Crossfire Hurricane: Inside Donald Trump's War on Justice and the FBI

by Josh Campbell

From an FBI insider, a riveting, fly-on-the-wall account of the historic investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia and the president's unprecedented attacks on the bureau—and a passionate defense of the men and women who work every day to uphold democratic institutions and the rule of law.

Titled after the FBI code name for the initial investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, Crossfire Hurricane chronicles President Trump's relentless attacks on the FBI. Josh Campbell, a career special agent who served under Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald J. Trump before resigning from the FBI in February 2018, takes readers behind the scenes of the Russia investigation’s earliest days and makes a compelling case for the power of functioning institutions in American life.

Campbell, who has twelve years' experience working on some of the FBI's highest-profile operations and is now a national security expert for CNN, was special assistant to James Comey. Using a combination of firsthand experience and reporting from sources still within the Bureau, he offers an inside perspective into the FBI that will captivate readers struggling to make sense of a news cycle careening out of control.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, American History, Crime, Government

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 17, 2019

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have to be many in Washington who have been wrestling with issues similar to those that drove Josh Campbell from the FBI. Can they still serve the country within their positions? If they stay will they be compromised? Can they do more in public service from the outside?

Once Campbell introduces himself and why he joined the FBI, he demonstrates through his experience how respect (and admiration) for the FBI helps in getting the information needed to uphold the rule of law. He defines the process culture of the FBI and how the investigations of Russian interference in the 2016 election were by the book. The President’s response was to try to get individuals in the FBI to be loyal to him (not the rule of law) and when they did not, came the firing of Jim Comey. Then there were tweets and rally slogans that discredited the FBI.

Campbell gives the various insider views of Comey’s announcements of the Clinton email investigations and his being fired. He writes about how the how the challenged search warrants, interviews (and investigations) arrests etc. followed procedures. The president’s reactions, like many guilty parties, was to discredit the prosecutor, the investigator, etc. Now these criticisms were coming from the chief executive of the country with access to a major megaphone.

He concludes with the procedures of how one actually leaves the FBI and ties it all together about how the president’s pounding of FBI missteps into vast conspiracies harms the ability of the FBI to get informants (“rats” as the president calls them) and investigate cases.

This is a well written presentation. There is a lot of background. If you are interested in the FBI this is a must read, but I feel its importance is as an historical record.

[James Mc Donald · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Rabbit hole pointing out the effort to distorted info about the coup attempt

I got this publication because I am witnessing one of if not the greatest-political scandal that’s ever hit this nation and this tragic event has affected me personally.

I’m aware that regardless of what I think about the author and his publication personally, I know it’s an important first hand, eye witness view that will be referenced as a primary source document so naturally, it would be disingenuous to excuse this work and not pay attention to a opposing view because of my political standings are different from the formal FBI agent.

This is even more important in that the author has a pretty powerful platform/ blessing from a primary mass media organization promoting this view, regardless if I agree with it or not.

One of the other reasons why I’ve read this publication and have presented a customer review of the work is because I’m a 56 year old American veteran of the U.S. armed forces in that I never participated in a national election before 2016 because I always felt the office of the presidency of the United States had been compromised most assuredly at least since 1963 if not sooner which in my view, is one of the reasons why Donald Trump is in the White House today.

I have read and created several reviews of these publications regarding JFK.

The reason why I’ve pointed out that I’m a 20 year retired veteran of the US Armed Forces is because I was required to take an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States several times throughout my military career but I never saw an expiration date for that oath so my mission the last dozen years or so is to maintain that oath I gave by attempting to identify potential state crimes against the constitutional republic. My effort to read and then present a review of this book is because of my goal to maintain that oath. My historical footprint in creating over 100 customer reviews on various publications throughout the last several years validates my sincerity to be a well informed American citizen. With that understanding, I have previously read and created several customer reviews for several publications promoting the idea Donald Trump, the POTUS is a danger to this nation.

This list includes reading and presenting several customer reviews for books like “Proof of Collusion: How Trump Betrayed America” by Seth Abramson, “The Case for Impeaching Trump” by the congresswoman Elizabth Holtzman, “The Plot to Hack America: How Putin's Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to Steal the 2016 Election” by Malcolm Nance and the publication, “Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump” by Michael Isikoff and David Corn and now this book, Crossfire Hurricane.

