Trump/Russia: A Definitive History

by Seth Hettena

The only comprehensive and definitive history by an acclaimed investigative journalist of the corruption and collusion between Russia and the Donald Trump.

Is Donald Trump the most corrupt president in American history? A celebrated Associated Press reporter untangles the gripping story of Donald Trump's long, involved collusion with Russia in damning detail -- including new reporting never before published.

As Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into relationship between members of Trump’s campaign and Russian operatives continues, there is growing evidence that Trump has spent decades cultivating corrupt ties to Russians and the post-Soviet state.

In Trump/Russia: A Definitive History, Seth Hettena chronicles the many years Trump has spent wooing Russian money and power. From the collapse of his casino empire–which left Trump desperate for cash–and his first contacts with Russian deal-makers and financiers, on up to the White House, Hettena reveals the myriad of shady people, convoluted dealings, and strange events that suggest how indebted to Russia our forty-fifth president might be.

Using deeply researched reporting, along with newly uncovered information, court documents, and exclusive interviews with investigators and FBI agents, Hettena provides an expansive and essential primer to the Trump/Russia scandal, leaving no stone unturned.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, Russia, Audiobook, Crime, Presidents

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 8, 2018

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A definitive history? Not quite. I mean, c’mon! How can there be a definitive history of something which a Justice Department special counsel is investigating?

Still, this is an informative book, particularly when it talks about the early Trump Tower period of the Donald and his first Russian investors, The Taj Mahal Casino money laundering days, the history of the Russian and its colorful characters, and the Felix Sater/Michael Cohen relationship and its myriad connections to both the Donald and the Russians.

Hettena is particularly good for filling in details. For example, I already knew that the “El Caribe Country Club,” a Brooklyn catering hall owned by Michael Cohen’s uncle Morris Levine, was a hangout for both Russian and Italian mobsters, and I also new Michael Cohen owned a piece of it, but I did not know that three successive Brighton Beach Mafiya bosses—Evsei Agron, Marat Balagula, Boris Nayfeld—rented an offices directly upstairs. This nuts-and-bolts kind of journalism is something Hettena does extremely well.

Still, every journalistic virtue has its downside, and Hettena often leaves me—on the subject of the mafiya particularly--far too deep in the weeds: my jaw slack with boredom, my eyes overcome with sleep, the weed-whip fallen from my hand. With better organization—if he had tied each mobster to a particular Trump period, for example—Hettena could have rivetted my attention.

If you are really into Trump and Russia, as I am, I would recommend this book. Otherwise, I would recommend instead Isikoff and Corn’s Russian Roulette, which is both better organized and better written.

Russian Roulette isn’t definitive either. But it comes close.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

The relationship between Donald Trump and dirty money from Russia is a long-standing one, and when the Mueller investigation concludes, you’re going to need some kind of Who’s Who of Russian oligarchs and crime bosses, and a map of the what, where and when of their association with the money-laundering Trump family real-estate and casino business, as well as their significant inroads into international banking. And this book provides exactly that in a clear and concise way.

‘The definitive history’ of the collusion between the Trump empire and Russian crime has not yet been written, this book helped me to understand the arrival of the Russian mafyia in America, and symbiotic relationship between Trump real estate and organized crime--just the cast of characters buying condos at Trump Tower is a Who's Who of crime.

The book also traces the collusion of well-known banks--both American and international--in laundering the billions of dollars taken out of the Russian economy following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

If you follow Bill Browder and his attempts to warn nations to secure themselves against the incursion of this crime money coming out of the former Soviet Union with “Magnitsky Laws”, you’ll understand just the sheer volume of cash that’s being discussed. Trump/Russia not only follows the money, but follows the accommodations made for that money. It follows the distortion of world politics that that money has already brought about. It puts names and faces, places and dates to the story, giving us a scorecard of some kind to follow the action.

