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True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump
From CNN chief legal analyst and bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin, a real-life legal thriller about the prosecutors and congressional investigators pursuing the truth about President Donald Trump's complicity in several crimes--and why they failed.
Donald Trump's campaign chairman went to jail. So did his personal lawyer. His long-time political consigliere was convicted of serious federal crimes, and his national security advisor pled guilty to others. Several Russian spies were indicted in absentia. Career intelligence agents and military officers were alarmed enough by the president's actions that they alerted senior government officials and ignited the impeachment process.
Yet despite all this, a years-long inquiry led by special counsel Robert Mueller, and the third impeachment of a president in American history, Donald Trump survived to run for re-election. Why?
Jeffrey Toobin's highly entertaining definitive account of the Mueller investigation and the impeachment of the president takes readers behind the scenes of the epic legal and political struggle to call Trump to account for his misdeeds. With his superb storytelling and analytic skills Toobin recounts all the mind-boggling twists and turns in the case--Trump's son met with a Russian operative promising Kremlin support! Trump paid a porn star $130,000 to hush up an affair! Rudy Giuliani and a pair of shady Ukrainian-American businessmen got the Justice Department to look at Russian-created conspiracy theories! Toobin shows how Trump's canny lawyers used Mueller's famous integrity against him, and how Trump's bullying and bluster cowed Republican legislators into ignoring the clear evidence of the impeachment hearings.
Based on dozens of interviews with prosecutors in Mueller's office, Trump's legal team, Congressional investigators, White House staffers, and several of the key players, including some who are now in prison, True Crimes and Misdemeanors is a revelatory narrative that makes sense of the seemingly endless chaos of the Trump years. Filled with never-before-reported details of the high-stakes legal battles and political machinations, the book weaves a tale of a rogue president guilty of historic misconduct, and how he got away with it.
Donald Trump's campaign chairman went to jail. So did his personal lawyer. His long-time political consigliere was convicted of serious federal crimes, and his national security advisor pled guilty to others. Several Russian spies were indicted in absentia. Career intelligence agents and military officers were alarmed enough by the president's actions that they alerted senior government officials and ignited the impeachment process.
Yet despite all this, a years-long inquiry led by special counsel Robert Mueller, and the third impeachment of a president in American history, Donald Trump survived to run for re-election. Why?
Jeffrey Toobin's highly entertaining definitive account of the Mueller investigation and the impeachment of the president takes readers behind the scenes of the epic legal and political struggle to call Trump to account for his misdeeds. With his superb storytelling and analytic skills Toobin recounts all the mind-boggling twists and turns in the case--Trump's son met with a Russian operative promising Kremlin support! Trump paid a porn star $130,000 to hush up an affair! Rudy Giuliani and a pair of shady Ukrainian-American businessmen got the Justice Department to look at Russian-created conspiracy theories! Toobin shows how Trump's canny lawyers used Mueller's famous integrity against him, and how Trump's bullying and bluster cowed Republican legislators into ignoring the clear evidence of the impeachment hearings.
Based on dozens of interviews with prosecutors in Mueller's office, Trump's legal team, Congressional investigators, White House staffers, and several of the key players, including some who are now in prison, True Crimes and Misdemeanors is a revelatory narrative that makes sense of the seemingly endless chaos of the Trump years. Filled with never-before-reported details of the high-stakes legal battles and political machinations, the book weaves a tale of a rogue president guilty of historic misconduct, and how he got away with it.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published August 4, 2020
817 people are currently reading
1596 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Toobin
29 books718 followersJeffrey Ross Toobin (J.D., Harvard Law School, 1986; B.A., American History and Literature, Harvard University) is a lawyer, blogger, and media legal correspondent for CNN and formerly The New Yorker magazine. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Brooklyn, New York, and later worked as a legal analyst for ABC News, where he received a 2001 Emmy Award for his coverage of the Elian Gonzales custody saga.
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September 17, 2020
Author Jeffrey Toobin
Jeffrey Toobin is an American lawyer, author and legal analyst who frequently discusses political issues on CNN news. In this book Toobin presents a step-by-step analysis of the Mueller probe and the impeachment hearings that followed President Trump's election in 2016.
The Trump drama starts well before 2016, when (then) candidate Trump is alleged to have colluded with Russia to sway the election.
President Donald Trump
Russia's assistance to Trump was a multi-pronged effort including: manipulation of social media, including Facebook, by the Russian 'Internet Research Agency'; hacking Democratic emails and disseminating them via Wikileaks; and meeting with members of Trumps re-election team, including Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner.
Donald Trump Jr.
Jared Kushner
In Toobin's view, FBI Director James Comey helped elect Trump as well, because of his ham-handed management of various email disclosures. Toobin views Comey as a showboat whose 'foolish actions before the election - putting himself in the limelight - essentially sabotaged Hillary Clinton.' Though Comey claims it was his duty, Toobin thinks the FBI director was keeping on the right side of the Republican Party, for job security.
James Comey
In any case, Trump's election came back to bite Comey in the butt because the Russia probe - which began right after the election - infuriated Trump. Trump tried to wheedle and bully Comey into quashing the Russia inquiry, and when Comey demurred, he was fired. Toobin writes, "It may be an overstatement, though not much of one, to say that James Comey was responsible for both the election of Donald Trump and the appointment of Robert Mueller.”
Trump's increasingly strident efforts to stop the Russia probe eventually led to the appointment of Robert Mueller as Special Counsel. Mueller's brief was to investigate Trump's alleged collusion with Russia and Trump's obstruction of justice during the subsequent investigation.
Robert Mueller
Unfortunately for the American public, Mueller was too cautious, and his probe too narrow, to do the job properly. Mueller recalled Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, who was fired by obstructionist President Nixon, and Whitewater Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, who spent eight years trying to pin something - ANYTHING - on then President Clinton. Not wanting to join the ranks of the ignominious, Mueller determined that his investigation would be quick, efficient, and focused.
Archibald Cox
Kenneth Starr
Toobin thinks Mueller should have pushed harder to interview the president; probed Trump's financial ties to Russia; and examined Trump's personal finances and tax returns. These avenues were blocked by the president's associates, and Mueller didn't force the issue. Thus Mueller and his prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump's team coordinated with Russia - though campaign manager Paul Manafort and advisor George Papadopoulos were VERY cozy with Russians.
Paul Manafort
George Papadopoulos
Toobin observes, “Certainly, Mueller found abundant evidence that Trump and his campaign wanted to collude and conspire with Russia, but they hadn’t been able to close the deal.”