Additionally, I’ve read and have presented customer reviews of several publications presenting there’s been a coup attempt in this nation which includes:

“Power Grab: The Liberal Scheme to Undermine Trump, the GOP, and Our Republic” by , Congressman Jason Chaffetz which also includes the book, “The Deep State: How an Army of Bureaucrats Protected Barack Obama and Is Working to Destroy the Trump Agenda” also by the congressman, “The Soft Coup Collapses – Blackmail Revealed – What Next?: CIA was bluffing, produced no evidence – Russians did not “hack” the election. Is this the beginning ... State in the USA?” By STEELE Vivas, ROBERT David, “The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump” from Gregg Jerret, “Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy” By Jeanine Pirro, “Deep State Target: How I Got Caught in the Crosshairs of the Plot to Bring Down President Trump” by George Papadopoulos and finally, what I like the best in the mix would be the book, “Spygate: The Attempted Sabotage of Donald J. Trump” By Dan Bongino.

Dan Bongino’s latest publication downloaded to my kindle last night and although I’ve not read the book yet, I think it will be by far one of the most important books ever published about the coup attempt in this nation.

Bottom line the top two authors presenting both sides of this mess would be Dan Bongino and Mr. Campbell.

The list of Publications I’ve read and have presented customer reviews on also includes several created by my government.

1) Transcripts of the Mueller Hearings: House Committee on the Judiciary & House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Hearings
2) Report on Russian Active Measures: The Declassified Investigation into Russian Interference Paperback – June 11, 2019 from the Permanent Slect Committee on Intel
3) A Report of Investigation of Certain Allegations Relating to Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe
4) House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Meeting Transcript including BOTH the Nunes and Schiff Memos.
5) House Permanent Select Committee on Intel Interview of Glenn Simpson
6) DOJ OIG report into Clinton email investigation: DOJ OIG release report on various actions by the federal Bureau of investigation and department of justice in advance of the 2016 election
7) Inquiry into intelligence community activities before and after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
8) 1963 JFK assassination: final report of the assassination records review board-Pres. John F. Kennedy, the JFK act, investigations, FBI and CIA, Zapruder Film, medical and ballistics, critics
9) The Nelson Rockefeller report to the president, June 1975 from Congress
10) The FBI,COINTELPRO, and Martin Luther King Junior: final report of the select committee to study governmental operations with respect to intelligence activities by the church committee
11) The Senate intelligence committee report on torture: committee study of central intelligence agency’s detention and interrogation program
12) Project MKULTRA, the CIA’s program of research in behavioral modifications, January 1, 1977
13) the 9/11 commission report: final report of the national commission on terrorist attacks upon the United States

Although I don’t agree with the thesis presented by Mr. Campbell, it’s important to point out I think the author’s work is the best readable publication I’ve come across in my efforts to understand this mess regarding an opposing view different from my own. As such, I am recommending this exceptionally well written publication (with some mandatory qualifiers) from a FBI agent who served my country. I’m recommending this publication to both sides of the political landscape.

Additionally, just the fact the author is giving half of the earnings from this publication to “support the families of special agents who made the ultimate sacrifice.” is decent and it’s an honorable thing to do as I would hope others would agree. I’m also recommending this publication because our nation is facing a political scandal that will leave the Watergate fiasco as nothing but an obscured footnote compared to what’s coming our way so I think it’s a necessary component for all Americans to turn off that television and to open up a couple of books, both pro and con in order to better prepare yourself for what’s coming.

Finally, although I am recommending this publication because it's an easy read, the customer looking to get this book is most strongly cautioned because I think the author’s personal relationship with both Comey and to an extent, Robert Mueller, has distorted his views thus why the qualifiers I noted previously that would require one to actually open up the book and READ the Transcripts of the Mueller Hearings and to to READ the IG report regarding the FBI actions, specifically about the actions Comey took on himself as I think the author is assuming you won’t know what those two publications will reveal. The author claimed Comey had no rule book to do the right thing. That's not true as the two pubs will reveal this. Additionally, if he had done the right thing in the first place, he most likely would still be the FBI director today but in my view, he tried to blackmail the POTUS and Trump stood up to the con. Doing the right thing goes all the way back to how Comey, the final leadership element of the FBI handled the investigation on HRC's unauthorized E-mail server as referenced in the IG report.