Robert Mueller shows up in the story beginning as far ago as 1997 when he was FBI Director, as a task force was investigating Russian mafyia involvement in an international fraud case . But the main story is the unfolding of the natural affinity between a certain real estate/casino tycoon without much of a sense of ethics and the mafyia Vors (godfathers) stuffed with cash looking for a well-placed partners to help them launder it.

I read most of this book well before the Manafort and Cohen arrests—and I’m so glad I did, because it gave me a much better idea of just who Manafort is, the PR genius who rehabilitates the reputations of dictators, and 'spun' pro-Russian Ukranian Yanukovych to the leadership of that country, and Cohen, the Brighton Beach fixer, and why the flipping of both these men is so intensely of interest.

The book also gave me a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between Vladimir Putin and the Russian mafyia—not as seamless a relationship as I’d imagined.

Well-researched and absolutely riveting.

[Misfit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting reading, but at the same time, if you're following this story as closely as I have, there's only so many new nuggets to be revealed here. These books are all starting to mesh together with a lot of been there/done that feel to them. On to the next, since the library says it's my turn in the hold line. Robert Mueller, please hurry.

[Bettie]

Description: Is Donald Trump the most corrupt president in American history? A celebrated Associated Press reporter untangles the gripping story of Donald Trump's long, involved collusion with Russia in damning detail -- including new reporting never before published.

Have a feeling this 'definitive' version will become outdated, what with new details rolling in daily. HATTIP MISFIT:

I spoke to two former federal investigators who told me Cohen was introduced to Donald Trump by his father-in-law, Fima Shusterman, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Ukraine who arrived in the U.S. in 1975. Shusterman was in the garment business and owned a fleet of taxicabs with his partners, Shalva Botier and Edward Zubok – all three men were convicted of a money-laundering related offense in 1993. “Fima may have been a (possibly silent) business partner with Trump, perhaps even used as a conduit for Russian investors in Trump properties and other ventures,” a former federal investigator told me. “Cohen, who married into the family, was given the job with the Trump Org as a favor to Shusterman.” (“Untrue,” Cohen told me. “Your source is creating fake news.”)

Shusterman, who owned at least four New York taxi companies, also set his son-in-law up in the yellow cab business. Cohen once ran 260 yellow cabs with his Ukrainian-born partner, the “taxi king” Simon V. Garber, until their partnership ended acrimoniously in 2012. Glenn Simpson, the private investigator who was independently hired to examine Trump’s Russia connections during the real estate mogul’s presidential run, testified before the House Intelligence Committee that Cohen “had a lot of connections to the former Soviet Union, and that he seemed to have associations with organized crime figures in New York and Florida – Russian organized crime figures,” including Garber.
(Source)

[Greg Guma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a long anticipated prequel, Trump/Russia provides the backstory — a sordid tale of organized crime, shape-shifting oligarchs and money laundering —that led to our current predicament. One of Trump’s biggest lies, it turns out, is his protest about having nothing to do with Russia. Its the opposite. Russia has been his piggy bank and object of desire for decades. And his election was a perfect storm, fueled by the combined force of his narcissism and greed and Putin’s thirst for respect and revenge.

[Scribe Publications]

Hettena is a first-rate reporter and wonderful story-teller, and the tale he tells here is mind-boggling.
Jane Mayer, author of New York Times bestseller Dark Money

Seth Hettena skillfully weaves many threads — most fresh or previously hidden — into a rich tapestry tying together decades of Donald Trump s deep involvement with Russia.
David Cay Johnston, author of New York Times bestseller The Making of Donald Trump

Reads like a page-turning mob thriller.
The Guardian

Trump/Russia presents a dossier of persuasive evidence for Trump’s collusion with Vlademir Putin and Russian organised crime … good, solid, investigative journalism.
Sunday Star Times

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trump is still alive. And still a president. With a perspective of a new mandate. Putin - the same. So how come "a definitive history"?

[AC · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good sober primer on what we know, from major news sources. Nothing ground-breaking. But the book will be out of date by Monday...

