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Daniel Drezner

@dandrezner.bsky.social

82K followers 530 following 6.6K posts

Political science professor, academic dean, writer, podcaster, shaker of hands with Mel Brooks — you know, the usual kinks.

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Daniel W. Drezner is an American political scientist. He is known for his scholarship and commentary on international relations and international political economy.

Source: Wikipedia

Political science 41%

Economics 36%

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Daniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · Feb 6

Sigh. We fucking warned you.

V
Paul Musgrave ® @profmusgrave
Around the department:
Americanists: how bad can it be really?
Comparativists: dictatorship, purges
International relations: nuclear war
2017-01-12, 9:18 AM
708 Retweets 944 Likes
Paul Musgrave @profmusgrave • 2017-01-12
Replying to @profmusgrave
Americanists: haha but seriously
IR and comparative: who is joking
t189
© 194
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Jacob T. Levy @jtlevy • 2017-10-10
Replying to @profmusgrave
Theorists: "We will go and view the city of tyranny, and once more take a look into the tyrant's soul."
01
Daniel W. Drezner @ @dandrezner • 2017-01-12
Political theorists: oh, so now you want to talk to us, do you?
Paul Musgrave @@profmusgrave
Around the department:
Americanists: how bad can it be really?
Comparativists: dictatorship, purges
International relations: nuclear war
L789
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Daniel McDowell @danielmcdowell.bsky.social · 10h

Today, a Republican administration has reactivated the Exchange Stabilization Fund as a bailout fund on behalf of Argentina to a tune of $20 bn.

30 years ago, it was a Republican-led Congress that acted to restrict the president's ability to use the ESF for this very purpose.

1/

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Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 10h

“.. That so few outside of First Brands had a full view of the red flags around the auto-parts supplier before it imploded last month is a stark example of the growing risks of money flooding into the opaque world of private financing.”

@bloomberg.com $JEF
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

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Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 11h

NOTABLE: Lindsey Halligan requested that a summons be issued for Letitia James to appear in court.

She did not request an arrest warrant.

Criminal cover sheet showing that summons, not arrest warrant, was requested for Tish James

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Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Daniel W. Drezner, David R. Miller , and 2 more Joe R. Feagin, Daniel W. Drezner, David R. Miller, Nazita Lajevardi, Ryan Goodman

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 11h

U.S. District Judge April Perry says it comes down to a "credibility determination."

"I simply cannot credit [the Trump administration's] declarations to the extent they contradict state and local law enforcement. … DHS' perception of events are simply unreliable."

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 11h

#BREAKING A federal judge say she will grant "in part" a request by the state of Illinois for a temporary restraining order against the deployment of National Guard troops into the state.

U.S. District Judge April Perry is still ruling and has not outlined the details of her order.

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 11h

Perry: "I'm going to issue an oral ruling."

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Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner, David R. Miller, Nazita Lajevardi

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 11h

Perry: "I'm going to issue an oral ruling."

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Rosemary A. Joyce, Sanford F. Schram , and 3 more Brendan Nyhan, Rosemary A. Joyce, Sanford F. Schram, Kevin Carey, Daniel W. Drezner, Scott A. Imberman

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 11h

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INDICTMENT
October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
At all times relevant to this Indictment:
1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a
Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue,
Norfolk, Virginia.
2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10).
3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages,
operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing

Finance Agency ("FHFA").
4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate
#29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1).
5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom,
(1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the
"Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae.
6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property.
7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3).
8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher
comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.
9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner-

occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property.
10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s)
of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification.
11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan.
12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia.
COUNT ONE
(Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344)
13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.
14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank,
financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended
or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344).
COUNT TWO
(False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014)
16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.

17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that
the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014).
FORFEITURE NOTICE
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. §
982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia
A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933.
If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title
18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1).
(In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)

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Reposted by Gernot Wagner, Daniel W. Drezner, Nancy T. Ammerman , and 2 more Gernot Wagner, Daniel W. Drezner, Nancy T. Ammerman, Simon Lester, David Darmofal

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 13h

Republicans have had 15 years to come up with an Obamacare replacement plan. They still haven’t

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

Thune: "The president would like to overhaul Obamacare and give people health insurance that is higher quality and more affordable."

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Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 13h

Lindsey Halligan is now asking a grand jury in ED VA to indict the New York attorney general on mortgage fraud claims. The decision comes after Halligan was told by her professional staff that no basis for such indictments existed. This information will be withheld from the grand jury.

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Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio, Tom Clark , and 7 more Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio, Tom Clark, Juan Cole, Daniel W. Drezner, Michael H. Whitworth, David Rosnick, Henry Jones, Magda Teter, Dunlap

CollinCountyDems @collincountydems.bsky.social · 14h

This is terrifying!