Trump's obstruction of justice was more 'provable.' For one thing, White House counsel Don McGahn testified that Trump asked him to fire Mueller. Toobin writes, “Mueller had uncovered extensive evidence that Trump committed the crime of obstruction of justice—repeatedly. The Mueller Report spelled it out clearly. Trump told Comey to lay off Michael Flynn; when Comey didn’t, Trump fired Comey. Trump tried to undermine Mueller, and then he ordered McGahn to oust the prosecutor; then Trump told McGahn to lie about it. These were illegal acts—in conception and execution. These were crimes, even if Mueller stopped short of saying that they were.”
Don McGahn
Michael Flynn
In the end, the Mueller Report stated that Trump did wrong, but didn't say Trump should be prosecuted. This allowed the president and his allies, especially Attorney General William Barr, to misrepresent the Mueller Report findings and say Trump was exonerated. According to Toobin, all this "placed Trump effectively above the law."
William Barr
Thus the president went right on lying. Toobin observes, “Trump had been lying for his entire adult life, and far from being brought down by this pervasive dishonesty, he had been elected president of the United States. Why change what was working so well?" Toobin is more scathing when he talks about "the magnitude of [Trump's] flaws, of his narcissism, sociopathy, and ignorance. Trump’s only concern was his feral self-interest, his only belief was that those around him existed to serve him.”
Trump's arrogance increased following the Mueller Report, and - encouraged by his lawyer/advisor Rudy Giuliani - Trump tried to coerce the Ukraine into saying it would investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Rudy Giuliani
Joe Biden and his son Hunter
Toobin notes, “It was the job of Trump’s lawyer to tell him not to do it. But that’s not what Giuliani did. To the contrary, Trump sent Giuliani to Ukraine, and he went. Together, the two men didn’t just advocate for collusion with Ukraine; they executed it.”
Trump and Giuliani's Ukraine shenanigans led a whistle-blower to report that Trump threatened to withhold military aid unless Ukraine President Zelensky besmirched the Bidens. Eventually, according to Toobin, “The White House released the military aid to Ukraine after allegations of the link to the Biden investigation became public. In other words, the Trump administration released the aid only because it was caught linking the aid to the quest for political dirt.”
Ukraine President Zelensky
These bombshell revelations resulted in Trump's impeachment, but (of course) the majority Republican Senate didn't convict him.
Toobin's book can be seen as a warning that Trump's narcissistic self-interest will continue as long as he is in office. Toobin writes, "“From the day [Trump] declared his candidacy, through the Russia scandal and his endless solicitude toward Vladimir Putin, and on into his cruel manipulation of the struggling democracy in Ukraine, Trump didn’t give a shit about anyone or anything but himself.”
Further proof of Trump's overwhelming egocentricity can be seen in his reaction to the coronavirus pandemic. Toobin observes, "Trump responded to the coronavirus with the same belligerent dishonesty that characterized his treatment of Mueller and impeachment. In the critical early days of the pandemic, when it might have been contained, he behaved with characteristic self-obsession, preferring to hound his enemies on Twitter rather than to learn the facts about the virus and protect the American people.
America will need a lot of 'fixing' when Trump is gone.
I think Toobin's book, which is a detailed overview of the Mueller investigation and the impeachment hearings, will be a good resource for future scholars of this era.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
September 28, 2025
The best overview of what became a comedy of errors in failing to bring a criminal to justice.
November 9, 2020
True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump
by Jeffrey Toobin
This is a very thoroughly researched book that describes the Trump campaign before the 2016 election and follows events up to the present day. It covers all the main crimes, events, main characters that has made the headlines and how the last four years has been in the spotlight, pure chaos! I had this book on hold from the library for a long time so I wanted to read it but at the same time I am so done with all of this! It was good to review an know that for the next four years that we won't have a president acting like this! The summary of this book was brilliant! It brought the sum of the last four years together in a cohesive few paragraphs. That is the only way the last four years will ever be called cohesive!
Informative book! I forgot some of the crimes and strange behavior from the dark side because there is just so much of it!
Definitely worth the read even if it's to say goodbye and good riddance!
by Jeffrey Toobin
This is a very thoroughly researched book that describes the Trump campaign before the 2016 election and follows events up to the present day. It covers all the main crimes, events, main characters that has made the headlines and how the last four years has been in the spotlight, pure chaos! I had this book on hold from the library for a long time so I wanted to read it but at the same time I am so done with all of this! It was good to review an know that for the next four years that we won't have a president acting like this! The summary of this book was brilliant! It brought the sum of the last four years together in a cohesive few paragraphs. That is the only way the last four years will ever be called cohesive!
Informative book! I forgot some of the crimes and strange behavior from the dark side because there is just so much of it!
Definitely worth the read even if it's to say goodbye and good riddance!
September 6, 2020
A memorialization of President Trump's most serious mistakes. This is a book written for historians. It is a valiant effort at objective recordation of what happened. The detail and backgrounds of various participants was a valuable contribution to history. Most of this book is review if one has been following the news.
Mr. Toobin's conclusion that President Trump did not conspire with the Russians in the 2016 election is representative of what bothers me when I see him on CNN. HIs attempts to be objective or impartial cloud his judgment. The truth is the evidence which has, as of yet, been adduced does not support a conclusion of a conspiracy. To conclude there was no conspiracy is simply an effort by a well meaning journalist to sound impartial. The author's criticisms of Robert Mueller are sound but likewise do not go far enough for a truly objective view of how the investigation should be judged. He likewise makes the same error in concluding the Ukraine affair was not criminal behavior by the President. Jurisprudence must not belie common sense.
Why Mr. Toobin chose to land on these conclusions is baffling other than an attempt to buy some credibility from the Trump supportiing public/historians.
Mr. Toobin is intelligent, articulate, precise and honest. He is a shining example of what journalists should be. I am grateful for his writing this tome for and on behalf of history, but alas, as us all, he is a human and therefore imperfect.
Mr. Toobin's conclusion that President Trump did not conspire with the Russians in the 2016 election is representative of what bothers me when I see him on CNN. HIs attempts to be objective or impartial cloud his judgment. The truth is the evidence which has, as of yet, been adduced does not support a conclusion of a conspiracy. To conclude there was no conspiracy is simply an effort by a well meaning journalist to sound impartial. The author's criticisms of Robert Mueller are sound but likewise do not go far enough for a truly objective view of how the investigation should be judged. He likewise makes the same error in concluding the Ukraine affair was not criminal behavior by the President. Jurisprudence must not belie common sense.
