A Very Stable Genius
Page 49
So on February 22: Paul Sonne, “Pentagon Sending 1,000 More Troops to the Mexican Border,” Washington Post, Feb. 22, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-sending-another-1000-troops-to-the-mexico-border/2019/02/22/c4e06998-36e6-11e9-946a-115a5932c45b_story.html.
Chapter Twenty-three: Loyalty and Truth
Cohen pleaded guilty: Devlin Barrett, Matt Zapotosky, and Rosalind S. Helderman, “Michael Cohen, Trump’s Former Lawyer, Pleads Guilty to Lying to Congress About Moscow Project,” Washington Post, Nov. 29, 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michael-cohen-trumps-former-lawyer-pleads-guilty-to-lying-to-congress/2018/11/29/5fac986a-f3e0-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html?utm_term=.b029279bf91e.
The morning of February 27: “Michael Cohen’s Prepared Statement to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform,” Washington Post, Feb. 27, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/michael-cohen-s-prepared-statement-to-the-house-committee-on-oversight-and-reform/d2cdc193-2f0c-44bb-b2f8-e7dadddf545e_note.html?questionId=a194ac05-9c53-4be2-868d-777713d7c30e&utm_term=.9c1a0f6342e8.
Before leaving Hanoi: David Nakamura, “Trump Whipped Up Public Emotion over Warmbier’s Death. Now It’s Boomeranging Back on Him,” Washington Post, March 2, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-whipped-up-public-emotion-over-otto-warmbiers-death-now-its-boomeranging-back-on-him/2019/03/02/ef426ff4-3d23-11e9-a2cd-307b06d0257b_story.html?utm_term=.c17b49404ae2.
“dignified settings like the Oval Office”: Gabby Orr, “Advisers Urge Trump to Defer 2020 Rallies,” Politico, March 8, 2019, www.politico.com/story/2019/03/08/trump-2020-rallies-1211799.
Chapter Twenty-four: The Report
The Barr team’s immediate priority: “DOJ Notification to Congress Regarding the Conclusion of the Mueller Investigation,” Washington Post, March 22, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/context/doj-notification-to-congress-regarding-the-conclusion-of-the-mueller-investigation/?noteId=501d8d23-1823-4140-9b29-daaee164275e&questionId=111ad2f8-d378-4dd6-a39a-a3241842594d.
The 448-page report was a breathtaking catalog: Devlin Barrett and Matt Zapotosky, “Mueller Report Lays Out Obstruction Evidence Against the President,” Washington Post, April 17, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/attorney-general-to-provide-overview-of-mueller-report-at-news-conference-before-its-release/2019/04/17/8dcc9440-54b9-11e9-814f-e2f46684196e_story.html.
Some of the episodes: Philip Rucker and Robert Costa, “Paranoia, Lies, and Fear: Trump’s Presidency Laid Bare by Mueller Report,” Washington Post, April 18, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/paranoia-lies-and-fear-trumps-presidency-laid-bare-by-mueller-report/2019/04/18/3379c49a-571b-11e9-814f-e2f46684196e_story.html.
Giuliani was in Washington: Rucker et al., “The Battle over the Mueller Report Begins as Trump Allies Claim Victory.”
The letter said that the introductions: “Special Counsel Mueller’s Letter to Attorney General Barr,” Washington Post, March 27, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/context/special-counsel-mueller-s-letter-to-attorney-general-barr/e32695eb-c379-4696-845a-1b45ad32fff1/.
On April 30: Devlin Barrett and Matt Zapotosky, “Mueller Complained That Barr’s Letter Did Not Capture ‘Context’ of Trump Probe,” Washington Post, April 30, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/mueller-complained-that-barrs-letter-did-not-capture-context-of-trump-probe/2019/04/30/d3c8fdb6-6b7b-11e9-a66d-a82d3f3d96d5_story.html.
Chapter Twenty-five: The Show Goes On
Back in Washington the night of April 2: Nielsen interview on Tucker Carlson Tonight, YouTube, April 2, 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEfma2hj2sU.
Nielsen also said that Trump: Dan Cancian, “DHS Chief Kirstjen Nielsen Hints Donald Trump May Close Border: ‘He’s Very Serious About It,’” Newsweek, April 3, 2019, www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-us-mexico-wall-kirstjen-nielsen-border-wall-1384455.
In an April 4 interview: Priscilla Alvarez and Geneva Sands, “Homeland Security Secretary on Border Situation: ‘We Have an Emergency on Our Hands,’” CNN, April 4, 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/04/04/politics/nielsen-border-cnntv/index.html.