I only gave the author two stars because there are no links to the source material throughout the book although you can click on specific numbered references at the end of the book sending you back to the particular page that the source referenced. In my view it’s a very egregious error that undermines the overall quality of the author's work. I also think the author is bias and he has specifically excused what Mueller said in the Congressional interview and I feel the author does not want to deal with what the facts the IG presented. Additionally, I think the author’s effort to excuse the conduct of the leadership of the FBI all why attempting to appeal to the American audience about integrity of the FBI without appropriately representing the historical footprint of the FBI as noted by Congress has left in this nation, IS insulting to those Americans who have taken the time to understand this mess.

I acknowledge and appreciate the author's service to our nation and I am thankful however, after reading all of these books, I would feel much more comfortable having a conversation with George Papadopoulos in my home rather than the author of this book as the author forgot to tell you what the judge said regarding the Papadopoulos case revealing a profoundly disingenuous message by this author

[Translator Monkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really well-researched, well-written book of a tumultuous era in our history. This will serve readers better in coming generations, because today - while it's an excellent display of evidence - the wounds are still too raw, and reading the book became a frustrating, even angry affair. Having written that, it's still very definitely worth reading.

And I'm not sure who the decision-maker was for this idiosyncrasy, but the age level of readers to whom this book is most likely targeted would suggest to me that you could get away with writing the word "fuck" without having to clean it up by replacing the vowel with an asterisk. Odd to see that.

[Sharon C. Robideaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye-opening and informative

I had already read a number of books from people on the inside of the Trump debacle. Campbell's work has filled in the gaps. Written clearly and forcefully, Crossfire Hurricane is unapologetically critical of everyone involved in the 2016 election for president. I was particularly interested in the criticism of Devin Nunes' actions in blind support of Trump. It's a fast read and a useful, informative one.

[Judi Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top read of the year to-date, in large part, due to the timing of release with impeachment against Trump gaining steam. Great read even without the serendipity of timing, but that exquisite happenstance made this more compelling. Very well written by an inside-the-story source backed up by extensive citations. I borrowed from my library, but will probably purchase the book for my shelf.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A partisan book for partisan times, this one does not disappoint. The author details Trump's efforts to derail the FBI investigation into Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election. Along the way we learn the details of just how far the Trump White House was willing to go to get their agenda met. Although this book has a strong anti-Trump bias, I was still able to enjoy it.

[Allan Derrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into James Comey

Great read. Mostly a retelling of the attacks made by the president on the FBI and already aware to most news junkies but where it shines is in the insider information it recounts re James Comey and his leadership style.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A hysterical journalist kissing the behind of some governmental bureaucrats. A war in which no agent was killed, and no pension plan was hurt. And it's a hurricane because some paper pushers didn't get their retired army general pension they were expecting from the previous leaders.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josh Campbell, a former FBI special agent, who was an assistant to FBI Director James Comey, and later acting Director Andrew McCabe, gives a comprehensive and credible account of the origins of the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. The official FBI codename for this investigation was "Crossfire Hurricane." The narrative documents the actions by members of the Trump campaign and transition team that gave rise to questions about their involvement with Russian security services, prompted investigation by the FBI, and in some cases, resulted in their indictment.

The book also gives us a detailed chronicle of the (despiccable) actions by Trump that led to the firing of FBI Director Comey and the appointment of the Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Campbell has valuable insights about the conduct of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein:

The deputy attorney general was widely known as “the survivor” inside the FBI—someone who had managed to dodge sticky situations and ingratiate himself with members of both political parties—so was it possible he was living up to this nickname? We may never know for sure what ultimately motivated Rosenstein’s decision-making, but there is a large enough body of evidence available to justify skepticism.