Why Mr. Toobin chose to land on these conclusions is baffling other than an attempt to buy some credibility from the Trump supportiing public/historians.
Mr. Toobin is intelligent, articulate, precise and honest. He is a shining example of what journalists should be. I am grateful for his writing this tome for and on behalf of history, but alas, as us all, he is a human and therefore imperfect.
November 1, 2024
I am angry. Like many Americans, I am angry at the vicious thugs that stormed the Capitol last week, these Trump-humping MAGA terrorists who couldn’t understand how elections work and displayed their respect for law and order by bludgeoning Capitol police officers with fire extinguishers and flag poles.
I am angry at the Republicans in Congress who have either sat on their hands or sided with Trump for four years, like good little sycophants, and have contributed in perpetuating a false narrative that Trump’s 2020 “victory” was stolen by Joe Biden and millions of phantom fraudulent voters.
I am angry at President Trump for his continuous lying and provocative Twitter rants that may have started out as just annoying but has gradually moved towards dangerous and is now criminal and treasonous. He is, in my opinion, personally responsible for the deaths (seven, I believe, at last count) of the police officers and one rioter.
I am, like many Americans, depressed and confused and fearful that it may not be over.
As I write this, the House is preparing to impeach Trump. Again. It will be the first time that a President will have been impeached twice. Granted, like the last time, it is not expected to pass the Senate, so Trump will essentially go unpunished. But I think it needs to be done.
The Republicans are arguing that Democrats are contradicting Biden’s oath to “unite” the country, that impeaching Trump is just indicative of the voracious anti-Trump fervor that Dems have exhibited from day one and that this will go towards more divisiveness. I cry bullshit.
This isn’t about unity. That ship has passed. Trump made sure of that. This is about accountability. This is about setting a precedent: saying that it is not okay for a President to act like a five-year-old throwing a temper tantrum, that there are consequences to the things you do and say. This is about what Republicans should have been doing all four years: holding Trump accountable, saying no, strongly criticizing him and censuring him for enacting policies or doing things that are clearly unethical, immoral, unconstitutional, and illegal. We’ve had four years of the Emperor’s New Clothes. Enough is enough.
Instead, Republicans have either been kowtowing to him and/or walking on eggshells around him, afraid that they will do or say something that would anger him enough to hurt their livelihood. You know what that sounds like? The mafia. And Trump is the Mob Boss.
Don’t be taken in by the belief (peddled by those on the Right) that Trump has not really done anything that egregious, and certainly not illegal. Everything he has done, according to them, has been within the bounds of the law.
Again, I cry bullshit. And so does Jeffrey Toobin. And so do plenty of people who know about Law and the Constitution. Unfortunately, according to Toobin, Trump has managed to skirt punishment due to several factors: some serious missteps by the FBI during the 2016 election that helped Trump’s campaign, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inability and unwillingness to go one step further with his findings in regards to the Russian probe, and a party of “yes”-men who let Trump get away with murder (which, until last week, was purely metaphorical).
Toobin’s book “True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump” is a quick and impressive reportage of the Trump presidency and the actual crimes against the state that he has committed. Is it factual? Yes. Will it do anything at all to change things? No.
That’s what the Mueller Report was supposed to do. Unfortunately, unlike Trump, Mueller is a person of integrity, and, like Trump, is bound by the duties and limitations of his office.
The vast majority of Toobin’s book covers the painstaking and grueling work that Mueller and his team of prosecutors undertook in their investigation. It was a productive effort, resulting in eight convictions and countless more charges brought against numerous individuals and companies. None of whom were Trump.
See, Mueller’s probe concluded that there was no collusion between Trump and Russia, a conclusion that Trump and his followers celebrated raucously. They neither bothered to consider nor cared about the fact that there was a major addendum to Mueller’s conclusion.
That addendum—-weirdly, ambiguously included in the Mueller Report—-was that Trump may not have been guilty about improper relations with Russia, but he was guilty in regards to other crimes. Those crimes involved Trump’s attempt to stop the Michael Flynn investigation, Trump’s firing of James Comey, Trump’s attempt to stonewall Mueller’s investigation, and Trump’s attempt to get Don McGahn to try to fire Mueller and then lie about it. So, why didn’t Mueller push for further action on these crimes?
Well, it turns out that if Mueller, in his report, stated that Trump was actually guilty of a crime, Trump would have no way of defending himself due to the uniqueness of the Special Counsel forum. In other words, Mueller—-who lived by a Marine code of honor—-did only what he felt was fair to Trump and good for the country.
Of course, these wouldn’t be the only crimes Trump would commit in his presidency. Soon after, the Ukraine fiasco occurred, which would earn him his first impeachment. In a nutshell, Trump withheld aid money to Ukraine in exchange for information about Biden that Trump could use against him in the upcoming election. Never mind that the info was bogus, created in a fever dream by Trump’s newly-appointed lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Quid pro quo. Blackmail. Call it what you will: it was a crime.
That didn’t stop the Senate from quashing the impeachment with a majority vote by every single Republican. Think about that: Every. Single. Republican.
In the days ahead, Republicans will have to face the truth that they either turned a blind eye to or enabled a man who cares nothing about his fellow Americans and has done everything strictly for personal gain. Because of this, seven people are dead and the FBI is warning that more threats are being made about possible riots in the state capitols of all 50 states.
I am angry at the Republicans in Congress who have either sat on their hands or sided with Trump for four years, like good little sycophants, and have contributed in perpetuating a false narrative that Trump’s 2020 “victory” was stolen by Joe Biden and millions of phantom fraudulent voters.
I am angry at President Trump for his continuous lying and provocative Twitter rants that may have started out as just annoying but has gradually moved towards dangerous and is now criminal and treasonous. He is, in my opinion, personally responsible for the deaths (seven, I believe, at last count) of the police officers and one rioter.
I am, like many Americans, depressed and confused and fearful that it may not be over.
As I write this, the House is preparing to impeach Trump. Again. It will be the first time that a President will have been impeached twice. Granted, like the last time, it is not expected to pass the Senate, so Trump will essentially go unpunished. But I think it needs to be done.
The Republicans are arguing that Democrats are contradicting Biden’s oath to “unite” the country, that impeaching Trump is just indicative of the voracious anti-Trump fervor that Dems have exhibited from day one and that this will go towards more divisiveness. I cry bullshit.