[Sharon Beers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost all of this info has been covered by Rachel Maddow.

[Sassan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Trump/Russia: A Definitive History" written brilliantly by reporter Seth Hettena is a very well sourced and investigative exposé which takes the reader on the journey of Trump's life through his business dealings and shady connections going back 10, 20, 30 years in time. In doing so, the author enables us to better understand the character and nature of the man and the ways in which he is compromised and most probably an asset to Vladimir Putin.

As someone who is well versed and knowledgeable with the background of Donald J. Trump, I did not have high expectations before reading this book. I have read other books about the background and life of Donald Trump, but Seth Hettena provides a more detailed perspective and background, which includes interviews of dozens of pertinent individuals providing the reader with the intricate details of the mobsters that Donald Trump has come across in business relationships his entire life. Whether it was looking the other way and allowing people with nefarious backgrounds to buy and launder their money through Trump Tower to the shady individuals that Donald Trump has formed business relationships with, this book allows us more fully understand the characters involved.

Based on all the publicly available facts and evidence, I believe that Donald Trump's Achilles heel that will bring him down and remove him from office is through his illegal financial dealings and money laundering activities going back decades and comprised largely of Russian oligarchs tied directly to the Kremlin and now Vladimir Putin. These illegal financial transactions that Donald Trump has been able to weasel himself out of and avoid criminal prosecution have been set up through elaborate networks of shell companies that have enabled him to avoid detection. I believe that he will no longer be able to avoid justice once the American public knows the full nature of these connections.

The biggest myth of all in Donald Trump's entire life is that he has been a good businessman. Nothing is further from the truth. Donald Trump his entire life has been a con man that has barely survived in getting by. Once American banks and lenders caught on to his delinquencies and would no longer lend him a penny, he relied on what he was familiar with and that was dirty money coming from sources throughout the world, but particularly from then Soviet Union which is now the present day Russia. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, wealthy Russian oligarchs had to park their monies outside of their motherland and found the best place to be with someone like Donald Trump who did not care that the money that they were providing in purchasing cash transactions at Trump Towers and his other properties funneled through illicit channels. Seth Hettena in this brilliant book takes us on the journey of these odious and corrupt individuals with criminal backgrounds and the nature of the relationships that they had with Donald Trump. As the author notes, "the chaos that followed the collapse of the USSR saw Russia's gangsters emerge into the daylight and take their place in the new ruling class of the country (Hettena, 15). Moreover, he continues, "In Russia, one cannot tell the difference between the activities of the government and those of its organized-crime groups" (Hettena, 16). Understanding the nexus of these relationships and the details of these individuals enables the reader in better understanding the intricate relationship and financial entangled webs that make Donald Trump a compromised and illegitimate President beholden to the Kremlin and to Vladimir Putin himself.

[Dale Grauman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A revealing read. Does not show that Trump colluded with Russia, but does document that his motives, opportunities, connections, and dispositions would be consistent with collusion. This book would have been better if the author had spent more time analyzing the complex web of connections that he was describing.. I'm not saying that he should have speculated much about Trump's innocence or guilt--I'm happy that he didn't. It would have been helpful, however, if he would have more frequently pulled back from the trees and showed how those trees give definition to the forest.

[Book Shark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trump/Russia: A Definitive Story by Seth Hettena

“Trump/Russia” is a very interesting and well-sourced account on the Trump-Russia scandal. Journalist and former correspondent for the Associated Press, Seth Hettena chronicles the history of Trump and his ties to Russian money. This insightful 276-page book includes twelve chapters and is broken out into the following three parts: I. Early Affiliations, II. The Comeback Kid, and III. The Red House.

