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Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump
A revealing, behind-the-scenes examination of how Congress twice fumbled its best chance to hold accountable a president many considered one of the most dangerous in American history. The definitive—and only—insider account of both Trump impeachments, as told by the two reporters on the front lines covering them for The Washington Post and Politico.
In a riveting account that flips the script on what readers think they know about the two impeachments of Donald Trump, Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjian reveal how—and why—congressional oversight failed when it was needed most.
Unchecked weaves a vivid narrative of how House Democrats under the lead of a cautious speaker, Nancy Pelosi, hesitated for months to stand up to Trump—and then pulled punches in their effort to oust him in a misguided effort to protect themselves politically. What they left on the cutting room floor would come back to haunt them, as Republicans seized on their missteps to whip an uneasy GOP rank-and-file into line behind Donald Trump, abandoning their scruples to defend a president who some privately believed had indeed abused his power.
Even after Trump incited a mob to violently attack the Capitol—a day the authors recount in minute-by-minute, stunning detail — Democrats pressured their own investigators to forego a thorough investigation in the name of safeguarding the Biden agenda. And Republicans, fearful of repelling a base they needed for re-election, missed their best moment to turn their backs on a leader they secretly agreed was destructive to democracy.
Sourced from hundreds of interviews with all the key players, the authors of Unchecked pull back the curtain on how both parties pursued political expediency over fact-finding. The end result not only emboldened Trump, giving him room for a political comeback, but also undermined Congress by rendering toothless their most powerful check on a president: the power of impeachment. A dramatic and at times crushing work of investigative reporting, Unchecked is both a gripping page-turner of political intrigue and a detailed case study for historians and political scientists searching for answers about the unravelling of checks and balances that have governed American democracy for centuries.
In a riveting account that flips the script on what readers think they know about the two impeachments of Donald Trump, Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjian reveal how—and why—congressional oversight failed when it was needed most.
Unchecked weaves a vivid narrative of how House Democrats under the lead of a cautious speaker, Nancy Pelosi, hesitated for months to stand up to Trump—and then pulled punches in their effort to oust him in a misguided effort to protect themselves politically. What they left on the cutting room floor would come back to haunt them, as Republicans seized on their missteps to whip an uneasy GOP rank-and-file into line behind Donald Trump, abandoning their scruples to defend a president who some privately believed had indeed abused his power.
Even after Trump incited a mob to violently attack the Capitol—a day the authors recount in minute-by-minute, stunning detail — Democrats pressured their own investigators to forego a thorough investigation in the name of safeguarding the Biden agenda. And Republicans, fearful of repelling a base they needed for re-election, missed their best moment to turn their backs on a leader they secretly agreed was destructive to democracy.
Sourced from hundreds of interviews with all the key players, the authors of Unchecked pull back the curtain on how both parties pursued political expediency over fact-finding. The end result not only emboldened Trump, giving him room for a political comeback, but also undermined Congress by rendering toothless their most powerful check on a president: the power of impeachment. A dramatic and at times crushing work of investigative reporting, Unchecked is both a gripping page-turner of political intrigue and a detailed case study for historians and political scientists searching for answers about the unravelling of checks and balances that have governed American democracy for centuries.
704 pages, Hardcover
First published September 27, 2022
99 people are currently reading
526 people want to read
About the author
Rachael Bade
2 books7 followersRachael Bade is an American journalist who is a co-author of the Politico Playbook newsletter and a political analyst for CNN. She spent two years reporting on U.S. Congress for the Washington Post.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
November 1, 2022
Unchecked by Rachel Bade and Karoun Demirjian purports to tell the story of Trump’s two impeachments. Unfortunately the narrative has a clear bias: Democrats cut corners in a rush to impeach, dropping witnesses, narrowing the focus and failing to get Republican buy in. One wonders what world these two authors live in. The GOP is and was in thrall to Trump and Republican cooperation was never in the cards. The Democrats went forward with their strongest case and exposed Trump and his acolytes for who they are. The book clearly relied on some key sources who are lionized. Uncooperative sources, like Nancy Pelosi, are dunned for weakness and indecisiveness. Hard to square with the Pelosi I know. Engrossing read but a slanted one.
December 22, 2022
I will be updating now that I'm finished with Unchecked. I will say, I recommend reading to anyone who is interested in politics and democracy. I didn't think the book would affect me as much as it has. I thought it would be just another book slapping Donald Trump. Not at all. The ending will surprise you. Even though we know how his presidency ends. There is much to think about..
I didn't think I would want to re-hash Pres. Trump's impeachment again. I'm actually happy I did. The book tells the back story about Congress.
Reading Unchecked by Rachel Bade and Karden Demirjoan. It also and It gives us a taste of the goings on in Congress. What went right? What went wrong during the impeachment.
It is sad how each majority and minority leader has to worry about their members' constituents. Instead of the country and our democracy. You will think our country is very hostile against each party. You haven't seen anything by witnessing Congress in action with each party.
The politics for the Democrat's and Republicans is despicable. The members really don't care about the country. I'm so sorry I read the book to read how the Senate and congress only worry if they still have a job.
Each party, specifically the miniority and majority of congress and senate, is pressured each day how it will affect their race and their base.
The book gave you a birds eye view of what goes on in our government. Unchecked, opens up what each member of Congress really thinks. The pressure they deal with from their constituents and their theirs leaders.
From most of the book, you can see their faillings from democrats in congress from Congressman Schiff, who wasn't always truthful? Why impeachment on the fast track? Why, no witnesses? Especially Bolton? Bolton published a book. Turns out it became complicated with the White House. It would have taken months for the courts to decide. The impeachment hearings would have been held up with senate and congress races.
What is totally wrong is that any president going forward isn't accountable. He can say and do anything. This is what we learned about impeachment. Even when it is blantly clear in plain sight. He can get away with it. And when that happens. He can do further crimes( 1/6). Impeachment is a joke.
The book also lets us readers know what each senator and congress member really think. They open up to realize some of them actually care about the country and their state. Unfortunately, they are pressured from their districts( their base, constituencies).