This isn’t about unity. That ship has passed. Trump made sure of that. This is about accountability. This is about setting a precedent: saying that it is not okay for a President to act like a five-year-old throwing a temper tantrum, that there are consequences to the things you do and say. This is about what Republicans should have been doing all four years: holding Trump accountable, saying no, strongly criticizing him and censuring him for enacting policies or doing things that are clearly unethical, immoral, unconstitutional, and illegal. We’ve had four years of the Emperor’s New Clothes. Enough is enough.
Instead, Republicans have either been kowtowing to him and/or walking on eggshells around him, afraid that they will do or say something that would anger him enough to hurt their livelihood. You know what that sounds like? The mafia. And Trump is the Mob Boss.
Don’t be taken in by the belief (peddled by those on the Right) that Trump has not really done anything that egregious, and certainly not illegal. Everything he has done, according to them, has been within the bounds of the law.
Again, I cry bullshit. And so does Jeffrey Toobin. And so do plenty of people who know about Law and the Constitution. Unfortunately, according to Toobin, Trump has managed to skirt punishment due to several factors: some serious missteps by the FBI during the 2016 election that helped Trump’s campaign, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inability and unwillingness to go one step further with his findings in regards to the Russian probe, and a party of “yes”-men who let Trump get away with murder (which, until last week, was purely metaphorical).
Toobin’s book “True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump” is a quick and impressive reportage of the Trump presidency and the actual crimes against the state that he has committed. Is it factual? Yes. Will it do anything at all to change things? No.
That’s what the Mueller Report was supposed to do. Unfortunately, unlike Trump, Mueller is a person of integrity, and, like Trump, is bound by the duties and limitations of his office.
The vast majority of Toobin’s book covers the painstaking and grueling work that Mueller and his team of prosecutors undertook in their investigation. It was a productive effort, resulting in eight convictions and countless more charges brought against numerous individuals and companies. None of whom were Trump.
See, Mueller’s probe concluded that there was no collusion between Trump and Russia, a conclusion that Trump and his followers celebrated raucously. They neither bothered to consider nor cared about the fact that there was a major addendum to Mueller’s conclusion.
That addendum—-weirdly, ambiguously included in the Mueller Report—-was that Trump may not have been guilty about improper relations with Russia, but he was guilty in regards to other crimes. Those crimes involved Trump’s attempt to stop the Michael Flynn investigation, Trump’s firing of James Comey, Trump’s attempt to stonewall Mueller’s investigation, and Trump’s attempt to get Don McGahn to try to fire Mueller and then lie about it. So, why didn’t Mueller push for further action on these crimes?
Well, it turns out that if Mueller, in his report, stated that Trump was actually guilty of a crime, Trump would have no way of defending himself due to the uniqueness of the Special Counsel forum. In other words, Mueller—-who lived by a Marine code of honor—-did only what he felt was fair to Trump and good for the country.
Of course, these wouldn’t be the only crimes Trump would commit in his presidency. Soon after, the Ukraine fiasco occurred, which would earn him his first impeachment. In a nutshell, Trump withheld aid money to Ukraine in exchange for information about Biden that Trump could use against him in the upcoming election. Never mind that the info was bogus, created in a fever dream by Trump’s newly-appointed lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Quid pro quo. Blackmail. Call it what you will: it was a crime.
That didn’t stop the Senate from quashing the impeachment with a majority vote by every single Republican. Think about that: Every. Single. Republican.
In the days ahead, Republicans will have to face the truth that they either turned a blind eye to or enabled a man who cares nothing about his fellow Americans and has done everything strictly for personal gain. Because of this, seven people are dead and the FBI is warning that more threats are being made about possible riots in the state capitols of all 50 states.
August 26, 2020
Jeffrey Toobin is a legal analyst for CNN who wrote “The Nine” and “The Oath” two books about the Supreme Court I greatly enjoyed. This book is a look at our 45th President and the investigations that have been swirling around him while in office.
The book felt like a letdown. This is definitely a case where my subjective opinion is overriding the quality of the book, I’m burnt out on impeachment and Tumps blatant lies. My expectations for what this book would bring and what it actually contained were way off. But part of it is that, outside the last chapter or two, I’m not sure anything new was said here. The book strikes a decidedly negative tone, where Toobin never misses a chance to be critical. Toobin’s legal background helps him stay a bit more neutral than some who write about the president. Which avoids some of the more screeching criticisms that can happen when talking about Trump. And while the wholistic view is damning, Im frankly just tired of the hand wringing. For all Toobins legal knowledge, this book felt like a long form NYT article condemning the president, not a comprehensive view of presidential legalities which is partially what I hoped for.
One of the things that really stands out in this work is the desperate scrabbling that people around Trump seem to engage in. So many appear to be down-on-their-luck grifters. Hucksters and con-men twirling financial, professional, legal, and political plates desperately, terrified that they will all come crashing down. Trump is their last stop. If Giuliani seems wide-eyed and frantic, it’s because he knows that one misstep can send himself hurtling back into relative obscurity. He feeds upon notoriety like a plant feeds upon light. Manafort is essentially a professional criminal who crawled out from whatever hole he was under to try and skim off some sweet foreign lobbying money. Cohen is a legal fixer with easily corrupted morals. Banning was noticeably absent but he fits the same mold.
One of the last chapters (35 I think) about the coronavirus was a good look at how the executive branch has failed us during this time. It was fresh and well written. I think a big part is that I haven’t read a dozen case studies about the US coronavirus response yet. So I think it was a good example of what this book should have been if I wasn’t so inundated with a million hot takes of everything from “kids in cages” to “where’s the wall Donnie?” It cut through the nonsense quite well. And I think that’s what this book probably is best at. It will be a good reference to future generations of what the fuck has been happening the past four years. It’s all a bit surreal.
The book felt like a letdown. This is definitely a case where my subjective opinion is overriding the quality of the book, I’m burnt out on impeachment and Tumps blatant lies. My expectations for what this book would bring and what it actually contained were way off. But part of it is that, outside the last chapter or two, I’m not sure anything new was said here. The book strikes a decidedly negative tone, where Toobin never misses a chance to be critical. Toobin’s legal background helps him stay a bit more neutral than some who write about the president. Which avoids some of the more screeching criticisms that can happen when talking about Trump. And while the wholistic view is damning, Im frankly just tired of the hand wringing. For all Toobins legal knowledge, this book felt like a long form NYT article condemning the president, not a comprehensive view of presidential legalities which is partially what I hoped for.