Positives:
1. A well-written and researched chronicle.
2. A fascinating and important topic, the Trump-Russia scandal. “What this book represents, then, is a primer that accounts for all the essential information anyone curious about this subject would need to know about the Trump-Russia scandal, as well as many of the side-stories that have formed along its periphery.”
3. The book reads with good rhythm. Hettena weaves an interesting tapestry based on the known facts.
4. An excellent introduction that sets the tone for the rest of the book. “It is the Russian Mafiya’s connections to both the Kremlin and now the White House that are at the heart of the Trump-Russia collusion scandal.”
5. Discloses early on Trump’s ties to Russian money. “Bogatin needed a place to launder all his newfound wealth. He eventually hit upon the idea of investing in expensive Manhattan real estate. And the property that attracted him most was the newly built Trump Tower.”
6. Memorable quotes, consider this quote from Vladimir Putin. “There are three ways of influencing a person: blackmail, vodka, or the threat of murder.”
7. Trump’s failed Taj Majal casino. “Trump’s massive casino was burdened with so much debt that it was doomed into a financial recession even before it opened its doors. In July of 1991, only 15 months after the Trump Taj Mahal opened, Trump filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in an effort to soften the casino’s debt requirements.”
8. Russian organized crime. “The Taj Mahal not only failed to restrain criminal activity, it almost seemed to cater to it. While Trump railed to Congress about “rampant” organized crime in Indian casinos, his own gambling palace was becoming the favorite East Coast destination for Russian mobsters.”
9. Trump’s desire to do business in Moscow. “Trump promised to build not one but two Trump towers in Moscow. “[Moscow] is really a city with a great future, great potential,” Trump said. “We’re looking at building a super-luxury residential tower,” he said, “which I think Moscow desperately wants and needs.””
10. Russia’s ties to crime. “Russia couldn’t get rid of organized crime. It needed it to survive.”
11. Putin’s rise. “When a formal election was held, Putin swept up the votes to victory. At the top of his agenda was making Russia great again.”
12. Describes Trump’s comeback rise. “The Apprentice clinched that recovery by recasting Trump as America’s CEO. “My name is Donald Trump,” he says in The Apprentice’s opening monologue, “and I’m the largest real estate developer in New York. I own buildings all over the place, model agencies, the Miss Universe Pageant, jetliners, golf courses, casinos, and private resorts like Mar-a-Lago, one of the most spectacular estates anywhere in the world.”” “Meanwhile, Trump Towers Sunny Isles Beach was paying off. Trump’s oldest son, Don Jr., would later note, “We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.” There is no question Trump owed his comeback in large part to wealthy Russian expatriates.”
13. Many Russian characters drive this book. “Of all the characters in this story, Felix Sater is one of the most fascinating and enigmatic, and there is some strong competition for that honor. Sater has managed to live several lives in the space of one. Born in the Soviet Union in 1966 with the word Jew stamped in his passport, he immigrated with his family to Brighton Beach at age seven. As a young stockbroker, he climbed up the Wall Street ladder until a vicious bar fight sent him to prison in 1994. Upon his release, he joined up with a Mafia-linked “pump-and-dump” stock fraud that swindled investors out of $40 million. To avoid prison a second time, he became a government informant, putting himself at tremendous risk by traveling to the Middle East to hunt terrorists. While he was doing that, he started developing Trump SoHo and other projects in Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix, and Moscow for Donald Trump”
14. The truth comes out. “When Trump accused Obama of wiretapping him at Trump Tower, he was half-right. Trump Tower had been wiretapped, not to eavesdrop on his dealings, but to investigate one of the world’s biggest illegal high-stakes gambling rings, operating just below his own penthouse.”
15. Miss Universe comes to Russia. “Trump was reportedly in great spirits as he sat in the front row right next to the man who had paid $20 million to bring this extravagance to Russian soil, the Azerbaijani real estate mogul Aras Agalarov.”
16. Russian’s infiltration. “The message that the Kremlin got back was twofold. First, the Trump campaign would play ball. Rather than call the FBI immediately, the president’s son and two top campaign officials accepted the meeting. If it wasn’t criminal, it was quite possibly “felony stupid,” as one DC attorney put it to me. Secondly, the message the Kremlin got back from the Trump meeting was that the dirt on the Ziff brothers wasn’t good enough. Don’t you have something better? And, as if by magic, three days later WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange revealed to ITV that his organization had obtained hacked emails stolen from the Clinton campaign.”
17. The inner circle. “Special Counsel Robert Mueller would later follow this money trail to return an indictment charging Manafort in a conspiracy to launder money and evade taxes.”
18. A fascinating look at the dossier. Many angles looked at.
19. Cyber warfare against America. “On September 11, 2014, the Internet Research Agency showed how much it had learned and how dangerously effective it was at manipulating Americans.” ““Russia is doing everything it can today to embarrass the U.S.,” Tretyakov said in a 2008 book, Comrade J.” ““Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency,” the heads of the FBI, CIA, and NSA concluded in a joint report on Russia’s intentions.”
20. The Mueller investigation. “Rosenstein told the Senate during his confirmation hearing in March 2017 that two conditions had to be met for him to name a special counsel. First, he would have to determine that a crime had been committed, and, second, that the investigation of that crime would pose a conflict of interest for the Justice Department. On May 12, three days after Comey’s dismissal, CNN reported that Rosenstein thought nothing had changed and he saw no need to appoint a special counsel.15 Five days later, a little more than a week after Trump dismissed his FBI director, Rosenstein changed his mind and Robert Mueller was named special counsel.”