“I could not be prouder”: “Kirstjen Nielsen’s Resignation Letter,” Washington Post, April 8, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/context/kirstjen-nielsen-s-resignation-letter/?noteId=db93edc2-df04-49ed-b0a4-6a64d7d5d765&questionId=e4834bfe-8b59-4d74-9cb0-a261d6c4857e.
By June, however: Aaron C. Davis and Shawn Boburg, “As Trump’s Defense Pick Withdraws, He Addresses Violent Domestic Incidents,” Washington Post, June 18, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/trumps-defense-nominee-addresses-violent-incident-between-ex-wife-son-amid-fbi-vetting-process/2019/06/18/e46009de-190b-11e9-a804-c35766b9f234_story.html.
Some of them had been: Paul Sonne, “Seeking to Sell Military Budget, Pentagon Chief Faces Political Fire over Wall,” Washington Post, March 14, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-chief-rules-outcost-plus-50-approach-with-allies/2019/03/14/d49c676c-4666-11e9-9726-50f151ab44b9_story.html.
In May, The New York Times: Dave Philipps, “Trump May Be Preparing Pardons for Servicemen Accused of War Crimes,” New York Times, May 18, 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/05/18/us/trump-pardons-war-crimes.html.
On the afternoon of April 16: Matt Zapotosky et al., “Mueller Report Will Be Lightly Redacted, Revealing Detailed Look at Obstruction of Justice Investigation,” Washington Post, April 17, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/attorney-general-plans-news-conference-to-discuss-mueller-report/2019/04/17/f5ca1cc6-6138-11e9-9ff2-abc984dc9eec_story.html.
Donaldson’s notes: Carol D. Leonnig, “Watergate Had the Nixon Tapes. Mueller Had Annie Donaldson’s Notes,” Washington Post, May 3, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/watergate-had-the-nixon-tapes-mueller-had-annie-donaldsons-notes/2019/05/03/d2b1bc62-66b5-11e9-8985-4cf30147bdca_story.html.
One of these advisers: Philip Rucker, Josh Dawsey, and Robert Costa, “Trump Blames McGahn After Mueller Paints Damning Portrait with Notes from White House Aides,” Washington Post, April 19, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-blames-mcgahn-after-mueller-paints-damning-portrait-with-notes-from-white-house-aides/2019/04/19/ea0f153a-62b4-11e9-9412-daf3d2e67c6d_story.html.
In May, more than a thousand: “Statement by Former Federal Prosecutors,” Medium, May 6, 2019, medium.com/@dojalumni/statement-by-former-federal-prosecutors-8ab7691c2aa1.
That night, Trump swooped in: “Pastor Paula White Delivers Opening Prayer at President Trump’s Reelection Rally,” YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY4MYPCzAfk.
Epilogue
Trump’s call was supposed: Craig Timberg, Drew Harwell, and Ellen Nakashima, “In Call to Ukraine’s President, Trump Revived a Favorite Conspiracy Theory About the DNC Hack,” Washington Post, September 25, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/09/25/trumps-mention-crowdstrike-call-with-ukraines-president-recalls-russian-hack-dnc/.
Trump reminded Zelensky: Karoun Demirjian, Josh Dawsey, Ellen Nakashima, and Carol D. Leonnig, “Trump Ordered Hold on Military Aid Days Before Calling Ukrainian President, Officials Say,” Washington Post, September 23, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-ordered-hold-on-military-aid-days-before-calling-ukrainian-president-officials-say/2019/09/23/df93a6ca-de38-11e9-8dc8-498eabc129a0_story.html.
“I would like you to do us a favor though”: Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, Subject: Telephone Conversation with President Zelenskyy (sic) of Ukraine, White House, declassified by order of the president, September 24, 2019, www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Unclassified09.2019.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2NRvNaYh-nrFMBa2SSG1bumdyNoJhXVCDNtBYugM-klXGctnWce6qDjD0.
The next day, July 26: Arden Farhi, “Read the Whistleblower’s Memo About Trump’s Ukraine Call, as Described to CBS News,” CBS News, October 9, 2019, www.cbsnews.com/news/the-whistleblower-complaint-read-full-text-whistleblower-memo-trump-ukraine-call-described-cbs-news-exclusive/.
