Rage

by Bob Woodward

  In an interview with NBC: NBC Nightly News, “Watch Lester Holt’s Extended Interview with President Trump,” NBC, May 11, 2017.

  Under the current regulations: Under the previous statute—which was enacted after Watergate in 1978 and allowed by Congress to lapse in 1999 after the Clinton impeachment—the independent counsel was specifically mandated to “advise the House of Representatives of any substantial and credible information… that may constitute grounds for an impeachment.” Under the regulations now governing special counsel investigations, including Mueller’s, the special counsel has no mandate or explicit authority to advise Congress of information which may potentially constitute grounds for impeachment.

  About two hours later, The New York Times: Michael S. Schmidt, “Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation,” The New York Times, May 16, 2017.

  On May 17, 2017, in a one-page order: Office of the Deputy Attorney General, “Appointment of Special Counsel to Investigate Russian Interference with the 2016 Presidential Election and Related Matters,” May 17, 2017.

  When Trump was informed: Special Counsel’s Office, “The Mueller Report: The Report of the Special Counsel on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election,” U.S. Department of Justice, Volume 2, p. 78.

  In line with Rosenstein’s assurances: Terri Rupar, “Trump Reacts to Special Counsel’s Appointment,” The Washington Post, May 17, 2017.

  On Thursday morning shortly after 10:00: @RealDonaldTrump, “With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special counsel appointed!,” 10:07 a.m., May 18, 2017, Twitter.com.

  In some respects that day: See Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2018), Chapter 20.

  Later, during a House Judiciary Committee: “Live coverage: Tensions Mount as Rosenstein Grilled by GOP,” The Hill, June 28, 2018.

  CHAPTER NINE

  If Kushner could not find: Amir Tibon, “Trump to Kushner: If You Can’t Produce Middle East Peace, Nobody Can,” Haaretz, January 20, 2017.

  “Your Excellency, Mr. President”: “Remarks by President Trump and President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority in Joint Statements,” May 23, 2017, WhiteHouse.gov.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  After months of apprehension: See Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2018), Chapter 22.

  General Brooks said in a provocative: General Vincent K. Brooks, “Combined Statement on Alliance Response,” United States Forces Korea, July 4, 2017.

  In case anyone missed the message: United States Forces Korea, “ROK-US Alliance Demonstrates Precision Firing Capability in Response to North Korean Missile Launch,” July 28, 2017.

  On September 22, Trump tweeted: @RealDonaldTrump, “Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn’t mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!,” 6:28 a.m., September 22, 2017, Twitter.com.

  The following day, North Korean foreign minister: Michelle Nichols, Yara Bayoumy, and Phil Stewart, “North Korea Says Rockets to U.S. ‘Inevitable’ as U.S. Bombers Fly Off North Korean Coast,” Reuters, September 23, 2017.

  Trump responded later that day: @RealDonaldTrump, “Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won’t be around much longer!,” 11:08 p.m., September 23, 2017, Twitter.com.

  “He was totally prepared,” Trump told me: Interview with President Donald J. Trump, December 13, 2019.

  “If I weren’t president, we would have”: Interview with President Donald J. Trump, December 30, 2019.

  “It would’ve been a bad war, too”: Interview with President Donald J. Trump, February 7, 2020.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Trump had undermined: @RealDonaldTrump, “I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man…” 10:30 a.m., and “… Save your energy Rex, we’ll do what has to be done!,” 10:31 a.m., October 1, 2017, Twitter.com.

  He called the economic, cultural and political awakening: “Remarks by President Trump to the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea,” November 7, 2017, WhiteHouse.gov.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  He now had his “mighty sword”: Joshua Berlinger, “Making North Korea Great Again. How Realistic Are Kim’s New Year Plans?,” CNN, January 19, 2018.

  “Along with President Trump,” Chung said: “Remarks by Republic of Korea National Security Advisor Chung Eui Yong,” March 8, 2018, WhiteHouse.gov.