Negatives:
1. No supplementary material. A book of this ilk was screaming for at least a timeline.
2. Lack of photos and bios.
3. Very little of this book is what I would consider a revelation; it’s a much better organized and chronicled book of much of the facts that we do know.
4. The book does not have a definitive ending because Mueller’s investigation isn’t complete.

In summary, this is a well-constructed chronicle that captures the essence of the Trump-Russia scandal. Hettena does a wonderful job of describing what we do know about the scandal and connecting the dots to a compelling argument. Trump / Russia is a professionally written book that does the topic justice. I recommend it!

Further suggestions: “Collusion” by Luke Harding, “A Higher Loyalty” by James Comey, “Russian Roulette” by Michael Isikoff, “Trumpocracy” by David Frum, “The Assault on Intelligence” by Michael V. Hayden, “What Happened “ by Hillary Rodham Clinton, “Can It Happen Here?: Authoritarianism in America” by Cass R. Sunstein, “Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire” by Kurt Andersen, “It’s Even Worse Than You Think” by David Cay Johnston, “How Democracies Die” by Steven Levitsky, and “Facts and Fear” by James R. Clapper.

[Ramona Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary!

Trump’s Russia connections are overwhelming. Sadly, this book reads like fiction - the spiderweb of connections are truly scary. If you are trying to keep up with massive number of current issues Trump is facing, this book will help.

[LA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book, but the title itself irked me a bit. Really? A definitive history when we're in the midst of this nightmare unfolding? A bit presumptuous.

The author does a great job synthesizing sources, although to understand all the people involved, a diagram would have been useful. Anything to help us keep track of all the players.

I learned a lot and liked the book. I'm sure I'll reread it again in the years ahead as more of these people are called into account for their actions.

[David Kudlinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good, but not as good as “Russian Roulette”, because it spends too much ink on the Russian Oligarchs. We already suspected many are bad. But the conclusion is the same. Trump says he has absolutely nothing to do with Russia, but when one looks at his businesses, there are Russians everywhere. They certainly made up a chunk of his tenants, casino patrons, and investment partners. Not just affable Russians, but Russians associated with the Mafia. Additionally, after 4 Trump bankruptcies, it is highly suspect that Trump gets a lion share of his loan money from Russia. This is why Trump should release his tax returns to help prove it is not true, if indeed it isn’t. Trump is very litigious and he would sue if “Russian Roulette” or “Trump / Russia” had errors.

