Trump visit, 78, 81
and Turkish prisoner exchange deal, 278, 280
Jackson, Hallie, 186
Japan. See Abe, Shinzo
Javid, Sajid, 397
Johnson, Jenna, 237
Johnston, Deborah, 189
Jordan, Jim, 369–70
Justice Department (DOJ)
antinepotism rulings, 20
Barr’s appointment, 329–31, 355
Barr’s confirmation, 358, 359, 374
and Comey’s firing, 63–64
George Conway nomination, 74, 75–76, 107
on executive privilege, 149–50
and family separations, 266
and Flynn’s FBI interview, 27–28
and “I Am Part of the Resistance” editorial, 291
and immigration policy, 304
and Mueller report, 358–60
Mueller’s belief in, 409
and Mueller’s distance, 251
Nunes’s cover-up accusations, 253–55
and Nunes’s memo, 187–90, 194–95, 196–97, 253
and obstruction of justice, 378
O’Callaghan’s hiring, 243–44
prohibition on charging a sitting president, 249–50, 360–61, 375, 376, 377, 382–83, 384
quasi-independence of, 47, 76
recusal rules, 44, 54
Rosenberg’s memo, 144–45
and Rosenstein firing possibility, 296, 297, 298
Rosenstein-Sessions dinner, 210
Saturday Night Massacre plans, 141–42
Sessions’s firing, 312–15
and Trump interview possibility, 292
Whitaker’s tenure, 359–60
See also Mueller investigation; Rosenstein, Rod; Sessions, Jeff
Kasowitz, Marc
allegations against, 101–2
and Comey’s testimony, 91–92
and Corallo’s hiring, 87
and Dowd’s hiring, 84
hiring of, 82–83
and Kushner back channel story, 85
on Kushner/Ivanka White House roles, 85, 94
and Mueller removal attempts, 96
National Press Club appearance, 92
on obstruction of justice investigation, 100, 102
Trump legal defense team backseat, 149
and Trump’s personal intervention requests, 87–88
and Trump Tower meeting, 115–16, 118, 122, 123, 125
Kavanaugh, Brett, 297, 299–302
Kellogg, Keith, 167
Kelly, John
and administration internal conflicts, 156–57, 321, 332
and Bannon’s firing, 155
and border troop deployments, 36–38, 371
and chaos, 210
as chief of staff, 156–58
chief of staff appointment, 145–46, 147
and Cohen investigation, 240
and fallen soldier family calls, 202–3
and family separations, 265–66
and FISA tweets, 185
and Helsinki press conference, 276
and immigration policy, 38, 305, 308
and Kushner/Ivanka White House roles, 147, 157, 202, 207–9
Lewandowski conflict, 205–7
loss of Trump’s trust, 203–4
and Manafort home raid, 154
and McCain memorial, 289–90
and McEntee’s firing, 225
and McMaster, 167–68, 225, 232–33
on Mexico border wall demands, 38, 203
and Muslim travel ban, 29
and NATO summit, 272
and Nielsen, 304, 305, 308
and North Korea summit, 261
and Nunes’s memo, 189, 195, 196
and Peña Nieto call, 288
and Phoenix rally, 156
and Porter domestic abuse accusations, 198–99, 200, 202, 203, 205
resignation of, 331–32, 355
and Rosenstein firing possibility, 296–97, 298
and Rosenstein Twenty-fifth Amendment proposal story, 296
and Scaramucci, 147–48
security clearance policy, 202, 207–9, 251–52
and Sessions’s firing, 313, 314, 315
as stabilizing force, 35, 155, 156, 158, 414
and Syria withdrawal plans, 341
and Tillerson’s firing, 216–17, 220, 221
and Trump interview possibility, 189–90, 193, 194
and Trump-Putin congratulations call leak, 230–31
and Trump’s abuse of McMaster, 167
and Trump’s ignorance, 38, 169, 170
and Trump’s insecurity, 165
and Trump’s New Jersey golf club vacation (Aug. 2017), 152
and World War I commemoration, 318, 319, 321
Kelner, Robert, 171–72
Kempe, Frederick, 234
Kennedy, Robert F., 47