The book actually is a fast read. The book is fascinating. It reads like a thriller. Not a boring academic lecture.
I didn't think I would want to re-hash Pres. Trump's impeachment again. I'm actually happy I did. The book tells the back story about Congress.
Reading Unchecked by Rachel Bade and Karden Demirjoan. It also and It gives us a taste of the goings on in Congress. What went right? What went wrong during the impeachment.
It is sad how each majority and minority leader has to worry about their members' constituents. Instead of the country and our democracy. You will think our country is very hostile against each party. You haven't seen anything by witnessing Congress in action with each party.
The politics for the Democrat's and Republicans is despicable. The members really don't care about the country. I'm so sorry I read the book to read how the Senate and congress only worry if they still have a job.
Each party, specifically the miniority and majority of congress and senate, is pressured each day how it will affect their race and their base.
The book gave you a birds eye view of what goes on in our government. Unchecked, opens up what each member of Congress really thinks. The pressure they deal with from their constituents and their theirs leaders.
From most of the book, you can see their faillings from democrats in congress from Congressman Schiff, who wasn't always truthful? Why impeachment on the fast track? Why, no witnesses? Especially Bolton? Bolton published a book. Turns out it became complicated with the White House. It would have taken months for the courts to decide. The impeachment hearings would have been held up with senate and congress races.
What is totally wrong is that any president going forward isn't accountable. He can say and do anything. This is what we learned about impeachment. Even when it is blantly clear in plain sight. He can get away with it. And when that happens. He can do further crimes( 1/6). Impeachment is a joke.
The book also lets us readers know what each senator and congress member really think. They open up to realize some of them actually care about the country and their state. Unfortunately, they are pressured from their districts( their base, constituencies).
The book actually is a fast read. The book is fascinating. It reads like a thriller. Not a boring academic lecture.
March 3, 2023
This book was fantastic. It was informative, telling, and gave so many behind the scenes details. It also reminded me how frustrating the impeachment process is. The authors hold no punches on Democrats or Republicans - which I appreciated. I got hooked on this yesterday and read the final 300 pages in about 24 hours (note that I had a 3 hour class, 8 hour work day, and slept about 6 hours in that time - so it really came down to me reading 300 pages in the 7 hours I had free).
I loved the way the authors retold the stories. Using phrases like "hit the roof" to describe how Leader McCarthy felt when President Trump responded to his plead for help during the 1/6 insurrection. I'm so glad I can add this to the growing list of books I've read on the Trump impeachment(s)/ impeachments in general. I am fascinated by the topic and recommend this to anyone who wants to learn.
The text is 604 pages, with about an extra 100 for notes afterwords. The text is medium-large, so the page turning is faster than usual.
I loved the way the authors retold the stories. Using phrases like "hit the roof" to describe how Leader McCarthy felt when President Trump responded to his plead for help during the 1/6 insurrection. I'm so glad I can add this to the growing list of books I've read on the Trump impeachment(s)/ impeachments in general. I am fascinated by the topic and recommend this to anyone who wants to learn.
The text is 604 pages, with about an extra 100 for notes afterwords. The text is medium-large, so the page turning is faster than usual.
December 18, 2022
A thorough and well-sourced study of the failure of two attempts to impeach DJT. Bade and Demirjian (BD) acknowledge the perfidy and cowardice of the Republicans, but they point the spotlight more on strategic and tactical errors by the Democrats in carrying out impeachment. Their main argument is that the Democratic put politics ahead of a thorough impeachment process, undermining their own case. I am skeptical that any case could have garnered 67 votes in the Senate (which would have required 17 Republicans vote to remove Trump rather than the 7 that did) given Trump's grip on the party, but it's important to have a critical lens on the Democrats as well. They end with the important point that impeachment will never work if it isn't bipartisan and that the Democrats made only half-hearted efforts to get more Republicans on board. I think this principle is crucial in the abstract, but if a direct attack of a Trump mob on Congress that he egged on and refused to act to stop couldn't get more Republicans to vote against him, nothing would. Their behavior was confirmation of his infamous statement that he could shoot someone on 5th avenue and not lose support. Still, this book is really valuable for going inside the Democratic Party to show how factionalized it is and how those divides undercut the impeachment attempts.
In the first impeachment, the Dems made a few errors. First, they struggled to decide how widely to cast . Second, they made a huge error in rushing the process, particularly failing to battle in the courts to subpoena key witnesses who could testify directly to the quid pro quo (the sneaky John Bolton comes to mind). This was largely the fault of Nancy Pelosi, who feared that an impeachment effort would backfire politically and actually strengthen Trump. Thus they had a lot of civil servants testifying to Trump's misdeeds, often through second-hand knowledge, but no equivalent of John Dean from Watergate, who testified directly to Nixon's support for a variety of misdeeds. Third, I suppose they made a mistake by holding so many of the initial interviews in secret, opening them to GOP accusations of rigging the process (even though, as BD acknowledge, this was normal procedure in previous impeachments). I regretfully came away from this analysis with the conclusion that the first impeachment was probably a mistake, if a noble one. Yes, what Trump did vis Ukraine is an impeachable-level offense. But it wasn't very sexy, it was complex and hard to sell to a distracted, goldfish-minded public, and they never quite brought all the evidence together. And if they couldn't chart out a plausible path to 67 votes in the Senate, they shouldn't have started the whole process.
But again, we run into the problem of GOP bad faith. The GOP leadership decided to be in lockstep with DJT from the get-go, before they even knew the extent of his misdeeds regarding Ukraine. Even though Trump was undercutting national security for purely personal gain (all based on conspiracy theories, mind you), the GOP doubled-down in favor of him, attacking the Dems' process because they knew they could not win on substance. When it was more or less proven by Bolton that there was a quid pro quo, they pivoted to the argument that what Trump did wasn't impeachable. BD recognize all of this, but this was one part of the book where more context was needed. I think they understated just how beholden and/or enraptured the GOP was to Trump, and how his capture of the party dictated their stalwart defense of him. Trump retained a grip on the GOP base, and few GOP politicians were willing to challenge that (a handful of swing district moderates, a few retiring types like Flake, and genuinely brave figures like Romney). Dozens of accounts testify to the fact that Republicans who don't worship Trump are terrified of him, and leaders like McConnell acknowledge that he was their main path to power. So my main critique of this book is that it needed a little more context to explain the GOP's action and that it understates his iron grip on the party.
