On Monday, President Donald Trump launched a vicious attack on former FBI official Lisa Page, for speaking out about the way the president and his right-wing allies had made her a personal scapegoat for everything they didn’t like in the Russia investigation.

In an extensive Twitter thread, ex-FBI special agent Asha Rangappa walked through how Trump has surrounded himself with people who readily enable this kind of behavior:

ADVERTISEMENT

THREAD. Great segment here with @adamgoldmanNYT. He asks, "Why would [Trump] feel the need to do this?" Answer: Because he can. And he is able to do it because he has an infrastructure that permits it. I have a taxonomy of "The Con" which I am working on, and it goes like this: https://t.co/XKS2ESwGRn — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 2, 2019

2. THE CORRUPT CORE: The con centers around a few individuals who are truly corrupt. It's tempting to place everyone in this category, but really there aren't that many: These are people with ZERO moral compass, but they have the means, ability, and power to bamboozle the masses — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 3, 2019

3. So I'd include in this category Trump (obvi), or people like Elizabeth Holmes, Bernie Madoff, the dude who started the Fyre Festival. Bill Barr I'd put here. (Also pick your authoritarian of choice.) They have charisma, mass appeal, people will follow them. — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 3, 2019

ADVERTISEMENT

4. ACTIVE ENABLERS: By contrast to the few people in the Corrupt Core, there are A LOT of people in this category. These folks don't really have a moral center either, but they lack either the appeal, or talent, or will to do it on their own. But they'll glom on to others who do — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 3, 2019

ADVERTISEMENT

5. Essentially, Active Enablers are opportunists — they have no real ability to forge an identity of their own, but they desire the same things as the Corrupt Core, so they will further the cause. Graham, Meadows, Jordan, Nunes…they are all the middling losers you find here — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 3, 2019

ADVERTISEMENT

6. AMOEBAS: These folks are really interesting. They actually have a conscience. But they are too cowardly to express it — they are motivated by fear (which makes them different than the Active Enablers/opportunitists). They *know* what's happening is wrong, but they can't act — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 3, 2019

7. Whether it's some need to belong, or wanting to have a particular image — who knows? — these people stay silent, they go along with the plan…or they leave, but quietly. Kelly, Mattis, Nielson, and, of course, King of the Amoebas, @RodRosenstein belong here — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 3, 2019

ADVERTISEMENT

8. TRUTH TELLERS: This is the the smallest group of people. They are the whistleblowers, the people who speak out. You know you're dealing with a Truth-Teller because they get ATTACKED, mercilessly, by the Corrupt Core and the Active Enablers (the Amoebas just sit and watch) — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 3, 2019

9. These folks not only know what's happening is wrong, but they can't stay quiet — even knowing that it will come at a price. Here you'll see *the* WB, of course, but also the civil servants who have testified, conservatives who speak out about Trump and get vilified — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 3, 2019

ADVERTISEMENT

10. I include in Truth Tellers people who may have perviously been a part of this ecosystem and have a change of heart. Like @Scaramucci, or @WalshFreedom, or @justinamash. They are some of the most important Truth Tellers, precisely because they have reflected and considered — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 3, 2019

11. I lay all this out because it's tempting to lump everyone into the same category, but they are different in both motivation and character. And it's important because people have a *choice* to move from one category to another. When they become TTs, we should embrace them — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 3, 2019

ADVERTISEMENT