Asha Rangappa
Fmr FBI Special Agent, Counterintelligence Division. Tiger(ish) mom. @CNN analyst. Editor @just_security. Karaoke, golf, and Shakespeare aficionado. Views mine.
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Meet the KGB Spies Who Invented Fake News
We reveal how one of the biggest fake news stories ever concocted — the 1984 AIDS-is-a-biological-weapon hoax — went viral in the pre-Internet era. Meet the KGB cons who invented it, and the “truth squad” that quashed it. For a bit.
2
Asha Rangappa
Take 15 minutes to watch this excellent video put together by @nytimes which lays out how KGB disinformation campaigns worked (including their huge success, Operation Infektion, which claimed that the AIDS virus was a U.S. government experiment)
53h
How A Spat Between Two Rich People Gave Congress The Power To Get Trump’s Tax Returns
Congress needed the documents to provide oversight of tax evasion and revenue collection.
Men Have No Friends and Women Bear the Burden
Women are increasingly playing the role of best friend, lover, and on-call therapist to their male partners.
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Asha Rangappa
"Emotional gold digging": Where men cast their wives and girlfriends to play best friend, lover, career advisor, stylist, social secretary, emotional cheerleader, mom...and eventually, on-call therapist minus the $200/hour fee." Great piece 🎯
18d
The Truth About ‘Spying’ on the Trump Campaign
The counterintelligence methods used by the F.B.I. are common — and were a legitimate response to reports of Russian interference.
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Asha Rangappa
Great piece by @LBNewHaven explaining why human sources and undercover agents are FBI standard operating procedure in counterintelligence cases
19d
What Happens Next with the Mueller Report? The Answer May Lie in the Footnotes
"The devil is truly in the details," writes former FBI agent Asha Rangappa
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Asha Rangappa
My latest in @TIME: The devil is in the details in the Mueller Report -- make sure you read the footnotes
19d
Trump and Barr Vs. Congress Can Only End in a Stalemate
In this conflict between executive and legislative branches over testimony, the Constitution has no answers.
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Asha Rangappa
Excellent piece by @NoahRFeldman that the impending showcase showdown between Congress and the White House puts us in unchartered constitutional territory
20d
Fashion Magazine - Beauty Tips, Fashion Trends, & Celebrity News
Watch runway shows from the hottest fashion designers, scope the best dressed celebrities on the red carpet street style, discover the latest and greatest beauty products to maintain a healthy glow, and get a sneak peek at our celebrity cover shoots...
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Asha Rangappa
So excited and honored to have this lovely profile of me featured in elle.com (you’ll learn some secrets about me you didn’t know!) elle.com/culture/career…
22d
FBI Agent Turned CNN Analyst Asha Rangappa Wants to Restore Your Faith in America
“Having seen how the sausage is made,” Asha Rangappa says, “I feel less worried about it.”
2
Asha Rangappa
So excited and honored to have this lovely profile of me featured in elle.com (you’ll learn some secrets about me you didn’t know!) elle.com/culture/career…
22d
How Barr and Trump Use a Russian Disinformation Tactic
They were able to define “collusion” to benefit themselves. Don’t let them twist meanings again with their “spying” investigation.
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Asha Rangappa
Are you completely confused about the difference between “collusion” and “conspiracy”? If so, congratulations – you’re a victim of an information warfare tactic called “reflexive control,” as I explain here
33d
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Asha Rangappa
There's a reason that Trump is angry that FBI Director Wray won't use the term "spying." As I explain here, these kinds of vague terms are picked for a specific purpose
8d
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Asha Rangappa
@neal_katyal The Mueller Report also describes plenty of collusion. It just doesn’t rise to proveable criminal conspiracy. We must stop accepting the use of these terms interchangeably
2h
Russians Bought Bank Accounts From California Man, Mueller Says
A California man illegally provided hundreds of bank account numbers to a Russian social media operation, the special counsel revealed.