The second impeachment was much more serious, obviously, but also stranger, as the trial took place after DJT left office. His offenses here were truly monumental, exactly the high crimes that the founders were terrified of. However, the Dems ran into many of the same problems. Pelosi, Biden, and other leaders wanted to move into the legislative session and focus on enacting reforms that were promised on the campaign trail. So once again, despite the best efforts of folks like Jamie Raskin (the hero of this story), the Democrats failed to pursue the necessary court battles and testimonies that might have truly proven Trump's responsibility for Jan. 6 and his unforgivable delay in stopping it. Again, Democratic leaders put politics ahead of a defining moment in the nation's history, a moment where the COnstitution really had to come first. Trump's has since said quite openly (and Jan. 6 Committee testimony has demonstrated) that he really thinks the election was stolen, the insurrectionists were heroes who should face no consequences, and that he did absolutely nothing wrong.
And why should he think anything else, given the GOP's failure to push back on him in any way? This is where I deviate slightly from BD; I'm glad they highlighted the Democrats' errors, but given the GOP's abject surrender to Trump, I don't think there's anything that could have been done to get ten more GOP senators on board. This would have required Mitch McConnell to do what goes against his fundamental nature: put the collective good of the nation ahead of the pursuit of power and the promotion of ideology. Yes, he agonized a little, whatever, but he ultimately never came close to supporting impeachment, even though he might have been able to drag 9 more senators with him. This is a man, after all, who has eroded the norms and guardrails of democracy more than anyone except Trump himself in pursuit of his political and ideological goals. Since Jan 2022, he has opposed the Jan. 6 Committee, failed to criticize Trump, and instead of punishing insurrectionists in his own party, he, McCarthy (the true craven of this story), and the GOP leadership has attacked people like LIz Cheney, exiling voices of reason and principle from the party.
Ok, that was a whole rant, and that may have sounded more critical of the book than I meant it to be. This is an excellent account that really helped me understand the inter and intra-party factions, rivalries, and debates that shaped these two pivotal events in recent US history. BD also bring out the human element of this story, especially regarding Jamie Raskin, a man for whom I have renewed respect. There's a deep civic concern that animates this book: if neither party (to varying degrees) could truly unify behind a concerted defense of the constitution against a man as blatantly hostile to the rule of law as DJT, what would actually do the trick and get them to do this the right way? Anyone concerned with that question will get a lot from this book.
In the first impeachment, the Dems made a few errors. First, they struggled to decide how widely to cast . Second, they made a huge error in rushing the process, particularly failing to battle in the courts to subpoena key witnesses who could testify directly to the quid pro quo (the sneaky John Bolton comes to mind). This was largely the fault of Nancy Pelosi, who feared that an impeachment effort would backfire politically and actually strengthen Trump. Thus they had a lot of civil servants testifying to Trump's misdeeds, often through second-hand knowledge, but no equivalent of John Dean from Watergate, who testified directly to Nixon's support for a variety of misdeeds. Third, I suppose they made a mistake by holding so many of the initial interviews in secret, opening them to GOP accusations of rigging the process (even though, as BD acknowledge, this was normal procedure in previous impeachments). I regretfully came away from this analysis with the conclusion that the first impeachment was probably a mistake, if a noble one. Yes, what Trump did vis Ukraine is an impeachable-level offense. But it wasn't very sexy, it was complex and hard to sell to a distracted, goldfish-minded public, and they never quite brought all the evidence together. And if they couldn't chart out a plausible path to 67 votes in the Senate, they shouldn't have started the whole process.
But again, we run into the problem of GOP bad faith. The GOP leadership decided to be in lockstep with DJT from the get-go, before they even knew the extent of his misdeeds regarding Ukraine. Even though Trump was undercutting national security for purely personal gain (all based on conspiracy theories, mind you), the GOP doubled-down in favor of him, attacking the Dems' process because they knew they could not win on substance. When it was more or less proven by Bolton that there was a quid pro quo, they pivoted to the argument that what Trump did wasn't impeachable. BD recognize all of this, but this was one part of the book where more context was needed. I think they understated just how beholden and/or enraptured the GOP was to Trump, and how his capture of the party dictated their stalwart defense of him. Trump retained a grip on the GOP base, and few GOP politicians were willing to challenge that (a handful of swing district moderates, a few retiring types like Flake, and genuinely brave figures like Romney). Dozens of accounts testify to the fact that Republicans who don't worship Trump are terrified of him, and leaders like McConnell acknowledge that he was their main path to power. So my main critique of this book is that it needed a little more context to explain the GOP's action and that it understates his iron grip on the party.
The second impeachment was much more serious, obviously, but also stranger, as the trial took place after DJT left office. His offenses here were truly monumental, exactly the high crimes that the founders were terrified of. However, the Dems ran into many of the same problems. Pelosi, Biden, and other leaders wanted to move into the legislative session and focus on enacting reforms that were promised on the campaign trail. So once again, despite the best efforts of folks like Jamie Raskin (the hero of this story), the Democrats failed to pursue the necessary court battles and testimonies that might have truly proven Trump's responsibility for Jan. 6 and his unforgivable delay in stopping it. Again, Democratic leaders put politics ahead of a defining moment in the nation's history, a moment where the COnstitution really had to come first. Trump's has since said quite openly (and Jan. 6 Committee testimony has demonstrated) that he really thinks the election was stolen, the insurrectionists were heroes who should face no consequences, and that he did absolutely nothing wrong.