This was the leadership of the US Department of Justice. Image-conscious, timid, and contributing by its silence to the attacks on the nation’s, indeed the world’s, premier law enforcement organization.

There are intelligent observations about Trump from a variety of sources.

Former White House Counsel John Dean: I think one of the reasons he violates so many norms is that he didn’t know they even existed. He’s about as incompetent a human as we’ve ever had in this office. He just wants to do his own thing. A lot of it is blunderbuss and just breaking the china because he doesn’t even realize it’s important not to.

There were some serious questions about the integrity of the House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes:

As one senior FBI official later told me, Nunes’s inappropriate relationship with the administration greatly concerned leaders inside the bureau. The operating theory was that anything provided to Congress on the FBI’s investigation into Russia and the Trump campaign would immediately be briefed to Trump. “There were times we really wanted to brief congressional overseers on something we were specifically doing,” said the official, “but we opted not to because Nunes had demolished that critical divide between politics and oversight. We suspected he would immediately leak to the White House any sensitive information we provided him.”

Nunes and his crew set out to draft a memo citing multiple abuses of power by the FBI, which they hoped to release to the public in order to further the false narrative that the bureau had acted in a corrupt fashion.

On one end of Pennsylvania Avenue, you had unscrupulous members of the House Intelligence Committee attempting to manipulate the public into believing distortions of the truth; on the other end of the street, an administration benefiting from all the chaos and the dishonest portrayal of the FBI as crooks; and caught literally and figuratively in the middle of it all, the bureau.

When I stopped for a moment to think about their efforts, I came to the conclusion that Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee were the only real leaders in government who attempted to defend institutional norms.

Eventually Republican Trey Gowdy came forward and stated that the FBI had acted appropriately which silenced Nunes for a time. Still, this incident did lasting damage to the bureau and sources are lost when politicization of intelligence collection means that anonymity cannot be guaranteed.

Campbell is even-handed however in explaining the circumstances surrounding the firings of Peter Strzok and Andrew McCabe, and why in his opinion those personnel actions were necessary and fair. He feels they were both guilty of the cardinal sin "Don't embarrass the Bureau".

The cases of Manafort, Papadopoulos, Flynn, and Cohen are also discussed, all having been indicted and found guilty or plead guilty. They even talked like Mafia criminal organization, disdaining the legitimate tools of law enforcement.

In Helsinki, the president's embrace of Russia and simultaneous dismissal of the intelligence community persuaded many sceptics that he had indeed been compromised by Russia.

For many national security experts, President Trump had simply exhausted all reasonable explanation for behavior that consistently put the interests of Russia over those of the United States.

Trump has acted in many ways like an authoritarian dictator: weakening law enforcement, opposing the free press, and manipulating public opinion with a flood of lies. There are more than a few similarities between Trump's White House and Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Campbell's bottom line is that Trump has viciously attacked honorable public servants and even members of the military. He has praised foreign despots and damaged the independence of the FBI. Campbell believes that we do not have the luxury of remaining silent and that members of the law enforcement and intelligence should be prepared to speak out — speak truth to power — and risk being fired to defend these important institutions.

Much of this book's subject matter has been reported previously. However, the details of the early origins of Crossfire Hurricane are not widely known and this book tries to shed light on these facts in particular. The portrayals of Comey and his interactions with Trump were especially interesting; Campbell, as Comey's assistant, saw these events up close and first hand.

This is an excellent contribution to the current political literature and strongly recommended reading.

Note: In the kindle e-book, the main text ends around the 75% point. The remainder is primarily comprised of over two hundred footnotes.

[Lis Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josh Campbell was an FBI special agent for twelve years, and special assistant to FBI Director James Comey for eighteen months. He was directly involved in Crossfire Hurricane, the initial investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Trump's connections to Russia.

Let me first say, this is a great, well-written, informative look at how the FBI works, and what it was like to be working in the upper levels of the FBI while under sustained attack by Trump and his allies, while trying, genuinely, to conduct an honest investigation of the Trump campaign and its ties to Russia. I'm about to start ranting about my problems with what he has to say, so don't lose track of this. It's a very good book, and you will learn a great deal from it.

