Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts

When the Lawyers are Lawless

Mar 1, 2025

Asha Rangappa, a former FBI special agent and legal contributor for ABC News, dives into the alarming trend of lawlessness within law enforcement. She discusses the troubling consequences of political appointments and the erosion of justice following January 6th. Asha highlights the risks authoritarianism poses to democracy and the integrity of military and legal institutions. With provocative insights on accountability, she underscores the importance of maintaining a vigilant stance against those who manipulate the law for their own ends.

51:06

Episode guests

Asha Rangappa

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The podcast explores the dangers of law enforcement officials exploiting their power to engage in lawless behavior, jeopardizing public trust and safety.

Recent military leadership changes signal a worrying trend prioritizing political loyalty over legal and ethical standards, potentially undermining the rule of law.

Deep dives

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Intro

2min

Erosion of Justice: The FBI Under Fire

16min

Questioning Democracy: The Fallout of January 6th Narratives

4min

Military Integrity and Authoritarian Threats

14min

Sponsorship Announcements: Enhancing Your Business and Budget

2min

Authority in Question

10min

This past week has seen firings at the Pentagon, an Executive Order targeting a private law firm, the installation of a podcaster and January 6 denialist as #2 at the FBI, and an incident in which an audience member at an Idaho townhall was wrestled to the ground and led away in zip ties by private security that answer to no lawful police entity. Is this what happens when the lawyers, police officers, military officials and other law enforcement organizations who are meant to keep us all safe, are sidelined or conscripted into lawless behavior?

On this week’s episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick speaks to Asha Rangappa, a former FBI special agent, editor at Just Security and author of the substack The Freedom Academy with Asha Rangappa. Asha explains what happens when people who are hellbent on using the law to break the law achieve positions of power, and whether the safeguards still in place can hold.

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