Asha Rangappa
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asharangappa.bsky.social
Asha Rangappa
@asharangappa.bsky.social
Fmr FBI Special Agent, lawyer, @JacksonYale. Tiger(ish) mom. Legal and national security analyst. Editor @just_security. Steam mop influencer. Views mine.

https://asharangappa.substack.com
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I have an announcement to make — I’m writing a book!
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
January 4, 2026 at 3:57 AM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
Colombian President Petro commenting on the US;

“A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy. To keep Epstein's list from coming out, they send warships to kill fishermen & threaten our neighbor with invasion for their oil."
January 4, 2026 at 3:40 AM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
Almost 20 years ago, I warned we were heading toward a world where states invade each other at will, and that America had an obligation to restore the higher bar for going to war. Not gonna say I told ya so, but...well, okay, I will.

There's a reason I chose these quotes to open the book.
January 4, 2026 at 3:50 AM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
First minute of Tony Dokoupil's debut as CBS anchor is pure Trump propaganda, showing only celebration of Trump's kidnapping, plus illiterate grammar: "Commandos raiding his compound before dawn grabbing he and his wife in their pajamas."
No, Tony, grabbing *him*.
He's all jaw.
January 3, 2026 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
Happening now: several hundred people are pouring into Chicago's downtown Federal Plaza.

It's 25 degrees outside.

Organizers are leading the crowd in a chant of, "no boots on the ground, no bombs in the air!"

Two protesters hold a large banner reading, "no war for Venezuela oil."
January 3, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
I wonder if anyone has compared the US indictment against JOH with the Indictment filed against Nicolas Maduro @asharangappa.bsky.social
1/ This is the US indictment of Honduran Narcodictator Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH) to whom Trump extended a pardon in early november 2025, in order to influence the Honduran election later that month.

www.justice.gov/archives/opa...
January 3, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
From legal, policy and international relations) perspectives, questions about both (i) the capture/extraction/trial of Maduro and (ii) the strikes on Venezuelan forces last night on a "defense of forces" theory *pale* in comparison to the profound questions raised ... [1]
January 3, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
I see the “change” bit of “regime change” is going for the US about as well as it usually does.
VP Delcy Rodriguez, whom Trump indicated earlier today was collaborating with the US government, is live on television right now.

Earlier reports that she's in Russia are false. She's in Caracas with the rest of the cabinet.

Rodriguez: "We will never again be a colony for any empire"
January 3, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
My brother in Christ, the Constitution empowers *you* to make this determination! What do you mean it’s “likely” constitutional? Rediscover your backbone and fulfill the duties of your office.
January 3, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
"Well, he's a dictator whose people don't actually want him in charge" is an interesting precedent for this guy to set
January 3, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
Why are people assuming US troops and not Eric Prince employees will enforce US order in Venezuela?
January 3, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
This is definitely not a SCIF and, among many other things, this alone is a major national security breach. Random third rate intelligence agencies would have known about this attack before Congressional leaders did.
Trump is posting a bunch of photos without captions, presumably of him watching the Maduro kidnapping.

Is this the inside of a SCIF at Mar-a-Lago or did they just toss up some pipe and drape?
January 3, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Questions:

*was this a military or law enforcement action?
*what is the legal justification for either?
*if it is military “self-defense,” what is the justification for “running” the country?
*does U.S. recognize Maduro (or his VP) as Venezuela’s leader?
*If so, why doesn’t this give him immunity?
January 3, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
Once again, one of the primary reasons we have arrived at this point (completely out-of-control & unconstitutional abuse of executive power to conduct wildly illegal foreign policy) is that no one, including the most senior people involved, went to jail for the rest of their lives for Iran-Contra.
January 3, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
Important thread about all the fake videos and disinformation about the invasion of Venezuela.
THREAD: I'll fact-check all the viral misinformation about the US military operation in Venezuela in this thread

This image, purporting to show the US military arresting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, is AI-generated.

According to Google's SynthID detector, it was created using Google AI.
January 3, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
I think it's the stance of the Trump DOJ that one can have semi-automatic weapons in DC but not machine guns in other countries.
January 3, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
FOLKS NEED TO REALIZE HOW HUGE THIS IS

For the first time in modern Texas history, Dems have candidates running in every state and federal race on the 2026 ballot.

That includes all congressional seats, every state House and state Senate race, plus statewide judicial and State Board of Education.
January 3, 2026 at 4:33 AM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
The president unilaterally decided to attack a sovereign nation and kidnap its leader, and now he says he's just going to run that county himself for a while too.

Call your representatives now and demand they impeach him.
Trump on Venezuela: "We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition"
January 3, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
Members of Congress: stop posting online and APPEAR, PHYSICALLY on the steps of the Capitol to decry this unconstitutional violation of domestic & international law. SHOW THE PEOPLE the level of danger we are facing as a country.
@housedemocrats.bsky.social
@senatedemocrats.bsky.social
January 3, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
So it's appropriate to arrest a world leader if you consider them criminal? You can just go get them? Just asking questions here.
January 3, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
I’ll respond to this disingenuous question exactly one time.

Maduro’s rule does is immaterial to the violation of sovereignty and international law that this strike represents. Go bother someone else with this nonsense.
Do you dispute their description of maduro’s rule?
January 3, 2026 at 5:44 PM
What just happened in Venezuela is Putin’s existential nightmare. Not that Trump would try it in Russia (?) but it very provocative for him to say this in light of the context given Putin’s paranoid worldview
“I’m not thrilled with Putin, I’m not thrilled with him. He’s killing too many people,” President Trump just now.
January 3, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
I can barely process the Trump press conference I've just listened to. This is the kind of stuff you usually hear from dictators at the very heights of their delusions. Not elected leaders of superpowers.
January 3, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Reposted by Asha Rangappa
Very good point:
January 3, 2026 at 5:34 PM