ICE breaks into this woman’s car in the pick-up line at West Loop Elementary school in Chicago and detains her before she can pick her kids up from school. (They were eventually let go after showing their documents)

This is Trump’s America.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 16h

RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."

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Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social · 17h

If, for whatever reason, you are having a bad day — please remember that this video is real and it's here for you www.youtube.com/shorts/Ymyf3...

Vladdy and David saying DAAAA Yankees Lose

YouTube video by Game Day

www.youtube.com

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Daniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · 17h

Probably more credible but not *much* more. The erosion of trust in expertise is unfortunate but very, very real.

Ariel Edwards-Levy @aedwardslevy.bsky.social · 17h

Totally get why people dislike media using "experts say [uncontroversial fact]" framing rather than making the judgment call themselves, but given the state of media trust, wonder if there isn't at least an argument that the former reads as more credible: don't take it from us, these people know

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Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner

Ariel Edwards-Levy @aedwardslevy.bsky.social · 17h

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Reposted by Anna O. Law, Joe R. Feagin, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 11 more Anna O. Law, Joe R. Feagin, Rosemary A. Joyce, David S. Cohen, Robert Black, Daniel W. Drezner, James Goodwin, Michael Jones‐Correa, Banu Özkazanç‐Pan, Henry Jones, Claire L. Adida, Magda Teter, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Virginia Sapiro

Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · 18h

It is pretty galling that the Supreme Court spent four years telling Biden "you can't do that without Congress" then allowed Trump to seize a once-unthinkable amount of power from Congress within nine months and concentrate law-making authority almost entirely in the executive branch.

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Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 20h

The replies on the editorial include many versions of “thanks for finally convincing me to cancel.”

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 1d

You’ve gotta be kidding me.

This WaPo editorial presents a misleading revisionist history of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s criminal cases against Trump.

Then it has the gall to compare that to Trump’s overt targeting of his perceived enemies.

Really embarrassing stuff.

But the mere fact that a legal tool might be available does not mean it should be used. The
current rage over Grassley's revelation shows why. Smith showed little restraint in his pursuit of a former president. He charged Trump for official acts he took as president. He sought a gag order to limit Trump's ability to criticize the prosecution. He tried to accelerate the case to try a leading presidential candidate before the 2024 election.

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Reposted by Patrick A. Jansen, Nicholas Birns, Daniel W. Drezner , and 5 more Patrick A. Jansen, Nicholas Birns, Daniel W. Drezner, Alan Richardson, W. Andy Knight, Massimo Faggioli, Albin Wagener, Martin S. Flaherty

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 21h

Pope Leo XIV has blasted how wealthy people live in a “bubble of comfort and luxury” while the poor suffer. In his first teaching document Thursday, Leo confirms that he is in perfect lockstep with Pope Francis on matters of social injustice.

Pope Leo blasts economy that marginalizes poor while wealthy live in bubble of luxury

Pope Leo XIV has blasted how wealthy people live in a “bubble of comfort and luxury” while the poor suffer.

bit.ly

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Reposted by Michael McFaul, Daniel W. Drezner, Nicola Giocoli

Daniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · 22h

BREAKING: New York looks lovely at dawn.

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Reposted by David R. Miller

Daniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · 22h

Well gosh i wonder why. www.axios.com/2025/10/09/a...

Americans trust in key federal agencies hits record lows

Many agencies hover at or near their lowest approval ever since Gallup's first poll in 2014.

www.axios.com

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Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner, Simon Lester

Ian Hunter @bluejayhunter.com · 1d

"Start spreading the news, bitches!"

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Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner

Stephanie Carvin @stephaniecarvin.bsky.social · 1d

Canadian enthusiasm knows no bounds.

Two very bland “Go Jays” posts. (But both dudes are great people)

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Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner

Daniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · 1d

I’m a diehard Red Sox fan but am legitimately pleased that Aaron Judge didn’t record the final out of the ALDS. He had a great postseason and doesn’t deserve any part of the inevitable blame game to come.

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Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner

David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 1d

Vague statements but both IL and OR state officials suggest NORTHCOM isn't talking to states, at all, about other states' troops being inserted. In OR at least the CA troops are housed at an ORNG base so there must have been *some* coordination? 1/

www.stripes.com/theaters/us/...

Texas National Guard arrives in Illinois for federal protection mission

Texas sent roughly 200 members of its National Guard, staging at an Army Reserve center south of Chicago ahead of expected deployment into the city.

www.stripes.com

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Daniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · 1d

The current Blue Jays reliever is mesmerizing to watch. His follow-through is so off-balance it looks like he‘s gonna fall over after every pitch.

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