One of the things that really stands out in this work is the desperate scrabbling that people around Trump seem to engage in. So many appear to be down-on-their-luck grifters. Hucksters and con-men twirling financial, professional, legal, and political plates desperately, terrified that they will all come crashing down. Trump is their last stop. If Giuliani seems wide-eyed and frantic, it’s because he knows that one misstep can send himself hurtling back into relative obscurity. He feeds upon notoriety like a plant feeds upon light. Manafort is essentially a professional criminal who crawled out from whatever hole he was under to try and skim off some sweet foreign lobbying money. Cohen is a legal fixer with easily corrupted morals. Banning was noticeably absent but he fits the same mold.
One of the last chapters (35 I think) about the coronavirus was a good look at how the executive branch has failed us during this time. It was fresh and well written. I think a big part is that I haven’t read a dozen case studies about the US coronavirus response yet. So I think it was a good example of what this book should have been if I wasn’t so inundated with a million hot takes of everything from “kids in cages” to “where’s the wall Donnie?” It cut through the nonsense quite well. And I think that’s what this book probably is best at. It will be a good reference to future generations of what the fuck has been happening the past four years. It’s all a bit surreal.
May 16, 2020
I couldn't wait for each next chapter. But since I read it while it was being written, I sometimes had to wait for Jeff to finish the next chapter. Seriously, even if you think you know this story or heard enough at the time, don't miss this legal thriller which will appear on August 4, 2020.
August 10, 2020
Jeffrey Toobin's books are the perfect ones to explain legalese for the layperson. His OJ Simpson one is far and away the best out of that sordid saga. His Bill Clinton one took a clearheaded look at impeachment. I wanted to read his explanation of the 2000 election recount but I just haven't had the heart for it.
This one doesn't disappoint either. In fact, save for the fact that it ends at the same time the coronavirus pandemic began, I would say this is the ideal read for folks in the future trying to understand how Donald Trump got away with it. Toobin goes into the intricacies of the Mueller investigation, especially the drawbacks of Mueller idolizing the law to the point where he basically removes himself from casting judgment. Toobin has a healthy respect for Mueller but he's not above commenting on the foolish nature of Mueller's approach. It's probably about as inside baseball as we're going to get from the notoriously tightlipped Mueller team and you can slowly see democracy slip away with every poor decision he makes.
The book was also helpful in that Toobin takes a measured but honest look at the absurd corruption of the Trump regime. He keeps his prose sparse and his surprises to a minimum but he makes sure to highlight everything that is a "Big Freaking Deal." It's a story he's equipped to tell and it's a shame he has to tell it. Such is the world we live in. It happened here. And here's how it happened.
This one doesn't disappoint either. In fact, save for the fact that it ends at the same time the coronavirus pandemic began, I would say this is the ideal read for folks in the future trying to understand how Donald Trump got away with it. Toobin goes into the intricacies of the Mueller investigation, especially the drawbacks of Mueller idolizing the law to the point where he basically removes himself from casting judgment. Toobin has a healthy respect for Mueller but he's not above commenting on the foolish nature of Mueller's approach. It's probably about as inside baseball as we're going to get from the notoriously tightlipped Mueller team and you can slowly see democracy slip away with every poor decision he makes.
The book was also helpful in that Toobin takes a measured but honest look at the absurd corruption of the Trump regime. He keeps his prose sparse and his surprises to a minimum but he makes sure to highlight everything that is a "Big Freaking Deal." It's a story he's equipped to tell and it's a shame he has to tell it. Such is the world we live in. It happened here. And here's how it happened.
September 17, 2020
I wasn't sure I wanted to revisit the Mueller investigation and the impeachment. But Toobin organizes everything well and is his usual acerbic self. If he thinks Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a liar, he calls her a liar, but only after explaining why he thinks that. If he thinks William Barr is a toady, he calls him a toady, but only after explaining what Barr did to merit that label. In case you think this is entirely one-sided, he also has some harsh words for Mueller, Schiff, Comey, and others. He's a reporter at the New Yorker, and I guess that means he doesn't have to care if somebody gets mad at him and won't return his calls or cooperate with the magazine he works for. Also, he's had a long career as a lawyer, which has led him to believe that the most important thing a lawyer can do for his or her client is to say no to that client. Lots of lawyers don't do that, especially when the client in question is president of the United States.
I don't always read the acknowledgments at the end of a book, but I was impressed that Toobin thanked not only all the people you would expect him to thank, but also the people who work on the publishing house presses, deliver mail, deliver food, and work in grocery stores. He doesn't get into the difficulties of publishing a book during a pandemic, but I can imagine.
I don't always read the acknowledgments at the end of a book, but I was impressed that Toobin thanked not only all the people you would expect him to thank, but also the people who work on the publishing house presses, deliver mail, deliver food, and work in grocery stores. He doesn't get into the difficulties of publishing a book during a pandemic, but I can imagine.
wish-list
August 2, 2020
August 15, 2020
The blueprint for Trump's trial, once he's out of office.
August 21, 2020
This was Magnificent.
I knew the flow of events regarding the Mueller report and Ukraine, but Jeffrey Toobin’s magnificent opus treats the reader to characters-revealing details of the players. Adam Schiff’s sore tooth. The purloined Amtrak “Quiet Zone” in the office housing Mueller’s team.
I knew the flow of events regarding the Mueller report and Ukraine, but Jeffrey Toobin’s magnificent opus treats the reader to characters-revealing details of the players. Adam Schiff’s sore tooth. The purloined Amtrak “Quiet Zone” in the office housing Mueller’s team.
September 17, 2020
Clear and concise chronicle of the Mueller investigation and the impeachment of Donald Trump. Sheds light on Mueller and the ways he managed to neuter himself and his investigation. Also reminds you at the center of all this is the whiny conman, our criminal and criminally self-absorbed 12 year old boy in a 74 year old man's body named Trump.
August 18, 2020
4.5 Well-written, fast-paced and depressingly accurate summary of current events.
October 22, 2020
This is the fifteenth book I've read about Trump or that had something to do with Trump. Quite a few weren't all that great, some were good. This one, True Crimes and Misdemeanors, is excellent. We've all been watching this unfold, in various bits and pieces. Jeffrey Toobin puts it together in fact-filled detail; it is detailed, but not dry or boring. He tells the story. He tells us about the people whose names we've heard, and maybe a few we haven't. He describes them as people. He tells us about their relationships, their personalities, the successes and failures, through the Mueller investigation and the impeachment. The telling of the lawyers and their strategies is intriguing. It is informative and fascinating.