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Asha Rangappa
Well, we’ve already got one lie from Barr: Mueller did in fact charge an American man in California for his role in Russia’s social media/disinformation operation
34d
The Forgotten Reason Congress Needs to See the Mueller Report
Legislators have a responsibility to police obstruction of justice, according to the Constitution.
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Asha Rangappa
My thoughts on why Congress is allowed to see Mueller's findings on obstruction, regardless of what "conclusions" Barr has drawn (it includes a Hamilton reference)
43d
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Asha Rangappa
T minus 24 hours. If Barr doesn't provide the full report to Congress, I explain here why Congress can argue that it is constitutionally entitled to it
35d
Trump’s Moscow Deal Is Exactly What the Framers Worried About
Self-dealing and foreign influence were their biggest fears for the presidency.
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Asha Rangappa
Reupping this piece explaining why being manipulated by a foreign power while POTUS -- even if it doesn't "break the law" -- is still, and perhaps especially, grounds for impeachment
48d
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Asha Rangappa
Fruity G is out of his mind in saying it’s OK to for a campaign to get stolen info from a foreign government. As I explained in this piece, protecting the presidency against foreign influence was one of the primary concerns of our Framers
31d
The Critical Part of Mueller’s Report That Barr Didn’t Mention
The special counsel’s most interesting findings about Trump and Russia might be in the counterintelligence portion of his report.
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Asha Rangappa
This piece by @NatashaBertrand is a must-read and ought to be a key point in media coverage
56d
Stop Using the Word “Collusion”—How to Frame the Critical Question at the Heart of Trump-Russia
A more precise vocabulary is needed to discuss the Trump campaign's possible interactions with Russia.
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Asha Rangappa
Reupping my and @rgoodlaw’s tip sheet for journalists and committee members on how to ask questions about “collusion.” Let’s nail this thing down today, people
84d
Mueller isn't all powerful — We need an election interference commission
Mueller has a broad mandate to investigate Russian election interference — but does not have the authority to produce a public report.
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Asha Rangappa
That Mueller has no more indictments is not surprising. I wrote this in Sept. '17, explaining why the "Mueller report" is a bad fit for CI findings (fortunately, the potential of the committees in the House have improved since then)
61d
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Asha Rangappa
Managing expectations: In light of Mueller's report being finalized next week, a reminder that it will likely include only criminal charges to pursue or decline. As I explained here, Congress needs to find a way to get the bigger COUNTERINTELLIGENCE story
91d
Disinformation, Democracy, and the Rule of Law
Defending against disinformation will require a strategy to fortify America’s social fabric with shared civic values that can serve as a prophylactic against future attacks.
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Asha Rangappa
Enjoyed writing this piece on disinformation, democracy, and reclaiming civic values for @StandUpRepublic's Defusing Disinformation project -- lots of great essays to read!
109d
NATO Fears That This Town Will Be the Epicenter of Conflict With Russia
Narva, a small Estonian town that borders Russia, used to be part of the USSR. Most people there speak only Russian. Will Putin try to invade like he did in Crimea?
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Asha Rangappa
Great piece by my brilliant former student @Rubin_Josh on the vulnerability of a small border town in Estonia to Russian aggression, particularly under Trump
118d
Here's What It Would Mean If Trump Was Working For Russian Interests, An Expert Says
The saga of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election is in its third year, and it is only ever ramping up. The latest major update is a New York Times report on Jan. 11 which claims that in 2017, the FBI had reportedly opened a…
1
Asha Rangappa
Just a reminder that the FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation on the freaking President of the United States. I offered some thoughts in this @EliteDaily article
120d
The FBI’s Counterintelligence Investigation of Trump Was Prudent and Proper
Who gave the FBI the power to investigate the president? The president did.
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Asha Rangappa
Excellent analysis of governing criteria for conducting counterintelligence investigations...even of the President by @DavidAFrench
125d