  Evan S. Mediros, an Asia expert: Mark Landler, “North Korea Asks for Direct Nuclear Talks, and Trump Agrees,” The New York Times, March 8, 2018.

  Nearly two years later: Interview with President Donald J. Trump, December 5, 2019.

  “I loathe Kim Jong Il”: See Bob Woodward, The War Within (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008), p. 431.

  The most recent episode: Nichole Gaouette and Joshua Berlinger, “Tillerson Says US Won’t Set Preconditions for North Korea Talks,” CNN, December 13, 2017.

  A White House spokesman pushed back: Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom, “White House Says Not Right Time for North Korea Talks, Despite Tillerson Overture,” Reuters, December 13, 2017.

  In fact, the day before the surprise: Nick Wadhams, “U.S. Is a ‘Long Way’ from Talks with North Korea, Tillerson Says,” Bloomberg, March 8, 2018.

  “If he came here, I’d accept him”: Nick Gass, “Trump: I’ll Meet with Kim Jong Un in the U.S.,” Politico, June 15, 2016.

  “Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA”: @RealDonaldTrump, “Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!,” 8:44 a.m., March 13, 2018, Twitter.com.

  It had earlier leaked out: Shane Savitsky, “NBC: Tillerson Called Trump a ‘Moron,’ Almost Resigned,” Axios, October 4, 2017.

  Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn: “Trump Answers Questions on Rex Tillerson and Mike Pompeo: Full Transcript,” The New York Times, March 13, 2018.

  “This can be a very mean-spirited town”: Gardiner Harris, “Tillerson Says Goodbye to ‘a Very Mean-Spirited Town,’ ” The New York Times, March 22, 2018.

  “Tillerson Ousted as Trump Silences”: Mark Landler, Maggie Haberman and Gardiner Harris, “Tillerson Ousted as Trump Silences Dissent in Cabinet,” The New York Times, March 14, 2018, p. A1.

  “Dear Chairman Kim,” Trump wrote: Letters between President Donald J. Trump and Kim Jong Un obtained by the author.

  Kim’s letter was more enthusiastic: Ibid.

  Trump later told me with pride: Interview with President Donald J. Trump, December 13, 2019.

  “We want to thank Kim Jong Un”: “Remarks by President Trump at Arrival of Americans Detained in North Korea,” May 10, 2018, WhiteHouse.gov.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “I respect the decision”: Video: “Sen. Graham, I Believe Clinton Operatives Emailed DOJ,” America’s News HQ, Fox News, May 18, 2017, video.foxnews.com.

  In April 2018, Graham cosponsored: See Mike Memoli and Frank Thorp V, “Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Bill to Protect Mueller,” NBC News, April 26, 2018.

  The president called White House Counsel Don McGahn: “The Mueller Report: The Report of the Special Counsel on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election,” U.S. Department of Justice, Volume 2, p. 86.

  “You can see evidence in plain sight”: State of the Union transcript, NBC, February 17, 2019.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  This chapter is primarily based on letters between President Donald J. Trump and Kim Jong Un obtained by the author.

  “The model, if you look at that model”: “Remarks by President Trump and Secretary General Stoltenberg of NATO Before Bilateral Meeting,” May
17, 2018, WhiteHouse.gov.

  North Korea’s vice foreign minister: Joshua Berlinger, “North Korea Warns of Nuclear Showdown, Calls Pence ‘Political Dummy,’ ” CNN, May 24, 2018.

  “Holy shit,” the president later told me: Interview with President Donald J. Trump, December 13, 2019.

  Trump later said he found Kim: Ibid.

  By the end of the meeting: “Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit,” June 12, 2018, WhiteHouse.gov.

  “We will be stopping the war games”: “Press Conference by President Trump,” Capella Hotel, Singapore, June 12, 2018, WhiteHouse.gov.