Kerry, John, 318
Khashoggi, Jamal, 322–23
“kids, the.” See Kushner, Jared; Kushner/Ivanka White House roles; Trump, Ivanka
Kilmeade, Brian, 275–76, 350
Kim Jong Il, 263–64
Kim Jong Un
Russian alliance with, 113
summits, 225, 260–63, 366, 370–71
Trump’s warning to, 152–53
King, Alveda, 155
Kislyak, Sergei, 42, 63, 77, 139. See also Flynn-Kislyak call
Kline, Carl, 252
knee-jerk decisions. See Trump’s characteristics, impulsivity
Knight, Shahira, 333
Kudlow, Larry, 260
Kurds, 340, 341, 343. See also Syria
Kushner, Charles, 14
Kushner, Jared
and Bannon’s firing, 155
as calming influence, 50
and Christie’s firing as transition chairman, 14
and early intelligence briefings on Russian election interference, 23–24
and First Step Act, 335
and Flynn’s firing, 32
foreign contact disclosure issue, 93–94
and government shutdown, 364
and immigration policy, 305, 308
and Khashoggi’s murder, 322
Lowell as legal representative for, 93–94
and McCain memorial, 289
Mexico, informal role with, 36
and Mueller’s appointment, 73
as person of interest in Mueller investigation, 78
press conference (July 24, 2017), 142–43
Russia back channel story, 84, 85
Trump’s pity for, 143
and Trump Tower meeting, 115, 116–17, 119, 121, 127, 142–43
See also Kushner/Ivanka White House roles
Kushner/Ivanka White House roles
and business conflicts of interest, 20
calming influence on Trump, 50
and Christie chief of staff offer, 336, 337–38
and Cipollone’s hiring, 303
and Cobb, 148–49
and Comey’s firing, 54
and Corallo’s tweets, 101
determination to join staff, 19–20
and Flynn appointment, 11–13
and Kelly, 147, 157, 202, 207–9
and Kelly’s resignation, 321, 332
McGahn, tensions with, 408
McGahn on, 44, 93, 148
and nepotism concerns, 19, 44
and Priebus, 93, 146
and Scaramucci, 147
security clearances, 94, 123, 201–2, 207–9, 251–53
and transition appointments, 11–12, 14, 15, 49
Trump legal defense team’s concerns, 85, 92–93, 94, 201
Lapan, David, 37
Lavrov, Sergey, 63, 77, 110, 226
law enforcement. See criminal justice system
Leahy, Patrick, 62
leaks and leak accusations
and Christie chief of staff offer, 337, 338–39
Comey’s memo, 64–65
and Oval Office meeting, 77
Steele dossier, 24
; and Trump legal defense team’s allegations, 101–2
Trump’s congratulatory call to Putin, 230–31
and Wall Street Journal article, 106
and world leaders’ calls, 31
Lee, Mike, 335
Lemire, Jonathan, 274, 370
Levin, Dan, 89
Lewandowski, Corey, 84, 157, 205–7, 379
Lewis, Kevin, 51
Limbaugh, Rush, 349–50
Lizza, Ryan, 147
Lloyd, Collman, 353–54
“look, the.” See Trump’s characteristics, image focus
Lord, Ellen, 344
Lowell, Abbe, 93–94, 116–17, 118, 121–22, 123
loyalty, focus on. See Trump’s characteristics, loyalty focus
Lucey, Catherine, 237
lying. See Trump’s characteristics, lying
Macron, Emmanuel, 169–70, 259, 272, 318, 320, 321
MAGA nation. See Trump followers
Magnitsky Act (2012), 119, 125–26
Manafort, Paul
and Gates, 18
Mueller investigation indictment, 160–61
as subject of Mueller investigation, 101, 154
and Trump Tower meeting, 115, 116, 117, 127
verdict on, 286
Mattis, James
appointment of, 17–18
and border troop deployments, 371
and Christie chief of staff offer, 339
and “I Am Part of the Resistance” editorial, 291
and immigration policy, 310, 311
and Kushner/Ivanka White House roles, 157
and McCain memorial, 289–90
and NATO summit, 271, 272
resignation of, 344–45, 351–53, 355