Once Comey was fired, and Robert Mueller was appointed as Special Prosecutor, Campbell was no longer directly involved in the investigation, but he continued to be, along with the rest of the FBI, on the receiving end of Trump's attacks on it, the determined undermining of the institution's reputation and its ability to do its job.

On the one hand, the FBI continued to do its job, despite the attacks, without bias, with dedication to "just the facts."

On the other hand... Even though he describes it himself, Campbell seems not to recognize the extent to which they really were affected both by those attacks, and by the pre-existing attitudes of, especially, the older agents, including Comey. He says at one point that the older agents were hostile to Clinton because they thought badly of Bill Clinton as having gotten away with something (you know, being impeached, tried in the Senate, losing his law license for several years, all for having told a lie under oath about a consensual sexual affair in a matter that wasn't relevant to the charges in the case he told the lie in--totally "getting away with it.") He says younger agents like himself didn't share that dislike and saw Hillary Clinton as separate from her husband.

What he doesn't seem to register as important is that the older agents, including Comey, were making the decisions in the Clinton investigation.

Comey was determined not to be seen as biased in the Trump investigation, and absolutely determined that a revelation of the investigation would damage the principle of innocent until proven guilty. Campbell emphasizes this point over and over again--the FBI doesn't make the fact of an investigation public, because opening an investigation doesn't mean the person is guilty, and just the fact of the investigation could damage their reputations.

It sounds great. It sounds exactly like how we want the FBI to operate.

Meanwhile, several important decisions in the Clinton investigation seemed to reflect an unexamined assumption of "guilty until proven innocent." Loretta Lynch's brief meeting with Bill Clinton: There was no evidence that they discussed the investigation into Hillary Clinton, but because it couldn't be proven that they hadn't, the meeting was Very Bad, and Lynch should have recused herself. It "forced" Comey, when the investigation was done, to give a press conference announcing the results, without information Lynch beforehand, despite this being almost unprecedented and in direct contravention of FBI and DOJ policy. And, "because the American people have a right to know," he committed an even greater breach of normal FBI policy, and proceeded to spew every negative thing he had found, cast in as negative a light as possible, despite winding up exactly where he started--no responsible prosecutor would bring charges based on these facts and evidence.

But, hey, guilty, guilty, guilty, right? The American people needed to know everything the FBI had found about Clinton that could be read in a negative light, because, after all, she was a candidate for President!

Repeatedly emphasized is the fact that, even though in the end they found nothing, there could have been criminal acts found in the Clinton investigation. The Trump investigation, on the other hand, was a counterintelligence operation and there was no reason to believe there would be crimes found... Also, there was no hard evidence that Trump was directly involved. He might have no idea at all what all those campaign aides and longtime friends and supporters were up to!

Including, you know, his son, his lawyer, his friend Roger Stone who had been committing political dirty tricks since at least the Nixon administration.

So we are supposed to see that the lack of definitive evidence of innocence in the Clinton investigation means that it was reasonable, however mistaken, for Comey to believe that the public needed to know about everything that had been found, cast in as negative a light as possible. And we are supposed to see that it was completely reasonable, correct, not at all mistaken, for the entire freaking FBI to believe that no matter how much crap they found the Trump campaign doing, it could be crimes because this was a counterintelligence operation, and in any case, there was no direct proof that Trump himself was directly involved, and therefore the FBI couldn't risk damaging his reputation unfairly by letting the American people know there was even a question.

I think it's pretty damned relevant that the FBI decided it was necessary to open a counterintelligence investigation on the campaign of a major party nominee for President. And I have no doubt at all that if it happens with a Democratic nominee, someone will decided we need to know about that.

And of course, that's without the nasty trick Comey pulled in late October 2016. Another team, investigating Anthony Wiener, found some of Huma Abedin's emails, including emails from Hillary Clinton, on Wiener's laptop. Why? Because while she was still married to Wiener and still with him, she sometimes used his laptop to look at her email. Was there any reason to believe there was anything new to be found? No, not really. But it was important to check (reasonable), and very, very important to send a letter to the House Intelligence Committee, a letter Comey knew damned will would be immediately leaked to the press, on October 28, 2016, saying that the investigation had been "reopened" due to "possible new evidence."