  “Just landed—a long trip”: @RealDonaldTrump, “Just landed—a long trip, but everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea. Meeting with Kim Jong Un was an interesting and very positive experience. North Korea has great potential for the future!,” 5:56 a.m., June 13, 2018, Twitter.com.

  In a second tweet, Trump added: @RealDonaldTrump, “Before taking office people were assuming that we were going to War with North Korea. President Obama said that North Korea was our biggest and most dangerous problem. No longer—sleep well tonight!,” 6:01 a.m., June 13, 2018, Twitter.com.

  “Saying it doesn’t make it so”: Karen DeYoung and John Wagner, “Trump and Kim Declare Summit a Big Success, but They Diverge on the Details,” The Washington Post, June 13, 2018.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  On February 13, 2018, Dan Coats: U.S. Government Publishing Office, “Full Transcript for Senate Hearing 115-278, Open Hearing on Worldwide Threats,” hearing before the Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States Senate, February 13, 2018, Intelligence.Senate.gov.

  Under the headline, “Russia Is targeting”: Ellen Nakashima and Shane Harris, “Russia Is Targeting 2018, Top Spies Warn,” The Washington Post, February 14, 2018, p. A1.

  In its front-page story: Matthew Rosenberg, Charlie Savage, and Michael Wines, “Russia Sees Midterm Elections as Chance to Sow Fresh Discord, Intelligence Chiefs Warn,” The New York Times, February 13, 2018.

  “They said they think it’s Russia”: “Remarks by President Trump and President Putin of the Russian Federation in Joint Press Conference,” Presidential Palace, Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018, WhiteHouse.gov.

  Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich: @NewtGingrich, “President Trump must clarify his statements in Helsinki on our intelligence system and Putin. It is the most serious mistake of his presidency and must be corrected—immediately,” 5:15 p.m., July 16, 2018, Twitter.com.

  John O. Brennan, the former CIA director: @JohnBrennan, “Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors.’ It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???,” 11:52 a.m., July 16, 2018, Twitter.com.

  Coats, some 16 months into the job: Director of National Intelligence, “Statement from DNI Coats,” July 26, 2018, DNI.gov.

  Actually, Russia had about 1,600: Hans M. Kristensen and Matt Korda, “Status of World Nuclear Forces,” Federation of American Scientists, April 2020, FAS.org.

  Just before opening a question-and-answer session: “A Look Over my Shoulder: The DNI Reflects and Foreshadows,” Aspen Security Forum transcript, July 19, 2018, AspenSecurityForum.org.

  Coats made a public apology: Zeke Miller, “Top U.S. Intelligence Official Coats Says He Meant No Disrespect to Trump Over Putin Summit,” Associated Press, July 21, 2018.

  The NSA and CIA had evidence: The names of the two counties have not been previously reported.

  So on August 2, Coats: “Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and National Security Officials,” the White House, August 2, 2018, WhiteHouse.gov.

  In one meeting, Trump handed: This article appeared in the print version of USA Today on September 14, 2018. Much of the information contained in it is currently available online at: Samantha Maffucci, “Who Is Dan Coats’ Wife? New Details on Marsha Coats,” September 14, 2018, YourTango.com.

  Representative Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman: Charlie Savage and Sharon LaFraniere, “Republicans Claim Surveillance Power Abuses in Russia Inquiry,” The New York Times, January 19, 2018.

  Unmasking was routine: The National Security Agency processed 10,012 unmasking requests in 2019.

  To others, Trump said that Nunes: Eli Watkins, “Trump Suggests Medal of Freedom for Rep. Devin Nunes,” CNN, October 11, 2018. Trump initially suggested the Medal of Honor, which is a military award, and corrected himself that it should be the Medal of Freedom, a civilian award.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  In September 2015, Xi had said: “Remarks by President Obama and President Xi of the People’s Republic of China in Joint Press Conference,” White House Rose Garden, September 25, 2015, ObamaWhiteHouse.archives.gov.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The New York Times would later call him: Helene Cooper, “How Mark Milley, a General Who Mixes Bluntness and Banter, Became Trump’s Top Military Adviser,” The New York Times, September 29, 2019.