Jeffrey Toobin has told us this story, that we all already know more or less, in a way that fills in the blanks and puts all the ducks in a row. The book ends after the beginning of the corona virus calamity. Right now, we don't know the next chapter. In the future, this book will be an excellent historical work for this historic time, even though it hasn't reached it's climax yet. This is the outstanding in-depth story of how it's gone - so far.
Jeffrey Toobin has told us this story, that we all already know more or less, in a way that fills in the blanks and puts all the ducks in a row. The book ends after the beginning of the corona virus calamity. Right now, we don't know the next chapter. In the future, this book will be an excellent historical work for this historic time, even though it hasn't reached it's climax yet. This is the outstanding in-depth story of how it's gone - so far.
October 4, 2020
Of allllllthe many books about Trump's presidency, this one is marred in heavy 'legal speak'- it's a VERY in depth look at what went wrong with Robert Mueller's infamous Report. This is NOT some 'juicy tell all' type book in the least. If Trump himself were to read this book, I am sure he would learn more about the American legal system, court cases, trial lawyers and actual rule of law than he ever knew before, or perhaps more than he even cares to ever know...perhaps if I were a law student I would have enjoyed it a lot more than I actually did. As it was, I 'read' the audiobook which might have actually helped me to finish the book- if this were a print copy then it is quite possible that actually *seeing* all those pages of legal terminology might have scared me off! But, using Audible, I didn't know/couldn't see what was ahead in each chapter, and so I continually hoped that the book would become more reader-friendly....all the way until the end. It did not.
The 2nd takeaway from this one, aside from the language and deep look at all the tiny particulars of the Mueller probe was the fact that Bob Mueller still remains a huge mystery; and for reasons (so far) unknown, this guy was VERY hesitant to expand his search into Trump at ALL. Considering that his mandate was 'to investigate any and all possible crimes that might arise in searching for proof of Russian aide in the election of POTUS Trump', Mueller seems to have not wanted to investigate ANYTHING that was found in all of the digging done by his team. In fact, he often told team members to stand down and forget about possible leads that WERE found (!), for fear of 'going beyond his mandate'- even though that mandate seemingly could have included a whole hell of a lot more ('any and all possible crimes that might arise...') than HE seems to think it could. The main feeling at the end (for me) was one of MASSIVE FRUSTRATION at the whole situation.
Final conclusions = (a) Trump got off VERY easy (b) Russians DID help Trump win the election (c) While Trump himself was found 'not guilty' of being personally involved with this 'collusion', a LOT of Trump's people WERE (d)Russia was going to help Trump even if he DIDN'T want them to do, and they did (e) WHY oh WHY was Mueller so hesitant to actually follow up with all the leads laid out in this book!? ---Jen from Quebec :0P
The 2nd takeaway from this one, aside from the language and deep look at all the tiny particulars of the Mueller probe was the fact that Bob Mueller still remains a huge mystery; and for reasons (so far) unknown, this guy was VERY hesitant to expand his search into Trump at ALL. Considering that his mandate was 'to investigate any and all possible crimes that might arise in searching for proof of Russian aide in the election of POTUS Trump', Mueller seems to have not wanted to investigate ANYTHING that was found in all of the digging done by his team. In fact, he often told team members to stand down and forget about possible leads that WERE found (!), for fear of 'going beyond his mandate'- even though that mandate seemingly could have included a whole hell of a lot more ('any and all possible crimes that might arise...') than HE seems to think it could. The main feeling at the end (for me) was one of MASSIVE FRUSTRATION at the whole situation.
Final conclusions = (a) Trump got off VERY easy (b) Russians DID help Trump win the election (c) While Trump himself was found 'not guilty' of being personally involved with this 'collusion', a LOT of Trump's people WERE (d)Russia was going to help Trump even if he DIDN'T want them to do, and they did (e) WHY oh WHY was Mueller so hesitant to actually follow up with all the leads laid out in this book!? ---Jen from Quebec :0P
November 10, 2020
This is a book about james comey’s russia investigation and donald trump’s impeachment trial. Toobin has done an exemplary job of organizing all the information about these two events into a linear, comprehensive, readable, and totally understandable story. With all the little pieces, i truly don’t know how he did it, but the end product is exceptional, though very long.
I also thought that toobin eschewed name-calling and other bias as much as possible, given the subject matter (DJT). This wasn’t a hit piece. He let the facts speak for themselves.
I was reminded quite a few times of “All the President’s Men”, but i thought this one was the better of the two. As more time passes, i imagine this style of writing/reporting will become the standard for American political history books, and i expect to see this particular book on college reading lists, as there is so much substance for discussion and analysis.
I also thought that toobin eschewed name-calling and other bias as much as possible, given the subject matter (DJT). This wasn’t a hit piece. He let the facts speak for themselves.
I was reminded quite a few times of “All the President’s Men”, but i thought this one was the better of the two. As more time passes, i imagine this style of writing/reporting will become the standard for American political history books, and i expect to see this particular book on college reading lists, as there is so much substance for discussion and analysis.
March 31, 2023
4.25 stars
This detailed account of the Mueller investigation and the first impeachment of Donald Trump is a nonfiction book that reads like a thriller. I followed the events loosely when they were in the news and still learned quite a bit as I listened to this book. It’s hard to say I “enjoyed” a book like this but I’m glad I read it. It’s another one of those books that won’t be read by the people who need to read it the most.
This detailed account of the Mueller investigation and the first impeachment of Donald Trump is a nonfiction book that reads like a thriller. I followed the events loosely when they were in the news and still learned quite a bit as I listened to this book. It’s hard to say I “enjoyed” a book like this but I’m glad I read it. It’s another one of those books that won’t be read by the people who need to read it the most.
August 29, 2020
Toobin is the best. This book is very well written but like any current events, if you have read a lot and kept up with it, hard to find a lot of new information in such a book. Some good tidbits and the way Toobin writes makes it engaging.
August 20, 2020
I love that so many folks are coming out with books that disclose the truth and the facts of the Trump presidency. The only thing is the people that would need to be "enlightened" won't ever read these books. They are either greedy, corrupt, self motivated people or they are completely ignorant, closed-minded, or in the extreme, illiterate.
Jeffrey Toobin is a brilliant legal mind, whose book is extremely fact-based, to the point that it is impossible to refute head on. But of course, there are those who will find other diversionary tactics to dissuade.
"Based on dozens of interviews with prosecutors in Mueller's office, Drumpf's legal team, Congressional investigators, White House staffers, and several of the key players, including some who are now in prison, True Crimes and Misdemeanors is a revelatory narrative that makes sense of the seemingly endless chaos of the Drumpf years."