Days later, of course, he announced, oops, sorry, we didn't find anything that changes the outcome of the investigation.

At that point, of course, Clinton's numbers had already tanked.

Josh Campbell insists that we can't possibly know if Comey's late intervention cost Clinton the election. In one sense, of course, he's right. There were a lot of factors--but this one came right before the election, and was instantly followed by a drop in poll numbers, especially in midwestern states that were close, enough to increase the likelihood that she would, while winning the popular vote, lose the Electoral College.

Absolutely 100% certain? No. Incredibly likely? Yes.

And yes, unless Comey were a virtual vegetable, for which, let's note for the record there is absolutely no evidence; he appears to be a very smart guy, he had to know was a likely effect.

Comey, Campbell, and others remain obsessed with the counterfactual of Clinton winning the election and then the news of the "new" emails coming out and maybe, just maybe, containing something that would have changed the result of the investigation....

Oh, dear. How awful. And we should all just understand how awful it was to contemplate that counterfactual, and why this made it totally understandable for Comey to totally toss longstanding, firmly held department policy that the FBI should do nothing that could affect the outcome of an election in the last sixty days before the election, and announce that there had been new emails found.

Sure, Comey. Sure, Campbell. Sure, every other person who supports this sick, stupid argument. Hope you're proud of the Trump presidency.

Remind me again what was the justification for not telling us that highly placed members of the Trump campaign were actively cooperating with our major foreign rival, Russia? Something about not damaging someone's reputation without proof? Presumption of innocence, vital principle of the American legal system? Something like that?

As I said back at the beginning, highly recommended. Wanting to argue with a book isn't necessarily a reason it's not good. This one is very good.

I bought this audiobook.

[Judy Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and very timely. I highly recommend this work. I thank the author for his service.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read, excellent, well written book by an FBI insider who gives a thoughtful, one-sided, biased look at the angry reaction by Trump on the FBI. While it doesn't pass the shoe-on-the-other-foot test it helps the reader understand the view of an honest hard-working FBI agent whose life and self-worth is defined by his love for his job, the bureau and respect for his boss. It illuminates from within and the emotional hurt caused by president Trump's criticisms. Josh Cambell is one of the honorable agents that work for the FBI. His dedication and commitment to service is manifest. His donation of half his profits from the book to helping former agents shows his commitment. I disagree with the use of straw man arguments and taking the attacks personally, and treating president Trump's emotional fits as attacks on the agents, although completely understandable it's not where the attacks are aimed, rather I think they are aimed at the use of the FBI as a political tool. Defending the FBI in my opinion is unnecessary just as defending our troops is unnecessary. And blaming the agents or troops for political or policy decisions is inappropriate. The FBI is a high-integrity investigative machine that given evidence, will crank the gears and produce results. You can't blame the FBI if artificial or misleading evidence is used to kick-off an investigation any more than you can blame a plant for growing in a dark basement when given artificial sunlight. The FBI is going to do what it does and do it well. Josh Campbell uses the integrity of the agents to defend the results of the mission. That's like using the honorable character of our troops to defend the inadvertently directed destruction of a civilian hospital. I think Josh Campbell does a great job conveying how he feels and why, just not considering the view from the other side. This doesn't excuse the president who reacted like a child would instead of welcoming an investigating that he should have known would find no collusion. Overall I recommend the book but don't let it be the only book you read on this subject.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inside look into the investigation that lead to the Muller investigation. Crossfire Hurricane was the random name assigned to the file. I was listening to Andrew G. McCabe book at the same time I started this and they aligned up perfectly - and the two former agents turned authors only had about 20 minutes of interaction before McCabe's appointment as interm director. Campbell did not want to write a memoir, and it really isn't about him but more explaining and even defending the FBI unlike the DOJ's actions. Everyone that swears an oath for the Federal government swears to defend the Constitution and not the President. Much of this confirms knowledge that I know from real life experiences and with other books on this topic.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful and very timely memoir of the utmost importance on the cusp of the US House of Representatives preparing to vote on adoption of Articles of Impeachment against the 45th President of the United States.