  “I consider myself the most reluctant person”: Jim Mattis and Bing West, Call Sign Chaos (New York: Random House, 2019), p. 197.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Back in Washington on Wednesday: @RealDonaldTrump, “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency,” 9:29 a.m., December 19, 2018, Twitter.com.

  Later that day, Trump released: @RealDonaldTrump, “After historic victories against ISIS, it’s time to bring our great young people home!,” 6:10 p.m., December 19, 2018, Twitter.com.

  Mattis figured that Kelly: Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman, “John Kelly to Step Down as Trump, Facing New Perils, Shakes Up Staff,” The New York Times, December 8, 2018.

  Nine months earlier, Mattis: @RealDonaldTrump, “Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!,” 8:44 a.m., March 13, 2018, Twitter.com.

  “One core belief I have always held”: Daniel Bush, “Read James Mattis’ Full Resignation Letter,” PBS NewsHour, December 20, 2018, PBS.org.

  At 5:21 p.m. Trump tweeted: @RealDonaldTrump, “General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jim’s tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting…” and “… equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!,” 5:21 p.m., December 20, 2018, Twitter.com.

  But three days later, Trump said: @RealDonaldTrump, “I am pleased to announce that our very talented Deputy Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, will assume the title of Acting Secretary of Defense starting January 1, 2019. Patrick has a long list of accomplishments while serving as Deputy, & previously Boeing. He will be great!,” 11:46 a.m., December 23, 2018, Twitter.com.

  At a cabinet meeting the next day: Maggie Haberman, “Trump Says Mattis Resignation Was ’Essentially’ a Firing, Escalating His New Front Against Military Critics,” The New York Times, January 2, 2019.

  Later he called Mattis: @RealDonaldTrump, “Probably the only thing Barack Obama & I have in common is that we both had the honor of firing Jim Mattis, the world’s most overrated General. I asked for his letter of resignation & felt great about it. His nickname was ‘Chaos,’ which I didn’t like, & changed to ‘Mad Dog’…” and “… His primary strength was not military, but rather personal public relations. I gave him a new life, things to do, and
battles to win, but he seldom ‘brought home the bacon.’ I didn’t like his ‘leadership’ style or much else about him, and many others agree. Glad he is gone!,” 9:02 p.m., June 3, 2020, Twitter.com.

  When I asked Trump about Mattis: Interview with President Donald J. Trump, December 5, 2019.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  His interim Top Secret security clearance: See Andrew Desiderio, “Whistleblower: White House Overruled 25 Security Clearance Denials,” Politico, April 1, 2019. Also see “Summary of Interview with White House Whistleblower on Security Clearances,” April 1, 2019, memo linked to in the article.

  John Kelly had a less-flattering assessment: Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2018), p. 286.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Dan Coats launched the new year: Director of National Intelligence, “Strategy Promotes Integration, Innovation, Partnerships, and Transparency for the 17 Intelligence Elements,” January 22, 2019, DNI.gov.

  The strategy warned about “weakening”: “National Intelligence Strategy of the United States of America 2019,” DNI.gov.

  A week after releasing the strategy, Coats gave: U.S. Government Publishing Office, “Full Transcript for Senate Hearing 116-75, Open Hearing: Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community,” hearing before the Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States Senate, January 29, 2019, Intelligence.Senate.gov.

  Fred Fleitz, president of the Center for Security Policy: See @LouDobbs, “#DrainTheSwamp—@FredFleitz: I would fire Dan Coats because of his assessment. This intelligence service has evolved into a monster that is second-guessing @POTUS all the time. @realDonaldTrump has to stop these unclassified worldwide threat briefings. #MAGA #TrumpTrain #Dobbs,” 7:48 p.m., January 29, 2019, Twitter.com.