and Scaramucci, 148
as stabilizing force, 158, 414
and Syria withdrawal plans, 341, 342, 344
and Trump’s abuse, 167
and Trump’s ignorance, 170
and Trump’s personal contact attempts, 88
See also Pentagon foreign policy briefing
May, Theresa, 112, 230, 259, 316–17
Mazloum Abdi, 340, 341, 343
MBS (Mohammed bin Salman), 207, 322
McAleenan, Kevin, 266, 398, 399
McCabe, Andrew
and Comey’s firing, 56, 61–62
and Comey’s memo leak, 65
firing of, 222
on Flynn-Kislyak call, 25
and Rosenstein Twenty-fifth Amendment proposal story, 297
security clearance, 282
special counsel recommendations, 64
McCain, John, 275, 288–90
McCain, Meghan, 289
McCarthy, Melissa, 33
McConnell, Mitch, 349
McCord, Mary, 25, 62
McDougal, Karen, 239
McEntee, Johnny, 18, 19, 45, 225
McFarland, K. T., 22
McGahn, Don
and Cobb, 149
and Comey’s firing, 54–55, 56–57, 61
and FBI director interviews, 68
and Flynn-Kislyak call, 28, 30, 31
and Flynn’s appointment, 12
and Flynn’s FBI interview, 28
and Gates and Manafort indictments, 161
and Gorsuch’s investiture, 98
and Kushner foreign contact disclosure investigation, 201
on Kushner/Ivanka White House roles, 44, 93, 148
and Kushner’s security clearance, 208–9, 252
Mueller investigation interview, 173, 211, 303
and Mueller removal attempts, 97–99, 148
and Mueller report, 407, 408
and Mueller’s appointment, 68–70
and Mueller-Trump meeting (May 16, 2017), 67
and obstruction of justice investigation, 97
and Porter domestic abuse accusations, 199–200
recusal of, 148
resignation of, 302–3, 355, 357
resignation plans, 99–100
and Rosenstein firing possibility, 296–97, 298
and Senate Intelligence Committee investigation, 105
and Sessions resignation demands, 70–71, 140
and Sessions’s recusal, 42–43, 44, 45, 46, 47–48, 53
as stabilizing force, 43–44, 55, 105, 408, 414
Trump’s abuse of, 46
and Trump’s public exoneration demands, 52
and Weingarten consultation, 90–91
McGurk, Brett, 340, 341, 342, 343–44
McKay, Thomas, 242
McKinnon, Kate, 139
McMaster, H. R., 164–68
and Bannon, 155
and briefings, 164–67
firing of, 232–34
firing threats, 225
leadership style, 264
and North Korea, 152–53
and Putin state visit invitation, 228–29
tensions with Trump, 164–66, 167–68, 205
and Tillerson’s firing, 216
Trump’s abuse of, 167
and Trump’s congratulatory call to Putin, 226–27, 230, 231
and Trump’s ignorance, 170
McRaven, William, 283–85
Meadows, Mark, 185, 188, 295, 350
media
on Mueller investigation, 152, 179–80, 205
See also Fox network; leaks and leak accusations; Trump’s characteristics, addiction to media; specific media outlets
Menendez, Robert, 94
Merkel, Angela, 165, 259, 270, 318, 320
#MeToo movement, 299, 301. See also Kavanaugh, Brett
Mexico
border troop deployments, 31, 36–38, 309–11, 342, 364–65, 371–72
border wall demands, 35, 38, 203, 333–34, 350, 354, 364
and Kushner’s role, 207
Peña Nieto calls, 31, 287–88
Tillerson/Kelly visit, 35–38
Trump’s military operation threats, 36–38
See also immigration policy
midterm elections (2018)
and House Democratic investigation plans, 312, 316, 321, 322
and immigration policy, 303, 310–12
and impeachment possibility, 294–95
and Kavanaugh’s nomination, 300
and Trump’s written answers, 324
Miller, Greg, 176, 322
Miller, Stephen
and Comey’s firing, 54
and establishment disruption, 30
and family separations, 266, 269
and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, 171
