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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[–] eugenevdebs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 37 minutes ago (1 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.

[–] michaelmrose@lemmy.world 3 points 30 minutes ago (1 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.

[–] WhatYouNeed@lemmy.world 1 points 1 minute ago

100%. This arsehole deserves it.

[–] Kalysta@lemm.ee 13 points 3 hours ago (2 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?

[–] yunxiaoli@sh.itjust.works 4 points 56 minutes 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 3 hours ago

America is in shock at the moment.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 22 points 5 hours 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 4 points 1 hour ago

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

[–] NotLemming@lemm.ee 15 points 10 hours ago
[–] redwattlebird@lemmings.world 76 points 18 hours 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 12 points 11 hours ago (1 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.

[–] stardust@lemmy.ca 10 points 8 hours 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 2 points 5 hours ago

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

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[–] simplejack@lemmy.world 159 points 23 hours ago (5 children)

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

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours 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 77 points 22 hours ago (1 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.

[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 25 points 20 hours ago

Maybe musk will start carrying him around.

[–] Veedem@lemmy.world 30 points 21 hours ago

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

[–] frunch@lemmy.world 10 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Sporting that bussin' broccoli top 🥦

[–] CoopaLoopa@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 hours ago

Big Broccoli

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[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 104 points 1 day ago (3 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.'

[–] blazeknave@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 1 points 5 hours ago

https://youtu.be/_qcoesSOxt0

Unveiling the "Wu Tang District' street sign on Staten Island.

[–] MountingSuspicion@reddthat.com 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

I'm pretty sure it comes from his twitter handle or something like that. I think it's more irrelevant/childish humor and less serious than it's made out to be. Plenty of people refer to each other by their online handle, and I don't think it's intended as a "nickname" in the conventional way. I have a friend whose UN is basically "dragonslayer42069" and people call him dragon. I don't think he chose that name so his nickname would be badass or anything. I think he thought it was funny when he made it and people just happen to refer to him as dragon. Plenty of memorable vulgar UNs on microblogs and forums are just there for some immature fun.

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 3 points 6 hours ago

You're losing sight of the fact that he and his boss weren't elected, haven't been vetted by Congress, and have zero experience.

His name is the least of his problems.

That's why my comment was [off topic]

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 57 points 23 hours ago (3 children)

Yeah street names are always an endearing insult

[–] GeeDubHayduke@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

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.

[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 27 points 22 hours ago (4 children)

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

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 2 points 10 hours ago

Off topic but it reminds me.

Astronaut Chris Hadfeild wrote a fun little thriller I quite enjoyed. The Apollo Murders. If the words "Soviet space pistol" stir your blood, you might want to check it out.

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-apollo-murders-chris-hadfield/17339849?ean=9780316264631&next=t&next=t

[–] Adm_Drummer@lemmy.world 15 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Knew a pilot who's nickname was über. Last name? Guay.

[–] ZJBlank@lemmy.world 2 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I remember watching a show about Canadian fighter pilots as a kid, one of them got the call sign “Blow” because his last name was Jobin.

[–] GeeDubHayduke@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 10 hours ago

There was a question on Reddit many moons ago asking fighter pilots what their callsigns were and how they got them. Not a single one was something to be proud of. The only one i remember off the top of my head was 'Squishy' and they got the name doing CAP over Iraq and had to use the bathroom in the cockpit...

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[–] Cort@lemmy.world 21 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Maybe that's what this is. Like calling a fat guy slim, or a tall guy tiny. Maybe he's used to many steroids and actually shrunk his balls

[–] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 17 points 23 hours ago (8 children)

Look at his photo... there's no steroid use there. He's just got a pair of undescended testes, they're missing.

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[–] grue@lemmy.world 17 points 19 hours 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?

[–] watson387@sopuli.xyz 80 points 1 day ago

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

[–] Shardikprime@lemmy.world 10 points 17 hours ago

Big balls attacks again

[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 42 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

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[–] wirebeads@lemmy.ca 17 points 20 hours ago

America is Putins puppet. Musk is sitting in between getting richer while Trump does Russia’s wants.

Look at the Russian playbook. Look at the current U.S. playbook.

Insert image of “the office <they’re the same image>.jpg here.

[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 26 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (8 children)

I don’t get this angle.

So his grandparent was someone who on being exposed to the American way of life converted to the American side, helped America, and was killed by the Soviets for it. And they’re what, worried this previous generations pro-American views will somehow influence the kid today?

Go with them being a cybercriminal thing, not some bizzaro sins of the father nonsense.

[–] eugenevdebs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 40 minutes ago

I don't care who someone's family is, their actions are what defines them.

If someone was the son of Hitler and they did massive charity work, I don't care. If someone was the child of Theodore Roosevelt and murdered someone, I don't care.

It's weird that being the grandson of some random KGB is what matters here more than the fact they are aiding a fascist take over. Like it's in their DNA.

My grandfather on my mother's side was a Nazi. We're unsure of it was willing or "everyone had be in Nazi Germany." I still fight for the rights of minorities everywhere. His actions don't speak for mine. Nor my mother's.

[–] Aqarius@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago

The angle is that the Overton window shifted so far right that the disagreement is now which foreigners (and secret, domestic foreigners) are to blame for the country's decline.

[–] Serinus@lemmy.world 9 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

It's the kind of thing you'd have to disclose before getting a security clearance. And the FBI would be the ones to decide if it's okay. Not Elon.

[–] KinglyWeevil@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 6 hours ago

If it was your parent, definitely. They don't ask about grandparents. I don't know there's a place on the SF-86 for you to insert this info.

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[–] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 20 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

"Big Balls" huh. This is 100% the same situation as calling the dude that can bench a school bus "Tiny".

Looking at a photo, this dude definitely has a pair of undescended testicles. They're missing for sure.

[–] P1nkman@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago

He's like a dog, but his balls never dropped.

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