And why should he think anything else, given the GOP's failure to push back on him in any way? This is where I deviate slightly from BD; I'm glad they highlighted the Democrats' errors, but given the GOP's abject surrender to Trump, I don't think there's anything that could have been done to get ten more GOP senators on board. This would have required Mitch McConnell to do what goes against his fundamental nature: put the collective good of the nation ahead of the pursuit of power and the promotion of ideology. Yes, he agonized a little, whatever, but he ultimately never came close to supporting impeachment, even though he might have been able to drag 9 more senators with him. This is a man, after all, who has eroded the norms and guardrails of democracy more than anyone except Trump himself in pursuit of his political and ideological goals. Since Jan 2022, he has opposed the Jan. 6 Committee, failed to criticize Trump, and instead of punishing insurrectionists in his own party, he, McCarthy (the true craven of this story), and the GOP leadership has attacked people like LIz Cheney, exiling voices of reason and principle from the party.
Ok, that was a whole rant, and that may have sounded more critical of the book than I meant it to be. This is an excellent account that really helped me understand the inter and intra-party factions, rivalries, and debates that shaped these two pivotal events in recent US history. BD also bring out the human element of this story, especially regarding Jamie Raskin, a man for whom I have renewed respect. There's a deep civic concern that animates this book: if neither party (to varying degrees) could truly unify behind a concerted defense of the constitution against a man as blatantly hostile to the rule of law as DJT, what would actually do the trick and get them to do this the right way? Anyone concerned with that question will get a lot from this book.
November 13, 2022
An interesting look at the Trump years from an entirely different view.
Like many people I'm more than ready to move on from everything Trump including books about him. That said, I was curious about what might be left to be said about the impeachments. I read Jamie Raskin's book Overturning Democracy and in it he talked about some -- many -- of the issues that occurred during the Trump years and, in particularly, the insurrection. Bade and Demirjian look at the failures that could have stopped him. They tell readers about how politics and holding on to a job colored our representatives decisions doing right. Often with co-authors you can pretty much tell who wrote what or the writing is very distinctive. Not being familiar with either author's journalistic writing I couldn't have recognized either's voice but, they either have a similar writing voice or work so well together there was no line or jarring changes in voice. They come across as a solid team.
I personally enjoyed how they explained the different aspects of the laws that govern impeachment either through their own words or those of our representatives.
There were points where I felt I'd read something before - and probably have given how many books have been written about Trump. At some of those times I felt they just picked up what someone else said or wrote and included it without giving credit or more of the background. That said, I'd read them again.
Like many people I'm more than ready to move on from everything Trump including books about him. That said, I was curious about what might be left to be said about the impeachments. I read Jamie Raskin's book Overturning Democracy and in it he talked about some -- many -- of the issues that occurred during the Trump years and, in particularly, the insurrection. Bade and Demirjian look at the failures that could have stopped him. They tell readers about how politics and holding on to a job colored our representatives decisions doing right. Often with co-authors you can pretty much tell who wrote what or the writing is very distinctive. Not being familiar with either author's journalistic writing I couldn't have recognized either's voice but, they either have a similar writing voice or work so well together there was no line or jarring changes in voice. They come across as a solid team.
I personally enjoyed how they explained the different aspects of the laws that govern impeachment either through their own words or those of our representatives.
There were points where I felt I'd read something before - and probably have given how many books have been written about Trump. At some of those times I felt they just picked up what someone else said or wrote and included it without giving credit or more of the background. That said, I'd read them again.
October 22, 2022
A rehash of recent history regarding DT's illegal grifts at everyone else's expense, and the Democrats total inability to catch this criminal. It is painful to recall and realize that years later DT continues to outfox his detractors despite his obvious guilt. Bade does a fine job of recounting all the dramas and surprises as they unfolded themselves at the time.
Read
November 2, 2022Hearing a true account of January 6 was something I thought I was prepared for but hearing about the senator who had his daughter and son-in-law who were trapped in his chambers due to the flood of ignorant Donald Trump supporters made me sad all over again. There’s something truly heartbreaking about ignorance so big you don’t even realize you’re ruining a building that the side you support also use and did they really think Donald Trump could get them out of trouble should they have succeeded in lynching Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence? or did they think they would not only get out of trouble but then acquire government jobs and have an easy light? I have many questions and no answers but on to the book this is about the Democrats failing to impeach Donald Trump despite evidence, witnesses and impeachment trials it seems the only thing they didn’t have was the no how. When I read about the impeachment over Donald Trump, Imploring a European country to investigate Joe Biden and warning them about his ambassador to that country and not to truster and they failed at impeaching him… Really? It seems like a comedy of errors that aren’t really that lol funny this was a great detailed book about vote attempted impeachment hearings and it would be so easy if we could point the finger at Nancy Pelosi or Connolly or someone but it’s a collective shared incompetence I think that caused the outcome . I do want to say I think the Republican Party has a lot to be accountable for as well.This was a good book and I highly recommend it I received it from NetGalley in the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
January 17, 2023
When thinking of impeaching Nixon, the Democrat in charged wept. Those types of characters are long gone. This book was a fascinating read on the two impeachments of Trump. I found it fair and balanced and not slanted towards one side. It was simply the facts of how the entire proceedings were bumbled, in part, by a reluctance on the part of the Speaker of the House. The player’s backgrounds are explored, including Trump, who while the main star, often fades into the background as the mistakes of the Democrats are revealed. Highly recommend for anyone who felt or feels impeachment is now a political tool. This book reveals how that unfortunately is now true.
September 26, 2023
"Unchecked" is the story of American depotism through Trump and his henchmen. The tragedy as Bade states is that the Democrats botched the impeachment twice. They botched the impeachments because the Democrats feared election consequences.
December 7, 2022
This is behind the scenes look at the impeachment of President Trump and why it didn't succeed.This is a very interesting book exposing little known details
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2023
Many of the news-making tell-alls that come out of Washington are more concerned with generating headlines that juice sales or spilling super-insider tea than they are with telling a cogent, coherent story worthy of the label "first draft of history." The perceived master of the art form, Bob Woodward, long ago gave up on conveying any semblance of plot or theme, instead trying to cram as many eye-popping morsels and glowing portrayals of his obvious sources as possible into 400 pages by deadline. A plot diagram of virtually any Woodward book in the last ten years -- and I have read almost all of them -- looks more like a spirograph drawing than a straight line.
