

It's Complicated
Renato Mariotti & Asha Rangappa
Join former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti and former FBI Special Agent and Yale Law School lecturer Asha Rangappa as they break down for Legal AF the biggest legal and political stories with sharp insight, real experience, and an unapologetic pro-democracy perspective. No spin, no both-sides nonsense — just the facts, the law, and what it all means for our democracy.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 9, 2019 • 47min
Fighting for Gun Regulation: What Can Be Done? (with Shannon Watts)
Renato and Patti discuss the fight over gun regulation after recent tragic massacres in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. They are joined by Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action.
Moms Demand Action
Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Its.Complicated/ Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/Follow Renato on Twitter: https://twitter.com/renato_mariottiFollow Asha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asha.rangappa/Follow Renato on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renato.mariotti/Follow Renato on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@renato.mariotti Opening Theme and Bumper music provided by eitanepsteinmusic / Pond5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 1, 2019 • 52min
Separating Families: How Can the Legal System Stop Illegal Activity by the Executive Branch? (with Lee Gelernt)
Renato and Patti discuss recent news that the Trump Administration has separated over 900 children from their parents despite a court order prohibiting that practice. They are joined by Lee Gelernt, Deputy Director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, who brought that disturbing fact to light in a court filing.
Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Its.Complicated/ Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/Follow Renato on Twitter: https://twitter.com/renato_mariottiFollow Asha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asha.rangappa/Follow Renato on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renato.mariotti/Follow Renato on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@renato.mariotti Opening Theme and Bumper music provided by eitanepsteinmusic / Pond5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 25, 2019 • 1h 22min
Mueller Testifies: What Does This Mean for Trump? (with Asha Rangappa and Jennifer Rodgers)
Renato and Patti discuss former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony before the House Judiciary and House Intel Committees. They are joined by Asha Rangappa, former FBI counterintelligence agent and CNN Legal and National Security Analyst, and Jennifer Rodgers, former federal prosecutor and CNN Legal Analyst.
Listener Survey
Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Its.Complicated/ Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/Follow Renato on Twitter: https://twitter.com/renato_mariottiFollow Asha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asha.rangappa/Follow Renato on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renato.mariotti/Follow Renato on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@renato.mariotti Opening Theme and Bumper music provided by eitanepsteinmusic / Pond5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 23, 2019 • 52min
Interference in the Justice System: How Can We Ensure Politics Doesn’t Play a Role in Prosecutorial and Judicial Decisions? (with Sheldon Whitehouse)
Renato and Patti discuss recent news that federal prosecutors failed to charge Hope Hicks and others despite evidence that they were involved in Trump’s hush money payments. They are joined by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who discusses his views on protecting the Justice Department and judiciary from political interference.
Listener Survey
Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Its.Complicated/ Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/Follow Renato on Twitter: https://twitter.com/renato_mariottiFollow Asha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asha.rangappa/Follow Renato on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renato.mariotti/Follow Renato on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@renato.mariotti Opening Theme and Bumper music provided by eitanepsteinmusic / Pond5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 14, 2019 • 1h 4min
Jeffrey Epstein Indicted: Will He Finally be Brought to Justice? (with Mimi Rocah)
Renato discusses the recent indictment of Jeffrey Epstein as well as the prior non-prosecution agreement that caused the resignation of former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta. He is joined by MSNBC Legal Analyst Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York.
Listener Survey
Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Its.Complicated/ Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/Follow Renato on Twitter: https://twitter.com/renato_mariottiFollow Asha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asha.rangappa/Follow Renato on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renato.mariotti/Follow Renato on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@renato.mariotti Opening Theme and Bumper music provided by eitanepsteinmusic / Pond5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 6, 2019 • 1h 8min
Census Questions: Can Trump Add a Citizenship Question to the Census Despite the Supreme Court Ruling? (with Daniel Jacobson)
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 Supreme Court ruling.
Listener Survey
Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Its.Complicated/ Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/Follow Renato on Twitter: https://twitter.com/renato_mariottiFollow Asha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asha.rangappa/Follow Renato on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renato.mariotti/Follow Renato on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@renato.mariotti Opening Theme and Bumper music provided by eitanepsteinmusic / Pond5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 29, 2019 • 54min
Insanitary Conditions: What is Wrong With Our Immigration System? (with Anthony Enriquez)
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.com/@Its.Complicated/ Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/Follow Renato on Twitter: https://twitter.com/renato_mariottiFollow Asha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asha.rangappa/Follow Renato on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renato.mariotti/Follow Renato on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@renato.mariotti Opening Theme and Bumper music provided by eitanepsteinmusic / Pond5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 24, 2019 • 41min
Opening an Impeachment Inquiry: Would It Help Democrats Obtain Evidence? (with Laurence Tribe)
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: The Power of Impeachment
Impeach Trump. But don’t necessarily try him in the Senate.
Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Its.Complicated/ Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/Follow Renato on Twitter: https://twitter.com/renato_mariottiFollow Asha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asha.rangappa/Follow Renato on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renato.mariotti/Follow Renato on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@renato.mariotti Opening Theme and Bumper music provided by eitanepsteinmusic / Pond5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 16, 2019 • 58min
Trump Welcomes Foreign Aid: How Can We Stop Future Election Interference? (with Asha Rangappa)
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.Complicated/ Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/Follow Renato on Twitter: https://twitter.com/renato_mariottiFollow Asha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asha.rangappa/Follow Renato on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renato.mariotti/Follow Renato on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@renato.mariotti Opening Theme and Bumper music provided by eitanepsteinmusic / Pond5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 6, 2019 • 1h 3min
Attack on the Free Press: How does the First Amendment protect the press from Trump? (with Kristy Parker)
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 of writers and journalists.
Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Its.Complicated/ Follow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/Follow Renato on Twitter: https://twitter.com/renato_mariottiFollow Asha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asha.rangappa/Follow Renato on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renato.mariotti/Follow Renato on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@renato.mariotti Opening Theme and Bumper music provided by eitanepsteinmusic / Pond5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


