimes twice in one entry.

Other reviews put the overstated totals even higher,with one analysis identifying more than $275,000 in duplicate donations in December alone.

The report itself was filed late, at 2:13 a.m. on January 16, hours after the deadline,then amended twice in the early morning hoursat 3:23 a.m. and again at 5:01 a.m.

Rodriguez had been telling donors and the public she had the resources for a $1 million ad buy. She reportedly believed her campaign had around $1.5 million on hand. Reality hit hard: after the errors were uncovered, her campaign had only about $200,000 in cash on hand.

Rodriguez held a Monday press conference whereshe called the fiasco a “bump in the road,” claimed she was taking swift accountability by firing her longtime campaign manager, Kara Spencer, in a desperate bid toshift blame and contacting the Wisconsin Ethics Commissionto file amended reports,and insisted voters shouldn’t worry about her ability to manage the state’s $111+ billion biennial budget.

That spin didn’t hold. By Friday, she was gone.

Rodriguez: I want to start by thanking my family and every single person who showed up for this campaign over the past week. Your support has meant more than I can put into words.

As we have continued to dig into our financial reports, it has become clear that there are issues that would be an ongoing distraction—not just for this campaign, but for the primary and for Wisconsin.

This race is too important to let that happen.

I am deeply hurt and betrayed by what happened.

As I said on Monday, part of being a leader is taking swift action, doing the right thing, and being as honest as possible when there’s a problem.

I got into this race because I wanted what was best for Wisconsin, and that hasn’t changed. And because I believe that, I cannot, in good conscience, allow these questions to become a cloud over an election that Democrats need to win.

Wisconsin deserves better than that.

This was never just about any one race or any one candidate. This is about protecting Wisconsin from a legislature hellbent on putting corporations over schools and insurance companies over patients. It’s about showing the rest of the country that we can win here, govern here, and fight for the middle class, and that Wisconsin will lead the way.

To everyone who showed up, knocked doors, made calls, and believed in what we were building, please don’t stop.

Wisconsin has always been a place of resilience, where everyday citizens show up and accomplish extraordinary things.

Better days are ahead because of people like you.

Let’s keep fighting. I’ll be right there with you.

WATCH:

Today I’m suspending my campaign. Thank you to everyone who believed and showed up for this campaign. Let’s keep fighting – together – to protect the Wisconsin we love. pic.twitter.com/177LrrLD56

— Sara Rodriguez (@saraforwi) July 17, 2026

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/07/democrat-disaster-wisconsin-lt-gov-sara-rodriguez-drops/

Democrats are getting more panicking and more dishonest

https://x.com/saraforwi/status/2078129560424509931

DEVELOPING: US Marines board vessel for FIRST time in Iran conflict

Fox News

U.S. forces expanded maritime operations near the Strait of Hormuz and board a vessel for the first time. Former Amb. Nikki Haley calls for stronger international pressure on Iran and broader allied involvemen

7:21

https://youtu.be/KgASFYh6UzI

DETAILS: CENTCOM DESTROYS surveillance tower as Iran pressure campaign RAMPS UP

CENTCOM has released new video of strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure as experts argued sustained pressure is critical to keeping Iran from rebuilding capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz

6:12

https://youtu.be/X89JbtxzOy4

EXCLUSIVE: Cartels using STORM DRAINS under major US city

Fox News correspondent Brooke Taylor joins 'Fox & Friends' to provide an exclusive look at the El Paso storm drain system. The extensive underground maze is used by cartels to smuggle illegal migrants from Mexico into the U.S.

This is creepy

2:49

https://youtu.be/MFrA8D0uvdY

Fetterman WARNS Dems: This is my RED LINE

Sen. John Fetterman is warning that Democrats risk becoming an anti-Israel party as growing divisions over aid to Israelreshape key primary races ahead of the midterms.

6.49

https://youtu.be/HpdQsUfAT0s

Rubio, Bessent SOUND ALARM as assassination plot revealed

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott discusses State Secretary Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calling out ‘far-left political terrorism

5:36

https://youtu.be/YoiW4tmTS_U

SIGNIFICANT ESCALATION:’ US deals MAJOR BLOW to IRGC

The U.S. intensified its military campaign against Iran by targeting key military infrastructure near the Strait of Hormuz as officials say Tehran violated prior commitments and threatened commercial shipping.

8:20

https://youtu.be/hbbTvc2yzZ4

Communism CRUSHES the INDIVIDUAL and the magic of America: Charlie Hurt

'Fox & Friends Weekend' co-host Charlie Hurt and The Federalist elections correspondent Brianna Lyman discuss socialism within the Democratic Party on 'Hannity.'

8:51

https://youtu.be/10tZ2vQ7DA8