Jeffrey Toobin is a brilliant legal mind, whose book is extremely fact-based, to the point that it is impossible to refute head on. But of course, there are those who will find other diversionary tactics to dissuade.
"Based on dozens of interviews with prosecutors in Mueller's office, Drumpf's legal team, Congressional investigators, White House staffers, and several of the key players, including some who are now in prison, True Crimes and Misdemeanors is a revelatory narrative that makes sense of the seemingly endless chaos of the Drumpf years."
February 19, 2021
This was hard to read. It was very detailed and mostly covered the Mueller Report, but also outlined many other people President Trump associated with. It is just really pathetic and sad that our President is not concerned about our country, only himself. The people he associated with were also highly unethical. This came to be expected. Rudi Giuliani did terrible things. To lie, bully, and cheat was considered the norm. The President saw all those in gov’t as there to serve him personally and were asked to do illegal acts. A couple of days ago we saw the outcome of not standing up to such actions at our sacred Capital. Let’s hope we have a peaceful transition of power and decency, honesty, and caring about our democracy mean something again.
August 10, 2021
This 18 hour audiobook had me hooked. It’s such a damning account of Trump, it made so angry o put it on at 1.5x speed and lifted weights to it. I can’t believe that piece of shit was president. The book came out before 1/6 and everything before it was still shocking and upsetting. If you’re ready to read/listen to recent history it’s very well done.
August 20, 2020
Rabbit hole pointing out spun up BS from CNN to deflect facts about coup attempt
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
I've read almost half the book but I'm not sure I going to finish this it but will most likely just just drop key search terms in the search function for the kindle software on my computer. The reason why I don't think I'm really going to take any more of my time reading this book is because this book is a con job and I can't recommend it as this book was created for lazy or dishonest people.
It was crazy the list/outline I was creating to point out all of the flat out distortions by the author but I already know that even when a dump truck of information is at one's feet, still there's real difficulty trying to step out of the controlled story so I'm going to try this a different way.
One of the greatest, most important tools I've ever discovered, to learn, to study, to understand is that you can drop the same term/word/name throughout any kindle book in order to compare/contrast that subject in that I find it interesting, those who believe/assume the author is the authority of truth rather than understanding the truth IS THE authority.
To be sure the reader is clear what they are reading from my review of this book, I am very bias and I was looking for justification/confirmation on why I so profoundly dislike CNN and it's kind, as these information platforms have been dumping out the lies for years and I've pointed that out way, way before Donald Trump was in the spotlight.
I hold CNN, MSNBC, the three big network news programs and this can and does include Fox news most specifically responsible for what I seeing in this nation as there's no question to me now, we are heading for a civil war and spun up books like this one are part of the cause. This claim is partly because I'm almost 60 years old and I never voted in a national election before 2016 because the office of the presidency was compromised in late 1963 and the same process that undermined the JFK presidency are the same today and that includes the CIA, the FBI, the NSA and a few other .gov orgs, all packaged up and served to you by the main stream information platforms in this nation.
This is not to assume I am attempting to compare/contrast the leadership skills for JFK & DJT but rather, the same process that took out JFK are the same attacking who's in the White House today and if you think that comment is conspiratorial and not worthy of thought, I will just point out the publication from the ARRB, another book I've read.
JFK Assassination: Final Report of the Assassination Records Review Board - President John F. Kennedy, The JFK Act, Investigations, FBI and CIA, Zapruder Film, Medical and Ballistics, Critics
byAssassination Records Review Board
There was a damn coup attempt in this nation, again...and the ARGUMENT/DOCUMENTED PROOF pointing this out comes from the publications referenced below. This author and the people supporting this crap of a book which most specifically includes the flag ship of propaganda, CNN, are full of it and are supporting a crime, a state crime against the Constitutional Republic and most specifically, it's known as treason and that's defined as the crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government.
If anything, you need to ask yourself, what makes you think CNN and this television lawyer are the authority when these people can't tell you the truth even if they wanted to? Most people are aware the news processors in Russia are controlled by the state but Americans are still under the assumption CNN and the likes are truthful and looking out for you is insane and it's damn insulting to one's common sense when reading the publications noted below. And, I will clearly point out, this can include FOX news too.
The assumption the mass media processes in this nation can tell you the truth is bs and you can find out about the con job played on Americans in this book as these people need to eat and provide for their families so they are going to do what's required, regardless of the truth.
(Into The Buzzsaw: LEADING JOURNALISTS EXPOSE THE MYTH OF A FREE PRESS Kindle Edition by Kristina Borjesson (Editor)).
I am a layperson too with no special qualifications but I am an American who gave an oath many years ago to defend the Constitution of the United States and I'm here to set the record on the right path of truth as I have the historical footprint on Amazon to prove this and you can just highlight and paste the books noted below in the Amazon search box to find out if I know what I know and perhaps you don't.
FBI IG Report: A Review of Various Actions by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice in Advance of the 2016 Election: U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspect
or General
DOJ OIG REPORT INTO CLINTON EMAIL INVESTIGATION: DOJ OIG RELEASES REPORT ON VARIOUS ACTIONS BY THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION AND DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IN ADVANCE OF THE 2016 ELECTION
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Interview of Glenn Simpson
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Meeting Transcript (January 29, 2018): Includes BOTH The Nunes and Schiff Memos
A Report of Investigation of Certain Allegations Relating to Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe: February 2018
Report on Russian Active Measures: The Declassified Investigation into Russian Interference
Transcripts of the Mueller Hearings: House Committee on the Judiciary & House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Hearings
Interview of Bruce Ohr: Committee On The Judiciary, Joint With The Committee On Government Reform And Oversight
Interview of Lisa Page: Committee On The Judiciary, U.S. House Of Representatives
Interview of Peter Strzok: Committee On The Judiciary, U.S. House Of Representatives
Michael Horowitz statement Before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee 11 Dec 2019: Examining the IG Report on Abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act FISA
The Clinton Email Server Report: Department of State Report on Security Incidents Related to Potentially Classified Emails sent to Former Secretary of State Clinton’s Private Email Server, Oct 2019
The FBI Confidential Source Failure: Audit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Management of its Confidential Human Source Validation Processes by the Office of the Inspector General
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY of the Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane Investigation: OIG Report 09 Dec. 2019
Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane Investigation: Office of the Inspector General U.S. Department of Justice 09 December 2019
Report of Investigation of Former FBI Director James Comey: Disclosure of Sensitive Investigative Information and Handling of Certain Memoranda
You people are are lazy and are cowards or you are the enemy, big time for supporting this crap from CNN and this proof can be observed in that I've read many, many books both "pro or con" referencing the political war in this country but you won't see that from the numbnuts supporting this garbage.
