It's Complicated

Renato and Patti discuss the Trump Administration’s reaction to the Supreme Court ruling on adding a citizenship question to the census, including the apparent reversal of its decision to remove the question after Trump tweeted about the issue. They are joined by former Associate White House Counsel Daniel Jacobson, who represents plaintiffs in the census lawsuit that was the subject of the Suprem...

Renato and Patti discuss the recent death of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his daughter Valeria, the Trump Administration's defense of insanitary conditions, and recent calls to repeal the illegal entry statute. They are joined by Anthony Enriquez, Director of the Unaccompanied Minors Program for Catholic Charities Community Services. Listener Survey Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube...

Renato discusses what an impeachment inquiry would look like and whether opening an impeachment inquiry would help the House of Representatives obtain documents and testimony. He is joined by Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe, the author of To End A Presidency: The Power of Impeachment, who has publicly called for the House to open an impeachment inquiry. Listener Survey To End a Presidency: Th...

Renato and Patti discuss Donald Trump's recent comments that he would accept aid from foreign nations and discuss whether our laws adequately protect our elections from foreign interference in the future. They are joined by former FBI counterintelligence agent, CNN Legal and National Security Analyst, and Yale University professor Asha Rangappa. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its....

Renato and Patti discuss Trump recent call for a boycott of AT&T due to CNN’s coverage, Trump’s attempt to prevent the AT&T-Time Warner merger to punish CNN, and other ways in which Trump has attacked the free press and undermined the First Amendment. They are joined by Kristy Parker, former Justice Department Deputy Chief and Counsel for non-profit Protect Democracy, who has sued Trump on behalf...

Renato and Patti discuss the first public statement of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and what his words tell us about his decision not to reach a prosecutorial judgment as to obstruction of justice, his message to Congress, and more. They are joined by Garrett Graff, the author of The Threat Matrix: Inside Robert Mueller's FBI and the War on Global Terror. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtu...

Renato and Patti discuss new state laws that radically restrict reproductive rights, including new laws in Alabama and Missouri, and how these laws will fit into the nationwide legal battle over reproductive rights. They are joined by Caroline Frederickson, President of the American Constitution Society and former General Counsel of NARAL Pro-Choice America. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.yout...

Renato discusses the White House's use of executive privilege to keep former White House Counsel Don McGahn from complying with a House Judiciary Committee subpoena. He is joined by former White House Counsel Bob Bauer. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its. Complicated/   Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_ Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/ Fo...

Renato and Patti discuss the Trump Administration’s strategy of stonewalling all subpoenas for documents issued by Congress as part of its oversight responsibilities. They are joined by Josh Chafetz, Professor of Law at Cornell Law School. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its. Complicated/   Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_ Asha's Substack: https://asharanga...

Renato and Patti discuss the Trump Administration's attempts to stonewall the House investigations, including the investigations of the facts underlying the Mueller report. They are joined by Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA), a member of the House Oversight Committee. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its. Complicated/   Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_ Asha's Su...

Renato and Patti discuss some of the important findings and conclusions in the redacted Mueller report, as well as Attorney General Bill Barr’s deceptive and misleading statements prior to his release of the report. They are joined by former federal prosecutor and CNN Legal Analyst Jennifer Rodgers and former FBI counterintelligence agent and CNN Legal and National Security Analyst Asha Rangappa....

Renato and Patti discuss the indictment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, including whether there are implications for press risk and potential obstacles for the Justice Department posed by the charges. They are joined by MSNBC Legal Analyst Barb McQuade, the former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its. Complicated/   F...

Guest host Asha Rangappa (former FBI agent and CNN Legal Analyst) and Patti discuss the disclosure of the full Mueller report as well as Trump’s tax returns. They’re joined by former federal prosecutor and MSNBC Legal Analyst Mimi Rocah. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its. Complicated/   Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_ Asha's Substack: https://asharangapp...

Guest Host Asha Rangappa, a former FBI agent and CNN Legal and National Security Analyst, and Patti discuss potential financial crimes that could create liability for Trump. They are joined by former federal prosecutor and CNN Legal Analyst Shan Wu. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its. Complicated/   Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_ Asha's Substack: https:/...

Renato and Patti discuss the implications and aftermath of the letter of Attorney General Bill Barr purportedly describing the contents of the Mueller report, as well as Barr's own conclusion that Trump did not obstruct justice. They are joined by MSNBC Legal Analyst Barb McQuade, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its. Compli...

Renato discusses the questions raised by the transmission of the Mueller report to Attorney General Bill Barr, as well as what we can expect to happen next. He is joined by Atlantic reporter and MSNBC Contributor Natasha Bertrand, former federal prosecutors and CNN Legal Analysts Jennifer Rodgers and Shan Wu, and former FBI counterintelligence agent and CNN Legal and National Security Analyst Asha...

Renato and Patti discuss the charges brought against Manafort by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance as well as the wide-ranging college admissions fraud charges brought by federal prosecutors in Massachusetts. They are joined by Joyce Vance, former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama and MSNBC Legal Analyst. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its. Complica...

Renato and Patti discuss the lenient sentence given to former Trump chair Paul Manafort by federal judge T.S. Ellis, as well as sentencing disparities and other structural inequities in federal sentencing law. They are joined by former federal prosecutor Ken White, who tweets and blogs as "Popehat." Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its. Complicated/   Follow Asha on Twitter: https:/...

Renato and Patti discuss the Congressional testimony of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, including his discussing potential evidence of financial crimes as well as the evidence underlying his campaign finance convictions. They are joined by MSNBC Legal Analyst Mimi Rocah, a former Southern District of New York prosecutor, and Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA), a member of the House Oversight Committe...

In this special episode, Renato interviews Erica Newland, who quit the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel because she believed that by aiding unconstitutional and dishonest policies, she was assisting the Trump Administration by legitimizing lies. Erica is now a counsel for the nonprofit group Protect Democracy. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its. Complicated/   Follow A...

Renato and Patti discuss recent reports that the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller will end soon and that Attorney General William Barr will release a summary of Mueller’s report but not the full report. They are joined by former FBI counterintelligence agent and CNN Legal Analyst Asha Rangappa. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its. Complicated/   Follow Asha on Twitte...

Renato and Patti discuss numerous new legal developments, including the confirmation of Bill Barr as Attorney General, comments by Senator Richard Burr about evidence of “collusion” allegedly not found by his investigation, and the “national emergency” declared by Trump. They are joined by Barb McQuade, former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan and a MSNBC Legal Analyst, a...

Renato and Patti discuss Trump’s frequent false and misleading statements and how the media’s coverage of Trump’s lies could contribute to the distortion of public debate caused by his false statements. They are joined by Daniel Dale, the Washington Bureau Chief for the Toronto Star and a frequent fact checker of Trump’s speeches. Subscribe on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Its. Complicated/  ...

Renato discussed the Trump Administration’s decision to suspend the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) with Russia, and whether the Trump Administration’s foreign policy has put Russian interests ahead of our own. He was joined by Samantha Vinograd, a CNN National Security Analyst who was a former National Security Council official and held numerous foreign policy roles in the Obama an...

Renato and Patti discuss the recent indictment of Trump associate Roger Stone, who was indicted for lying to Congress, witness tampering, and obstructing the investigation of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. They are joined by Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL), a member of that committee, and Barb McQuade, the former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan an...