Which is what made "Unchecked," by Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjian, one of the best political books I have read in a long time. Bade and Demirjian set out to tell a story, one that (as they note in the acknowledgements) was driven by the goal of creating a meaningful portrait of what happened in the two attempted impeachments of Trump and discussing what it might say about the recent past and future of the republic. It is not a collection of the most gossipy information that the pair could uncover, though there is plenty of that dished out. It is a human story, filled with passion and frustration and a healthy amount of outrage.
And villains -- oh, there are villains. Or perhaps more antiheroes. Virtually no one comes out of the story unscathed. Only a handful -- Mitt Romney, a group of pro-impeachment Democrats known as the "musketeers," and a few other lawmakers here and there -- even get the benefit of overall positive assessments. Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff take almost as much flak for being guided by political considerations as do Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy. In painstaking detail, the authors pick apart what they believe are the failures of Congress to carry out either impeachment with the seriousness of purpose that the process demands.
The focus on Congress -- Donald Trump appears as an actual "character" only a handful of times in this book, instead serving mostly as a looming presence -- is both a flaw and a strength. A flaw, because telling the story of the impeachments without a complete view of the president's inner circle feels like a piece is missing. A strength, because it sharpens the picture that the authors want to tell about how those who are supposed to oversee administrations do so or fail to do so.
The authors also get at the heart of what is a troubling aspect of impeachment for me. (Their nightmare scenario is an even grimmer assessment that I won't ruin here.) It is worth asking whether impeachment currently serves its purpose in our incredibly divided nation. There have been four start-to-finish impeachments in U.S. history; none of them have been successful. Regardless of what you think about the impeachments of Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump (twice), the idea that we have never successfully invoked the process in more than 240 years since the ratification of the Constitution seems troubling. Even the one president forced out by the prospect of impeachment -- Richard Nixon -- was likely able to hold out longer than he should have.
Some of this is Congress's fault, but I also believe that some of it is ours. Bade and Demirjian blame Democrats for failing to make a case in 2019 and 2020 that resonated with the American people, and perhaps that's fair. But I am not really sure that in the case of the three modern impeachments, at least, those seeking to remove a president ever had a chance. I can recall seeing polls of Americans during the investigation of President Clinton that said that if Clinton had in fact done x or y or z, the American people would *then* support impeachment. Inevitably, stories would come out showing that Clinton likely did x or y or z, and the topline numbers of Americans who supported impeachment ... did not move from where they were before the latest revelations. No one was persuaded because no one wanted to be persuaded. Those who did not want Clinton impeached did not want Clinton impeached, regardless of what might be revealed.
The problem is not that America is divided, but that we are decided. Those who were inclined to think the worst of Trump during his impeachments did so. Those who were not inclined did not do so. There is a scene near the end of the book where Rep. Jamie Raskin is disillusioned when he comes to believe that persuasion might no longer work. I have come to a similar disillusioning doubt. What if the problem isn't that whatever president you want to choose did or did not do something that was impeachable, but that it never mattered if he did?
To write a 600-page book dealing with those kind of weighty issues, and to do so with graceful prose that never gets dense or sidetracked is an amazing accomplishment, but it is one that Bade and Demirjian nonetheless pull off. Framing the questions is their triumph. Answering them will be our task.
Which is what made "Unchecked," by Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjian, one of the best political books I have read in a long time. Bade and Demirjian set out to tell a story, one that (as they note in the acknowledgements) was driven by the goal of creating a meaningful portrait of what happened in the two attempted impeachments of Trump and discussing what it might say about the recent past and future of the republic. It is not a collection of the most gossipy information that the pair could uncover, though there is plenty of that dished out. It is a human story, filled with passion and frustration and a healthy amount of outrage.
And villains -- oh, there are villains. Or perhaps more antiheroes. Virtually no one comes out of the story unscathed. Only a handful -- Mitt Romney, a group of pro-impeachment Democrats known as the "musketeers," and a few other lawmakers here and there -- even get the benefit of overall positive assessments. Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff take almost as much flak for being guided by political considerations as do Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy. In painstaking detail, the authors pick apart what they believe are the failures of Congress to carry out either impeachment with the seriousness of purpose that the process demands.
The focus on Congress -- Donald Trump appears as an actual "character" only a handful of times in this book, instead serving mostly as a looming presence -- is both a flaw and a strength. A flaw, because telling the story of the impeachments without a complete view of the president's inner circle feels like a piece is missing. A strength, because it sharpens the picture that the authors want to tell about how those who are supposed to oversee administrations do so or fail to do so.
The authors also get at the heart of what is a troubling aspect of impeachment for me. (Their nightmare scenario is an even grimmer assessment that I won't ruin here.) It is worth asking whether impeachment currently serves its purpose in our incredibly divided nation. There have been four start-to-finish impeachments in U.S. history; none of them have been successful. Regardless of what you think about the impeachments of Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump (twice), the idea that we have never successfully invoked the process in more than 240 years since the ratification of the Constitution seems troubling. Even the one president forced out by the prospect of impeachment -- Richard Nixon -- was likely able to hold out longer than he should have.
Some of this is Congress's fault, but I also believe that some of it is ours. Bade and Demirjian blame Democrats for failing to make a case in 2019 and 2020 that resonated with the American people, and perhaps that's fair. But I am not really sure that in the case of the three modern impeachments, at least, those seeking to remove a president ever had a chance. I can recall seeing polls of Americans during the investigation of President Clinton that said that if Clinton had in fact done x or y or z, the American people would *then* support impeachment. Inevitably, stories would come out showing that Clinton likely did x or y or z, and the topline numbers of Americans who supported impeachment ... did not move from where they were before the latest revelations. No one was persuaded because no one wanted to be persuaded. Those who did not want Clinton impeached did not want Clinton impeached, regardless of what might be revealed.