Many Republicans mistake Russian influence as altering voting machines, which didn’t happen. So they think Russian meddling is a cause for stricter voter ID laws. The real influence was hacking and releasing stolen emails and using fake social media accounts to spread lies against the Democrats. Here is the murky area with just a 77,000 voter victory for Trump, that it will never be proven that the Russia intervention (such as Facebook troll farms) did not affect the outcome of the election. As of this writing, the Mueller investigation is just getting under way, so we do not know the full extent of the Russian meddling.

[Jason Laso · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of all the relationships connecting Trump to Russia (and specifically Putin). Many of the dots are connected in a circumstantial way, and I’d say the author did a decent job of not letting this book get too political.

As someone who didn’t know a ton about the topic, I was surprised to hear that the connections date all the way back to the 80s with Russian mafia members buying Trumps first apartments and gaming at the Taj Mahal (side note: I grew up in the Atlantic City area. My friends and I in high school used to sneak into the Taj to play poker all the time. It was common knowledge — even amongst 17 year olds — how Taj was the only casino in AC that did not card).

Some of the chapters drag on. The pace is especially jarring early in the book before you realize how little time in this book is actually spent talking about Trump himself. The first 90% of the chapters in this book can be summarized as, “long profile on this shady character...yada yada...he owned a unit in Trump Tower”. There’s probably as many words written about Paul Manafort than there are about Trump.

Good overview of everything and well researched but a few too many tangents IMO.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just another historical review of Trumps Russian connections since the early days. It's all repetitive stuff about how Trump was involved with Russian mafia and thugs living in New York. But Trump the "Useful Idiot" was placed in the office using America's own republic democratic process, however, deviant it may be with respect to a true people's democracy. Russia has effectively used covert warfare against the American democratic system. Everything Trump has done only skirts the legal system. You cannot nail him with any legality now that he is duly elected by the System in America. Trump is challenging you the people to overturn his election legally. The only solution is 2020 vision provided Russia is shut out effectively. Can the American political system really keep out anybody considering all the freedom's spelled out in the Constitution? Vote 2020 is the only solution.

[Dennis Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trump/Russia: A Definitive History by Seth Hettena is a thoroughly capable overview, but I have the suspicion it is one of those books that will be regarded as a flash-in-the-pan works that will rather quickly be subsumed by other works. The Trump Presidency has sparked a cottage industry of texts, so it is useful to have one that seeks to place others in context. The book is relatively fair, but its clear Hettena is taking a combative view. I enjoy the combat, but I imagine it will be enough to alienate those who most need to hear what he is saying. I didn't find a lot of information here to be all that new on the Trump side, but some of the stuff on the Russia side was very engaging. The book is short enough not to overstay its welcome too, though I believe we'll be in need for a sequel soon. Not that finding one will be difficult among the ocean of Trump literature.

85/100

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly and dispassionately lays out all the known facts known so far about the extensive contacts between Trump and Russian crooks and oligarchs. The reporting about Michael Cohens background and ties to the NYC Taxi business and the Ukranian and Russian underworld was particlarly interesting. This is a useful companion to the other essential Trump Russia books:
The Plot to Hack America by Malcom Nance which covers the hacks very early.
Collusion by Luke Harding which is especially good on the Dossier, banking, Cyprus etc
Russian Roulette by Corn and Issikoff is still probably the best single volume.
The Comey and Clapper books also provide valuable insights.

[Laura Madsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting.
First, Trump has been associating with some really bad dudes for *decades*. Many of his pals have ended up indicted, imprisoned, extradited, and/or dead. He has been on the FBI’s radar since Mueller and Comey were wee young prosecutors.
Second, gaming commissions are really serious about organized crime because a casino is a perfect place to launder money. The fact that no one will let Trump own a casino anymore is telling.
Third, he is way too involved with the Russian Mafiya.
Finally, for God’s sake, do not EVER click a link in an email to change your password or update financial info. I thought this was common sense but apparently not.