“There was more of an ethos in the place”: Philip Rucker and Robert Costa, “‘A Presidency of One’: Key Federal Agencies Increasingly Compelled to Benefit Tr
ump,” Washington Post, October 2, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-presidency-of-one-key-federal-agencies-increasingly-compelled-to-benefit-trump/2019/10/01/f80740ec-e453-11e9-a331-2df12d56a80b_story.html.
“We haven’t seen anything like this”: Philip Rucker, Robert Costa, and Rachael Bade, “Trump’s Ukraine Call Reveals a President Convinced of His Own Invincibility,” Washington Post, September 21, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-ukraine-call-reveals-a-president-convinced-of-his-own-invincibility/2019/09/21/1a56466c-dc6a-11e9-ac63-3016711543fe_story.html.
When Alexander Hamilton wrote the two essays: Ron Chernow, “Hamilton Pushed for Impeachment Powers. Trump Is What He Had in Mind,” Washington Post, October 18, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/10/18/hamilton-pushed-impeachment-powers-trump-is-what-he-had-mind/?arc404=true.
He said he wished “with all my heart”: Michael S. Rosenwald. “‘A very bad blow’: The GOP Lawmaker Who Turned on Nixon Paid a Price for It,” Washington Post, September 29, 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/09/29/a-very-bad-blow-gop-lawmaker-who-turned-nixon-paid-price-it/.
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Index
The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. The link provided will take you to the beginning of that print page. You may need to scroll forward from that location to find the corresponding reference on your e-reader.
Abe, Shinzo, 31, 111, 112, 153, 287
abuse of subordinates. See Trump’s characteristics, abuse of subordinates
Access Hollywood tape, 49–50, 200
addiction to media. See Trump’s characteristics, addiction to media
Afghanistan war
and Flynn’s tenure, 13
McMaster on, 168
Pentagon foreign policy briefing on, 130, 131, 135–37
and Trump followers, 136
Trump’s frustration with, 162–63, 164, 332
U.S. withdrawal plans, 332
Alexander, Peter, 33
Alfalfa Club dinner (Jan. 2017), 30
Allen, John R., 202
“America First,” 130
anger. See Trump’s characteristics, rages
Anthony, Steve, 172
appearance, focus on. See Trump’s characteristicsm, image focus
Apprentice, The, 14
Araud, Gérard, 5–6, 30, 264–65, 321
Assad, Bashar al-, 113, 114, 415. See also Syria
Assange, Julian, 324–25, 326, 369. See also WikiLeaks
Atkinson, Rush, 159, 255–56
attention span, 132, 133, 165, 166, 167–68
Australia, 31
authoritarian leaders, Trump’s alignment with, 3, 109–10, 112, 262–63, 281, 340–41, 371
Axios, 209–10, 337, 338
Ayers, Nick, 332–33, 338
Baier, Bret, 203
Bajraktari, Ylli, 231, 233
Baker, Jim, 62, 336
Baker, Peter, 127
Bannon, Steve
and administration internal conflicts, 15, 106, 149, 155
on Afghanistan war, 135–36
and Christie’s firing, 14
on Comey’s firing, 53
and Corallo’s hiring, 85–86
denials of Russian election interference, 24
firing of, 155
and Flynn’s appointment, 12
and Flynn’s FBI interview, 28
and Flynn’s guilty plea, 174
on Kushner/Ivanka White House roles, 93, 148
and McGahn’s resignation plans, 100
on Mueller investigation, 152, 174
Mueller investigation interview, 212–13, 303
and Mueller-Trump meeting (May 16, 2017), 67
and Muslim travel ban, 29
on Obama administration’s Russia sanctions, 21
paranoia of, 27
and Pentagon foreign policy briefing, 131, 132–33, 134
and Priebus, 146
Scaramucci on, 147
and Sessions’s recusal, 46, 47, 48
and transition appointments, 12, 15, 16, 20, 49, 50
and Trump’s personal contact attempts, 88
Wall Street Journal article on, 106
and war room planning, 78, 89
Barr, Bill
appointment of, 329–31, 355
and Biden investigation request, 413
confirmation process, 358, 359, 374
Mueller investigation briefing, 374
Mueller report briefing, 375–78
and Mueller report executive summary request, 393–94