The problem is not that America is divided, but that we are decided. Those who were inclined to think the worst of Trump during his impeachments did so. Those who were not inclined did not do so. There is a scene near the end of the book where Rep. Jamie Raskin is disillusioned when he comes to believe that persuasion might no longer work. I have come to a similar disillusioning doubt. What if the problem isn't that whatever president you want to choose did or did not do something that was impeachable, but that it never mattered if he did?
To write a 600-page book dealing with those kind of weighty issues, and to do so with graceful prose that never gets dense or sidetracked is an amazing accomplishment, but it is one that Bade and Demirjian nonetheless pull off. Framing the questions is their triumph. Answering them will be our task.
November 26, 2022
Well, American democracy lived to survive a bit longer, but for how much longer? Time will tell and historians will judge long after we’re all dead and dust.
This book is one more condemning nail in the coffin for representative democracy that highlights how broken and vulnerable the guardrails are. These Washington Post journalists give a play-by-play account of all the actors in our recent game of holding the Republic together versus the forces of cultist idiocy desperately trying to tear it apart. In all honesty I only read the first few chapters, skimmed the middle 80%, and digested the last few chapters because I know well enough this nation will be suffering for a good long while and I don’t trust 95% of politicians for the simple facts of their hypocrisy and corruptibility. Dems, you get what you deserve, so get your affairs in order because the tables will turn on you quickly, and they obviously do not care about facts and truths, nor honesty, morality, or integrity. All they want is unchecked power to fulfill Steve Bannon’s playbook and transmogrify our government into a monstrous bastardization of dysfunctional, hypocritical authoritarianism, and they will use every scheme possible to achieve that ultimate goal. The fruitcake Marjorie Taylor Greene could plausibly be your High Justice of Truth and Accountability, and the Idiocracy will then be firmly formed. Long live the Idiocracy.
After the surgical retelling of everything that happened during the impeachment proceedings and their mostly complete legal impotency, the authors give this final thought:
“There is a potentially worse consequence of the debasement of impeachment that shouldn’t be overlooked: that a party with congressional supermajorities may one day oust a president based on no evidence at all. In other words, the most dangerous legacy of Trump’s impeachments is not that impeachment will become a broken, partisan battle cry that never works again. But that someday in the future, and for the first time in American history, it just might—for all the wrong reasons” (p. 616).
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s The Year in Hate and Extremism Report 2022 gives a nice primer on the forces undermining liberal democracy, to include Fox f-ing News and social-media structures with their money-grubbing algorithms. It too is worth the read.
This book is one more condemning nail in the coffin for representative democracy that highlights how broken and vulnerable the guardrails are. These Washington Post journalists give a play-by-play account of all the actors in our recent game of holding the Republic together versus the forces of cultist idiocy desperately trying to tear it apart. In all honesty I only read the first few chapters, skimmed the middle 80%, and digested the last few chapters because I know well enough this nation will be suffering for a good long while and I don’t trust 95% of politicians for the simple facts of their hypocrisy and corruptibility. Dems, you get what you deserve, so get your affairs in order because the tables will turn on you quickly, and they obviously do not care about facts and truths, nor honesty, morality, or integrity. All they want is unchecked power to fulfill Steve Bannon’s playbook and transmogrify our government into a monstrous bastardization of dysfunctional, hypocritical authoritarianism, and they will use every scheme possible to achieve that ultimate goal. The fruitcake Marjorie Taylor Greene could plausibly be your High Justice of Truth and Accountability, and the Idiocracy will then be firmly formed. Long live the Idiocracy.
After the surgical retelling of everything that happened during the impeachment proceedings and their mostly complete legal impotency, the authors give this final thought:
“There is a potentially worse consequence of the debasement of impeachment that shouldn’t be overlooked: that a party with congressional supermajorities may one day oust a president based on no evidence at all. In other words, the most dangerous legacy of Trump’s impeachments is not that impeachment will become a broken, partisan battle cry that never works again. But that someday in the future, and for the first time in American history, it just might—for all the wrong reasons” (p. 616).
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s The Year in Hate and Extremism Report 2022 gives a nice primer on the forces undermining liberal democracy, to include Fox f-ing News and social-media structures with their money-grubbing algorithms. It too is worth the read.
January 7, 2023
Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump, an otherwise excellent page-turner book about the two Trump impeachments, gets it wrong on p.72 that the congressionally-authorized weapons money Trump was withholding from Ukraine trying to strong-arm Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden's son for him was weapons money "...for supporting Ukraine in its struggle against Russian aggression..."
The time frame here is Aug-Sep 2019, more than two years before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Instead, this money was being used by Ukraine to make war on its own people in provinces of Ukraine where there were Russian majorities who, once the coup in 2014 supported by the U.S. overthrowing a democratically-elected president succeeded in installing an anti-Russian president, wished to break away.
There were a number of Republicans whose conscience was assuredly "pushing" them toward impeachment of Trump both times, but who felt strong party peer pressure and even fear of Trump's base who were not above death threats to "keep them in line" and back the monster known as Trump who they also feared.
Some of these were people who were selling their souls by backing Trump such as Kevin McCarthy who had a consuming ambition to be Speaker of the House which he felt would likely never happen if he broke with Trump.
It occurs to me that Trump was so slow to call things off on Jan 6 because he was hoping the insurrectionists would succeed.
There were others, behind the scenes, General Mark Milley, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman (people who were sane enough and adhering to their oath to the Constitution), who were trying to "land the plane" in the overall sense of Trump out, Biden in come Inauguration Day.
It was written up in the New Yorker, August 15, 2022 issue.
During the second impeachment of Trump which concerned the January 6 insurrection, the Democrats in charge of the impeachment effort sought from the new Biden administration to interview Secret Service and Pentagon personnel concerning January 6 and the Biden people were not cooperative.
Impeachment of Trump for only trying to violently thwart the results of the 2020 election and retain power was seen by the new Biden administration as getting in the way of them rolling out what they wanted to do, apparently feeling the honeymoon period a new president generally gets would get squandered on impeachment efforts.