[Rob Rains · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very-detailed, thorough account of Trump's decades-long fascination with Russia and its emerging role in restoring his finances. A lot of what is written here you'll have no doubt read in other books. Some of the best details of this book have to do with obscure Russian oligarchs or operatives that have made their way into Trump's web over the past few decades. I recommend pairing this book with David Cay Johnston's Trump book as well as Tim O'Brien's Trump book as a good compliment to this one. Those other two books will not have nearly as much detail about Russia but this one makes up for that deficiency.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are more pimps, drug dealers, pedophiles, mafia wise guys, intel assets and asset handlers in this book than I could stomach. This was probably my 6th or 7th book on Trump/MoneyLaundering theme. I am left with the impression that the fact all of these crimes were all public verifiable record and legal record, trump would have to be a freelance intel asset for multiple govts including the US. US agencies didnt go after him because he had leveraged over their activities like they did over him. And they blinked. Same goes the same with Felix Sater and Epstein. They have all been intel assets. Difference is, Sater and Epstein were acknowledge by public officials as being assets.

[Yatin Sethi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanted to rate 3.5 but can’t so I will round it upwards at 4. Well I came across this audio book on audible, the subject was of my interest so I went ahead with it. The book has lot of information about trumps connection with Russia specially his early life was very interesting. Though my only complaint is the title says definitive history but the book ends up with information which is not definitive at all, I mean things that happened during trump being the president are still being investigated. So it’s a interesting read but calling it definitive history is a far fetched idea which I don’t agree with.

[Jill Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a startling account of Trump’s dealings with Russian criminals going back to the ‘80s. Many of these men have been sent to prison at some point in their lives for fraud, money laundering, prostitution, child pornography, human trafficking and other heinous crimes. Also, the men Trump surrounds himself with are connected in some ways including Jerry Kuschner — son-in-law, Michael Cohen — lawyer, Donald Jr. — son and Paul Manafort — campaign manager. The book was quite dry with all kinds of Russian names I could never remember, but the facts were still there and appalling.

[Kevin Lopau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not even worth reading, unless you are just looking for another book on Trump bashing.What a waste of time. I'm not saying that there isn't truth behind the content, just that it only amounts to discrediting Trump and Russia. It's very disappointing. This is hardly journalism and certainly not definitive. Half is speculation, if not just personal opinion. I am interested in real informative journalism, but this is just more biased, drivel. The author condemns one person while pardoning or merely glossing over the crimes of the opposition.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is an excellent book, although probably not definitive, as the investigation is ongoing. It reports that Trump's connection to the Russia Mafia goes back to the early 80's and shows that money from these sources repeatedly bailed him out when his businesses were tanking. There is a reason the Mueller investigation is taking a long time, it is hard to ferret out this kind of criminality as sources are not forthcoming. The writing and research is excellent.

[Lawrence Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hettena lists so many facts and situations that clearly demonstrates that Trump has always had deep ties to Russia!! His Atlantic City casino allowed Russian mobsters to money launder via his casino! So many Russians bought condos in his properties. Hettena also details all the campaign contacts with Russians! This is another book that citizens who really love this country should read and of course free from the local public library.

[jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps it was definitive when the author finished the manuscript. But, in any event, a tangled web of business deals, shady Russian businessmen, financial shenanigans, and highly dubious ethics, with one thing in common: Donald Trump, who displays an unrestrained willingness to be a dupe for flattery from anyone with a Russian name, influence, money, and a perceived connection to Putin. Painful reading to be sure.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A definitive look at what the US is now faced with in this summer before the 2018 elections. If I were President, I'd encourage the military to enlist hackers into the service to attack the Russians and other cyber armies and do an all out internet battle. Why take it into outer space when there are battles to win here on the planet. Russia is NOT our friend.

[Mike Marsbergen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling read. While Trump does factor in here and there, the majority of the book details the spiderweb of connections he has to corrupt Russians, leading up to the present with the ongoing investigation of collusion.