Asha Rangappa

They can go interview people that you're working with and not make it clear what they're investigating. And that creates a lot of suspicion around you. They can go through your trash. They can find out all the numbers that you're calling. They can get your financial transactional data and find out how and where you're spending your money.

They can go interview people that you're working with and not make it clear what they're investigating. And that creates a lot of suspicion around you. They can go through your trash. They can find out all the numbers that you're calling. They can get your financial transactional data and find out how and where you're spending your money.

All of those things they can do without having to show probable cause to a court. And that in and of itself, I think the danger is not so much you'll be charged with a crime and, you know, that is specious, is that you actually will never be charged. It will be a Hoover type of operation where it's

All of those things they can do without having to show probable cause to a court. And that in and of itself, I think the danger is not so much you'll be charged with a crime and, you know, that is specious, is that you actually will never be charged. It will be a Hoover type of operation where it's

either done surreptitiously, as you said, to gather information and then to weaponize that, or as simply a way to harass you, to intimidate you, to make it expensive for you, that you have to hire a lawyer and you have to figure out what is going on. All of those things can happen, and it's why the attorney general guidelines are there.

either done surreptitiously, as you said, to gather information and then to weaponize that, or as simply a way to harass you, to intimidate you, to make it expensive for you, that you have to hire a lawyer and you have to figure out what is going on. All of those things can happen, and it's why the attorney general guidelines are there.

You know, if you listen to Kash Patel and Pam Bondi very carefully in their confirmation hearings, they said, we're going to follow the law.

You know, if you listen to Kash Patel and Pam Bondi very carefully in their confirmation hearings, they said, we're going to follow the law.

Well, the law... to them is Article 2. It's the unitary executive theory. It's this idea that if the president does it, it's legal in terms of law enforcement, in terms of taking care that the law be faithfully executed. So there aren't guardrails. I mean, in their interpretation of the law, the president's will is essentially their command.

Well, the law... to them is Article 2. It's the unitary executive theory. It's this idea that if the president does it, it's legal in terms of law enforcement, in terms of taking care that the law be faithfully executed. So there aren't guardrails. I mean, in their interpretation of the law, the president's will is essentially their command.

Funding for universities.

Funding for universities.

It becomes a weapon. It's important to understand that this idea of using power for leverage actually dovetails very nicely with the unitary executive theory, which doesn't see any independence between law enforcement and the president.

It becomes a weapon. It's important to understand that this idea of using power for leverage actually dovetails very nicely with the unitary executive theory, which doesn't see any independence between law enforcement and the president.

So it's this idea that the president... in his singular person, embodies all of the executive power. Everyone under him, all the inferior officers under him are essentially expressions of that power.

So it's this idea that the president... in his singular person, embodies all of the executive power. Everyone under him, all the inferior officers under him are essentially expressions of that power.

This is really about being able to hire and fire everyone in the executive branch, but it's been extended to this idea that the president can control investigations because he is the chief law enforcement officer. You know, there's nothing in Article 2 of the Constitution that actually says that there has to be any independence. I mean, the Attorney General and FBI is not mentioned there either.

This is really about being able to hire and fire everyone in the executive branch, but it's been extended to this idea that the president can control investigations because he is the chief law enforcement officer. You know, there's nothing in Article 2 of the Constitution that actually says that there has to be any independence. I mean, the Attorney General and FBI is not mentioned there either.

These are all evolved from norms.

These are all evolved from norms.