The time frame here is Aug-Sep 2019, more than two years before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Instead, this money was being used by Ukraine to make war on its own people in provinces of Ukraine where there were Russian majorities who, once the coup in 2014 supported by the U.S. overthrowing a democratically-elected president succeeded in installing an anti-Russian president, wished to break away.
There were a number of Republicans whose conscience was assuredly "pushing" them toward impeachment of Trump both times, but who felt strong party peer pressure and even fear of Trump's base who were not above death threats to "keep them in line" and back the monster known as Trump who they also feared.
Some of these were people who were selling their souls by backing Trump such as Kevin McCarthy who had a consuming ambition to be Speaker of the House which he felt would likely never happen if he broke with Trump.
It occurs to me that Trump was so slow to call things off on Jan 6 because he was hoping the insurrectionists would succeed.
There were others, behind the scenes, General Mark Milley, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman (people who were sane enough and adhering to their oath to the Constitution), who were trying to "land the plane" in the overall sense of Trump out, Biden in come Inauguration Day.
It was written up in the New Yorker, August 15, 2022 issue.
During the second impeachment of Trump which concerned the January 6 insurrection, the Democrats in charge of the impeachment effort sought from the new Biden administration to interview Secret Service and Pentagon personnel concerning January 6 and the Biden people were not cooperative.
Impeachment of Trump for only trying to violently thwart the results of the 2020 election and retain power was seen by the new Biden administration as getting in the way of them rolling out what they wanted to do, apparently feeling the honeymoon period a new president generally gets would get squandered on impeachment efforts.
December 12, 2024
"Unchecked" is a thorough and frustrating account of Democrats rushing through what could have been comprehensive and bipartisan efforts to remove an out-of-control president, and Republicans cravenly caving to political pressure to avoid holding a president to account whom most of them believed was guilty.
Admittedly, I picked an awful time to read this book. Trump has somehow been reelected and will almost certainly further abuse that power for self-serving purposes. There will be dozens of impeachable offenses, and I will be surprised if this term ends without at least a third impeachment. Hopefully in such a case, Congressional prosecutors can learn lessons from what went wrong before (as described in detail throughout this book) to finally end his destructive political career once and for all, marking his presidencies in the history books with the stain they deserve. But, if a president masterminding a literal domestic terrorist attack on the seat of American government isn't enough for Congress to carry out its constitutional duty and convict a despotic executive, then I'm skeptical that anything is.
Admittedly, I picked an awful time to read this book. Trump has somehow been reelected and will almost certainly further abuse that power for self-serving purposes. There will be dozens of impeachable offenses, and I will be surprised if this term ends without at least a third impeachment. Hopefully in such a case, Congressional prosecutors can learn lessons from what went wrong before (as described in detail throughout this book) to finally end his destructive political career once and for all, marking his presidencies in the history books with the stain they deserve. But, if a president masterminding a literal domestic terrorist attack on the seat of American government isn't enough for Congress to carry out its constitutional duty and convict a despotic executive, then I'm skeptical that anything is.
April 19, 2025
Reading Unchecked now is especially saddening. It relates the failure to close the barn door, not once, but twice. The horse is out, running roughshod over every democratic principle. The book is unbiased coverage of two efforts to impeach Donald Trump, the flaws, missteps, courageous moments, and sad choices of politics over principles. Only a handful of politicians (on either side) emerge with the moral compass to stand and be counted in the face of repetitive, callous, disregard for the foundations of democracy.
Unchecked is a must-read for anyone who wonders how we got here, where executive power is being recklessly expanded as if congress has no part in government. Without the House and Senate, the people do not exist. As for the question of bias, this is a book that spares neither party. Any truly biased book would not show the failures and lack of courage demonstrated by Democrats as they waffled over when, how, and if (!) to impeach a president who had incited his followers to storm the Capital, and took no action to stop the rampage.
Wake up and smell the burning.
Unchecked is a must-read for anyone who wonders how we got here, where executive power is being recklessly expanded as if congress has no part in government. Without the House and Senate, the people do not exist. As for the question of bias, this is a book that spares neither party. Any truly biased book would not show the failures and lack of courage demonstrated by Democrats as they waffled over when, how, and if (!) to impeach a president who had incited his followers to storm the Capital, and took no action to stop the rampage.
Wake up and smell the burning.
March 9, 2023
My obsession with the complete political meltdown that was dealing with former President Trump continues... and Unchecked is a well-reported and completely depressing look at how both impeachment attempts were botched in the name of politics and preservation of power.
In particular, the leadership of both parties (Pelosi, Schumer, McConnell, and esp. McCarthy) take a well-deserved beating for their political machinations that undercut the opportunities to hold Trump accountable for his actions - or, in the case of January 6th, his inactions.
The topical issues raised in the book are still with us today: McCarthy refusing an invitation to visit Ukraine, McCarthy giving Tucker Carlson exclusive access to the Capitol security footage so he can pretend "they were sightseers" (as the Dominion lawsuit reveals Tucker's contempt for Trump and the Big Lie), the hyper-partisan behavior that paralyzes Congress...
...sigh.
In particular, the leadership of both parties (Pelosi, Schumer, McConnell, and esp. McCarthy) take a well-deserved beating for their political machinations that undercut the opportunities to hold Trump accountable for his actions - or, in the case of January 6th, his inactions.
The topical issues raised in the book are still with us today: McCarthy refusing an invitation to visit Ukraine, McCarthy giving Tucker Carlson exclusive access to the Capitol security footage so he can pretend "they were sightseers" (as the Dominion lawsuit reveals Tucker's contempt for Trump and the Big Lie), the hyper-partisan behavior that paralyzes Congress...
...sigh.
August 17, 2023
A riveting, propulsive and grayly shaded political narrative that doesn't spare any involved actors but also doesn't completely bash anyone. Many are saying that Pelosi and McConnell come off badly here, but after reading, I found myself having sympathy with both. Once finished, you'll most likely come away with the impression that, yes, Trump probably should've been impeached but you also get an understanding of why it didn't happen. The book makes believable its assertion that some democrats couldn't fathom his persona form day one and would've impeached him for spilling a glass of milk, whereas some republicans would've defended him if he shot people in broad daylight, due process being of little matter to either camp. The book's biggest strength is that it presents all its protagonists as three dimensional characters with conflicting impulses and views and lets you empathize with them. No mean feat.