Former Special Agent Josh Campbell, working closely with Jim Comey at the end of Comey's tenure as head of the FBI, has the inside scoop. Describing this trying time in American politics and in the agency with perhaps the biggest role in fighting terrorism in our country, there may not be a better way to learn about what really went on.

If, like me, you are obsessed with finding out how we got into the mess that is Trump's administration, you won't want to pass it up.

[Peter Z. · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Historic independence from partisan forces"
Except for page and strzok's 9 million "orange man bad" texts and the entire Clinton email giveaway -er- "investigation". Historic independence. That's the ticket. No deep staters or partisan hacks here.

[Cathrine "Capi" · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more books I read about Trump and the events surrounding his presidency, the more astonished I am that he EVER got into office in the first place. Every book I've read (and there have been MANY) emphasize how little knowledge he has of how government works, he has ZERO knowledge of foreign affairs and relationships, and ONLY cares about himself. His incompetence and focus on ONLY himself is a huge red flag and a danger to our country and our very lives. I am angrier every day because of this man and the damage he has done to law enforcement entities, the FBI in particular, and the rule of law, appointing loyalists to judgeships rather than honest jurists who would rule according to the laws and evidence. We must all show up at the ballot box (or better yet, mail in your ballot!) and ensure that he loses the 2024 election by a huge margin.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed seeing Josh Campbell on CNN, and I appreciate his insights concerning what has been going on. When I realized he had recently written a book, I knew I wanted to read it. I'm glad I have now read it.

Josh's inside look at the FBI and the current attacks from the current administration are both enlightening and frightening. The Comey affair to the Mueller investigation both highlighted the concern that the law enforcement community has. The only way this can change is when the current administration leaves. Let’s hope that is soon.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great look at what is going on in Washington from a different angle. If you care about how the FBI is being portrayed and want to understand the issues from the viewpoint of someone that was in the FBI and now part of the media, this is a fantastic read. I highly recommend.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crossfire Hurricane was written by a former FBI agent who now is a commentator for MSNBC. It is a quick read, and continues the commentary by people who have personal experience with the president or the people he has attacked and bullied. I found myself more intrigued by the book than I had anticipated, though nothing seemed surprising. What was most interesting was the stated ethical views and values of the author as an FBI man, and how he extrapolated those ethics and values across the entire FBI community. The author's close working relationship with both Mr. Comey and Mr. Mueller provided good insights into his views about the work style and values of both former directors. It was a good read, recommended to people who are having trouble reconciling the Mr. Trump's continuing attacks on the FBI and earlier perceptions of an FBI with a few bad eggs, but fundamentally an honorable law enforcement organization.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking its title from the codename given to the FBI investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, this book largely covers already well-trodden ground. However, it's a solid account of the Russia investigation and the hostility of the Trump administration towards the FBI that makes for engaging reading, although I don't always agree 100% with the author's assessments.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!

[Dogsandbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential reading. First hand account of aide to Comey during crucial period. Authoritarian war on institutions, esp his. Dpl book 363.250973 C

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

An very well written inside look at an American institution.

[Roy Gayhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strong America depends upon a strong, independent FBI, among other important apolitical institutions of government. 36,000 well-trained, dedicated professionals comprise the FBI. They are the best of the best from their respective areas of expertise. In Crossfire Hurricane, Josh Campbell objectively and succinctly makes the case for a safe America. I found it to be a great, thought-provoking read. A must read for all Americans

[ALL · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Comey and McCabe's version of events, the story surrounding Comey's firing has become somewhat redundant. From page one, Campbell's anecdotes from his career are better integrated into the main story line, making it a much easier read. It is a little frustrating because he writes with a humility that underrates how interesting his career was, leaving you wanting to know more about terrorism in Asia than about Comey. The style reads less as a complaint and more as an autobiography, which was a welcome change from Comey and McCabe. It is still overwhelmingly a complaint and he is on the emotional defensive for the FBI throughout the book. As probably the closest person to Comey during that time, it was a very interesting read.