and Mueller report full version release, 405, 406–7
Mueller report letter, 385, 386–88, 389–90, 391–93
Mueller report preparations, 358–59, 360
Mueller report press conference, 406–7
Mueller report review, 380–81, 384–85
and obstruction of justice issue, 376–77, 378, 383, 385, 387
Barrack, Thomas, 7, 18, 19, 53
Barrett, Devlin, 392
base. See Trump followers
Bauer, Robert, 223
Bender, Michael, 106
Benghazi investigation, 16
Berkowitz, Avi, 211
betrayals. See Trump’s characteristics, loyalty focus and paranoia
Bettel, Xavier, 273
Bezos, Jeff, 30
Biden, Hunter, 412–14
Biden, Joe, 412–14, 416–17
Bolton, John
firing of, 414
foreign relations role, 264–65
and Helsinki press conference, 276
and McMaster’s firing, 232, 233
and NATO summit, 272
and North Korea, 261, 263–64
and Putin state visit invitation, 277
and Syria policy, 340
border wall demands, 35, 38, 203, 333–34, 350, 354, 364
Bossert, Tom, 185, 186
Bossie, Dave, 20, 84
Bowdich, David, 254
Bowe, Mike
and Cohen investigation, 238–39
and Comey’s testimony, 91
and Corallo’s resignation, 128
and Dowd’s timing forecasts, 102
hiring of, 83
and Kushner back channel story, 85
and Kushner/Ivanka White House roles, 94
and Mueller removal attempts, 96
on obstruction of justice investigation, 100–101, 102
and Trump interview possibility, 173, 176
and Trump legal defense team internal conflicts, 101, 102
and Trump legal defense team recruitment, 83–84, 87, 89
and Trump’s personal intervention requests, 87–88
and Trump Tower meeting, 115–16, 118, 122–23
Boyd, Stephen, 141, 188, 254, 313, 314, 381
Boy Scout Jamboree (July 24, 2017), 143–44
Brand, Rachel, 74, 75, 141, 142
Brazil, 228
Breitbart, 15, 16, 51
Bremmer, Ian, 259
Brennan, John, 22, 23, 111, 275, 282–86
Brexit, 317
Breyer, Stephen, 41
briefings
and Bolton’s role, 265
cue cards, 166–67, 227, 230
and Flynn’s firing, 31
graphics in, 132
and immigration policy, 307
McMaster’s style, 164–66, 167, 168
on Russian election interference (Jan. 6, 2017), 23–24
and Tillerson, 164, 168
and Trump’s hunger for praise and recognition, 132
and Trump’s insecurity, 165
and Trump’s refusal to read, 132, 166–67, 328
and Trump’s short attention span, 132, 133, 165, 166, 167–68
See also Pentagon foreign policy briefing
Brower, Gregory, and Nunes’s memo, 188
Brown, Emma, 300
Brown, Reginald “Reg,” 117–18
Brunson, Andrew, 278–82
Buffett, Warren, 30
Burck, William, 212
Burke, Edmund, 7–8
Burnett, Erin, 195
Burr, Richard, 104–5
Bush, Billy, 200
Bush, George W., 166, 263–64, 289, 312
BuzzFeed, 24
Carlson, Tucker, 397
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 15–17, 207, 322, 323, 413–14. See also Brennan, John; Pompeo, Mike
chaos in Trump administration
and administration internal conflicts, 156
Corker on, 159
and Dubke’s appointment, 34–35
in immigration policy, 307–8
and Kelly, 210
and Muslim travel ban, 29–30
and transparency, 5
in Trump legal defense team, 234–35
Trump’s denial of, 35
and Trump’s solipsism, 1–2
Cheney, Dick, 42, 289
childishness, 6, 41–42
child trafficking, 395
China, 162, 163, 164, 207
Christie, Chris
and Barr’s appointment, 329–30
chief of staff offer, 335–39
and Comey’s firing, 59, 60–61
firing as transition chairman, 14
and Flynn’s appointment, 13–14
and Mueller removal attempts, 97
and Mueller’s appointment, 77
and North Korea, 153
on Russian election interference, 32
and Senate Intelligence Committee investigation, 105
Christie, Mary Pat, 32, 153, 336, 337–38, 339
CIA. See Brennan, John; Central Intelligence Agency; Pompeo, Mike
Cipollone, Pat
appointment of, 303, 355
and Barr’s appointment, 329
and border wall demands, 364
and Mueller report, 381, 386, 388
Circa, 118, 122, 123, 124, 125
civil rights protections. See white supremacy/racism
Clapper, James R., 22, 23, 282
Clarke, Richard, 403
Clement, Paul, 89
Clinton, Bill, 214, 250
Clinton, Hillary
and Benghazi investigation, 16
and DNC hack, 159–60
and McCain memorial, 289
and Mueller team, 96