April 27, 2024
"Unprecedented" provides a detailed exploration of the two impeachments of Donald Trump, delving into the political intrigue surrounding the events. Authors Rachel Blade and Karoun Demirjian, experienced Capitol Hill and national security reporters, provide an insider's perspective on the complex dynamics at play within Congress. The book takes readers back to 2019, offering insights into the internal struggles of Democratic leaders as they grapple with holding the 45th president accountable for his actions related to Ukraine. The authors also examine the blurred lines between pursuing impeachment and focusing on the upcoming election, shedding light on the strategies of both liberal and moderate members. With deep background reporting, Blade and Demirjian offer unprecedented insight into the political processes of both parties, making this hefty 704-page book a compelling read for those interested in the intricacies of politics.
September 23, 2023
I had so much hope for this book but it was just such a slog to get through. It read more like a Washington gossip column at points than a story of how Democrats somehow “botched” the impeachment. The authors’ argument was incredibly hard to follow, and by the time I figured it out, I’m not sure I even agree with it. There was no way, ever, that Republicans would have acted in good faith to oust Trump from office. Although I’m a Jamie Raskin fan, the majority of the sources for the book were almost certainly his staffers. I also find the authors to be far too critical of Adam Schiff for slight hyperbole and gaffes. Simply put, you’d be better off reading an article about the Trump impeachments than this rambling mess.
November 27, 2022
Hearing such in depth investigation into recent history is traumatic and emotional. There were especially two things I felt overwhelmed by. The personal lives of particular senators, and what they had going on in their personal lives during the time - loss of children to suicide, failed IVF rounds, battling cancer. And yet it was surrounded by both the sometimes manufactured chaos of Trump and the absolute failure of a response from Trump’s team to remedy any bipartisanship. Secondly, the first hand account of January 6th insurrection is one of the worst day in the US’s history. Otherwise the timeline was a bit repetitive and very biased, even if I somewhat agreed with the bias.
December 2, 2022
-Extremely thorough
-Views and perspectives from both Republicans and Democrats as to what happened during the infamous impeachments
-Really succinct and relevant references and comparisons to previous impeachments
-A bit of an anti-Pelosi bias that does seem a bit overcritical to me, as in, she was guilty of playing politics, but with an uncooperative Republican party there weren't many options
-Criticisms of both parties handling of the situation
-Really interesting questions about implications for future impeachments and the precedents that were set during the Trump administration
-Views and perspectives from both Republicans and Democrats as to what happened during the infamous impeachments
-Really succinct and relevant references and comparisons to previous impeachments
-A bit of an anti-Pelosi bias that does seem a bit overcritical to me, as in, she was guilty of playing politics, but with an uncooperative Republican party there weren't many options
-Criticisms of both parties handling of the situation
-Really interesting questions about implications for future impeachments and the precedents that were set during the Trump administration
January 28, 2023
I was hesitant to start this book—I’m feeling some fatigue with the constant attention that DT is given in text and on cable. But, that being said, after I began I found that I looked forward to listening to the well-done Audible version. It filled in gaps in my knowledge about both of the impeachments. Some reviewers have opined that the book “takes sides.” I thought the authors covered the actions and reactions of of both the Dems and the Reps fairly. I would recommend this book if you want to learn more about what happened in the Capitol based on a more personal account of its members.
August 14, 2023
The latter third of this book on the second impeachment is the more interesting part, probably because it was the impeachment that really needed to stick for the political health of the country. This book's important insight (which is no surprise to anyone who works in politics) is that very few officials with real power, Republican or Democrat, made any decisions on Trump's accountability that weren't hopelessly colored by short-term political considerations. Other than maybe Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney.
November 25, 2022
Four presidential impeachments in USA history. Two prosecutions for one president. The author chronicles how those in control of the process were driven by political motives even as they believed the 45th president had committed offenses and, as a result, failed to convince the jury (the Senate). Well written. Came away disheartened, but wiser in the ways that the two partyAmericsn system works.
September 2, 2023
Scary
Unchecked made a thorough attempt to portray the struggles both parties showed in making decisions between expedience and recognition of the seriousness of Trump's crimes. It showed the human emotions behind those decisions. But it ultimately proved the potential and real consequences of allowing impeachment to become a political tool rather than a means of checking a rogue President. Ultimately it succeeded in showing how both sides failed.
Unchecked made a thorough attempt to portray the struggles both parties showed in making decisions between expedience and recognition of the seriousness of Trump's crimes. It showed the human emotions behind those decisions. But it ultimately proved the potential and real consequences of allowing impeachment to become a political tool rather than a means of checking a rogue President. Ultimately it succeeded in showing how both sides failed.
February 8, 2023
Congressional failure to hold accountable a President who abused and disrespected the Office is disheartening. Both parties put their respective agendas above what was best for the American people. Party before Country.
Even more disheartening is the lack of interest by many Americans to know the truth. Again, Party before Country.
Even more disheartening is the lack of interest by many Americans to know the truth. Again, Party before Country.
January 13, 2024
listened to this contentious story about the Jan/Feb 2019 impeachment trial as well as the Feb 2O21 impeachment proceedings over the Jan 6 2022 storming of the capital. Written by 2 journalists who initially approach this independently but by the end are much more on the side of the democrats. Filled with good details. Worth the read/listen. 4 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2023
Whilst being comprehensive in retelling what went on behind the scenes of the two impeachment trials, Bade and Demirjian put too much of their own personal views and speculation into it. It's certainly worth the read but the opinions could have been left out.
November 16, 2022
So well researched and told. Really takes the reader into the rooms and behind the scenes. A page turner to boot even knowing the ending
November 24, 2022
Very thoroughly researched, but if you follow politics closely there is very little that hasn’t been publicly reported.
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