[Jon Moeller · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an absolute waste of time and effort to read this. I am dumb for reading it and even dumber for providing any type of compensation to this tool, Campbell. Campbell was (is) a lapdog for Comey. The man never worked a real case. Let us never forget he was also an intern for Mueller. To call him a former agent is a sham. For him to print something saying he knew real agents in the field is a bold lie. No one would have given a guy like this, the time of day unless they were bucking to get promoted in a Comey/Mueller FBI. I gave it two stars as it is a good summary and recap of the left and the media's view and agenda.

[Robert A. Yaffee, Ph.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josh gives ample evidence of Rudi's Russian disinformation promoted by
Trump. Clearly, Rudi needs to apply for 9/11 victimization assistance.
As for Trump, he's Putin's useful idiot and our curse until the enlightened
cashier him in the trashcan of historical errors.

[Patricia Fiorello · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you pay attention to real news you will know as of today this whole thing is debunked !! Former Deputy Director of the FBI McKay (spelling?) and cronies were paid by the DNC to manufacture evidence to obtain illegal wiretaps among other things.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josh Campbell adds another tome to the library of "Really Good Books Describing the Terrible Presidency of Donald Trump." But unlike the books written by journalists, who rely on leakers and anonymous sources with axes to grind, Campbell was on the inside, serving as Jim Comey's Special Assistant when Comey was FBI Director. Now working as a journalist, Campbell brings a unique insider's perspective to "Crossfire Hurricane," and it makes for compelling reading.

Perhaps the greatest contribution Campbell makes to the overall narrative is explaining the role of the FBI and the make-up of the men and women who serve there. All too often, "FBI" gets caught up in larger discussions of agencies and seen through the prism of the current FBI director, but the FBI consists of elite law enforcement agents who, by the very nature of their jobs, must adhere to the highest ethical standards. An FBI agent with one documented lie on his or her record can jeopardize every single future investigation that agent works on - so the FBI is trained rigorously to never "kick the ball onto the fairway." FBI agents are also regularly reviewed for ethical performance, and also the FBI is an unusual agency where a lifetime investigator can feel superior to the current director, particularly if that director is an outsider who does not appreciate the FBI culture.

Campbell describes this aspect of the FBI efficiently - while he discussed the complex legacy of J. Edgar Hoover for those who work within the FBI, Campbell focuses mainly on his tenure and, most specifically, the FBI's handling of both the Clinton email scandal and the Trump Administration.

If you're worried that Campbell will adopt a simple "we're right, Trump was wrong" approach, don't. Campbell is a major Jim Comey fan, but he acknowledges that while the Clinton email scandal presented Comey with decisions with few good options, Comey failed in his handling of that scandal. But Campbell gets full of righteous indignation at how Trump treated the FBI in general and Comey in particular, acting as if the FBI was simply a private security team that worked for Trump rather than the good of the country.

Campbell tells a very interesting tale involving some familiar episodes. But "Crossfire Hurricane" is a worthy read because it is a reminder of how many good, solid Americans have dedicated their lives to our country and its highest ideals. Definite recommendation.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Campbell offers a very good account of the FBI and Special Counsel investigations into Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump. He offers the perspective of a skilled and professional investigator who has become rightly frustrated with how politics have entered the realms of national security, counterintelligence, and law enforcement. It is appropriate that Campbell serve as the guide for this narrative given his experience, less so in counterintelligence, all three of these areas. Perhaps the most revealing aspect of this book is that there are no particular new stories or deep insights. Instead, the big reveal is that the FBI is a professional organization that does excellent work on the most challenging of politically sensitive cases.

One refreshing aspect of Campbell's book is that he foregoes chapters about his path to the FBI and his early years as an agent. Often these types of chapters distract from the main narrative in an attempt to establish credibility. Instead, Campbells lets his writing and the facts speak for themselves and keeps the focus on the events surrounding the 2016 election as he saw and understood them.

The only downside to this book is that there are so many individuals and events related to the 2016 investigations that one short book cannot do them justice. This should serve as a challenge for readers to do their due diligence and read the Department of Justice documents referenced throughout this book for themselves. If more Americans did so, there would likely be more disappointment in the public and elected officials who have taken advantage of their position for the it own power and gain.