and Helsinki press conference, 276
and immigration policy, 308, 372, 396
and Muslim travel ban, 29, 30
and NATO summit, 272
and Sessions, 49
and Sessions resignation demands, 140
and transition appointments, 20
Milley, Mark, 365
Mitchell, Andrea, 139, 277
Mnuchin, Steven, 131, 140, 165
Modi, Narendra, 162–64
Monaco, Lisa, 73
Moon Jae-in, 153
Moscow Trump Tower deal, 291–92, 323, 327, 362–63, 366, 369
Mueller, Robert
appointment of, 65, 67, 68–71, 76, 77–78
changes in (2019), 376
character of, 71–73
Corallo on, 86–87
limitations of, 5, 390, 409
removal attempts, 4, 95, 96–100, 148
Trump meeting (May 16, 2017), 66–68
See also Mueller investigation
Mueller investigation
Assange filing, 325, 326
Bannon on, 152, 174
Barr briefing, 374
Barr’s memo on, 330–31
and Cohen investigation, 241, 242, 246
Cohen subpoena threat, 240
and Cohen’s testimony, 367, 369
Corsi plea agreement, 324–27
on DNC hack, 159–60, 255–56, 273–74, 323, 324, 325, 361
and Donaldson notes, 407–8
Flynn’s g
uilty plea, 173–74, 175
Flynn’s joint defense withdrawal, 171–72
Gates and Manafort indictments, 160–61
and Kushner back channel story, 85
Manafort home raid, 154
and McCabe’s firing, 222
media coverage, 152, 179–80, 205
on Moscow Trump Tower deal, 292, 323, 327, 362–63, 366, 369
Mueller’s appointment, 65, 67, 68–71, 76, 77–78
Mueller’s congressional testimony, 412
Mueller’s distance, 250–51, 326
Mueller team, 95–96
Nunes’s cover-up accusations, 253–55
Nunes’s memo, 187–90, 194–95, 196–97, 253, 254–55
and O’Callaghan’s hiring, 243–44
on Papadopoulos, 160
pardon questions, 90, 172, 368
and Rosenstein firing possibility, 297
Russian campaign interference indictment (Feb. 2018), 204–5
and Saturday Night Massacre plans, 142
silence of, 211, 292
and Strzok-Page texts, 128, 193, 362
Trump followers on, 410
Trump interview possibility, 173, 176, 178–80, 189–94, 213–14, 246–50, 291–93
Trump legal defense team meeting (Apr. 24, 2018), 246–50
Trump legal defense team meeting (June 16, 2017), 100–101
Trump legal defense team meeting (Nov. 2018), 325–27
Trump’s complaints about, 77–78, 87, 97, 98, 103, 127, 362, 411
and Trump’s insecurity, 322
Trump’s written answers, 323–24, 327
on Trump Tower meeting, 292, 323, 327
Whitaker on, 314, 316
White House staff interviews, 173, 211–13
See also obstruction of justice investigation; Russia investigation obstruction attempts; Trump legal defense team
Mueller report, 380–94
Barr briefing, 375–78
Barr’s letter on, 385, 386–88, 389–90, 391–93
Barr’s preparations for, 358–59, 360
Barr’s press conference, 406–7
Barr team’s review of, 380–81, 384–85
completeness of, 383
confusing nature of, 384, 390, 394, 409
executive summary request, 391, 393–94
full version release, 404–8
and impeachment possibility, 361, 384, 386
lack of conclusion in, 384
and reelection campaign, 390, 411
Trump legal defense team celebration of, 387–89
Trump legal defense team preparations for, 361–62, 381–83, 386
Trump’s tweets on, 378–79, 408
on Trump’s written answers, 327
writing of, 360–61, 374–75
See also Mueller report’s treatment of obstruction of justice
Mueller report’s treatment of obstruction of justice
Barr briefing on, 376–77
Barr’s letter on, 387, 393, 394
decision not to decide, 376–77, 378, 383–84
evidence in, 360–61, 374, 375, 385, 406, 408
federal prosecutors’ open letter on, 408
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