Finally this question was asked of Mueller by Congress which show this tv lawyer has no clue:
"So which DOJ policy or principle sets forth a legal standard that an investigated person is not exonerated if their innocence from criminal conduct is not conclusively determined?"
God bless America.
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
I've read almost half the book but I'm not sure I going to finish this it but will most likely just just drop key search terms in the search function for the kindle software on my computer. The reason why I don't think I'm really going to take any more of my time reading this book is because this book is a con job and I can't recommend it as this book was created for lazy or dishonest people.
It was crazy the list/outline I was creating to point out all of the flat out distortions by the author but I already know that even when a dump truck of information is at one's feet, still there's real difficulty trying to step out of the controlled story so I'm going to try this a different way.
One of the greatest, most important tools I've ever discovered, to learn, to study, to understand is that you can drop the same term/word/name throughout any kindle book in order to compare/contrast that subject in that I find it interesting, those who believe/assume the author is the authority of truth rather than understanding the truth IS THE authority.
To be sure the reader is clear what they are reading from my review of this book, I am very bias and I was looking for justification/confirmation on why I so profoundly dislike CNN and it's kind, as these information platforms have been dumping out the lies for years and I've pointed that out way, way before Donald Trump was in the spotlight.
I hold CNN, MSNBC, the three big network news programs and this can and does include Fox news most specifically responsible for what I seeing in this nation as there's no question to me now, we are heading for a civil war and spun up books like this one are part of the cause. This claim is partly because I'm almost 60 years old and I never voted in a national election before 2016 because the office of the presidency was compromised in late 1963 and the same process that undermined the JFK presidency are the same today and that includes the CIA, the FBI, the NSA and a few other .gov orgs, all packaged up and served to you by the main stream information platforms in this nation.
This is not to assume I am attempting to compare/contrast the leadership skills for JFK & DJT but rather, the same process that took out JFK are the same attacking who's in the White House today and if you think that comment is conspiratorial and not worthy of thought, I will just point out the publication from the ARRB, another book I've read.
JFK Assassination: Final Report of the Assassination Records Review Board - President John F. Kennedy, The JFK Act, Investigations, FBI and CIA, Zapruder Film, Medical and Ballistics, Critics
byAssassination Records Review Board
There was a damn coup attempt in this nation, again...and the ARGUMENT/DOCUMENTED PROOF pointing this out comes from the publications referenced below. This author and the people supporting this crap of a book which most specifically includes the flag ship of propaganda, CNN, are full of it and are supporting a crime, a state crime against the Constitutional Republic and most specifically, it's known as treason and that's defined as the crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government.
If anything, you need to ask yourself, what makes you think CNN and this television lawyer are the authority when these people can't tell you the truth even if they wanted to? Most people are aware the news processors in Russia are controlled by the state but Americans are still under the assumption CNN and the likes are truthful and looking out for you is insane and it's damn insulting to one's common sense when reading the publications noted below. And, I will clearly point out, this can include FOX news too.
The assumption the mass media processes in this nation can tell you the truth is bs and you can find out about the con job played on Americans in this book as these people need to eat and provide for their families so they are going to do what's required, regardless of the truth.
(Into The Buzzsaw: LEADING JOURNALISTS EXPOSE THE MYTH OF A FREE PRESS Kindle Edition by Kristina Borjesson (Editor)).
I am a layperson too with no special qualifications but I am an American who gave an oath many years ago to defend the Constitution of the United States and I'm here to set the record on the right path of truth as I have the historical footprint on Amazon to prove this and you can just highlight and paste the books noted below in the Amazon search box to find out if I know what I know and perhaps you don't.
FBI IG Report: A Review of Various Actions by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice in Advance of the 2016 Election: U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspect
or General
DOJ OIG REPORT INTO CLINTON EMAIL INVESTIGATION: DOJ OIG RELEASES REPORT ON VARIOUS ACTIONS BY THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION AND DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IN ADVANCE OF THE 2016 ELECTION
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Interview of Glenn Simpson
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Meeting Transcript (January 29, 2018): Includes BOTH The Nunes and Schiff Memos
A Report of Investigation of Certain Allegations Relating to Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe: February 2018
Report on Russian Active Measures: The Declassified Investigation into Russian Interference
Transcripts of the Mueller Hearings: House Committee on the Judiciary & House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Hearings
Interview of Bruce Ohr: Committee On The Judiciary, Joint With The Committee On Government Reform And Oversight
Interview of Lisa Page: Committee On The Judiciary, U.S. House Of Representatives
Interview of Peter Strzok: Committee On The Judiciary, U.S. House Of Representatives
Michael Horowitz statement Before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee 11 Dec 2019: Examining the IG Report on Abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act FISA
The Clinton Email Server Report: Department of State Report on Security Incidents Related to Potentially Classified Emails sent to Former Secretary of State Clinton’s Private Email Server, Oct 2019
The FBI Confidential Source Failure: Audit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Management of its Confidential Human Source Validation Processes by the Office of the Inspector General
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY of the Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane Investigation: OIG Report 09 Dec. 2019
Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane Investigation: Office of the Inspector General U.S. Department of Justice 09 December 2019
Report of Investigation of Former FBI Director James Comey: Disclosure of Sensitive Investigative Information and Handling of Certain Memoranda
You people are are lazy and are cowards or you are the enemy, big time for supporting this crap from CNN and this proof can be observed in that I've read many, many books both "pro or con" referencing the political war in this country but you won't see that from the numbnuts supporting this garbage.
Finally this question was asked of Mueller by Congress which show this tv lawyer has no clue:
"So which DOJ policy or principle sets forth a legal standard that an investigated person is not exonerated if their innocence from criminal conduct is not conclusively determined?"
God bless America.
August 16, 2020
With his usual clarity and perception, Jeffrey Toobin presents a courtroom worthy analysis of Trump's
ego-driven assault on the Presidency and the nation's laws. No villain escapes exposure; no hero lacks praise in this history lesson that reads like a thriller. A worthy addition to Toobin's other works and a book every caring American must read - and read before voting
Jack Heinsius.
ego-driven assault on the Presidency and the nation's laws. No villain escapes exposure; no hero lacks praise in this history lesson that reads like a thriller. A worthy addition to Toobin's other works and a book every caring American must read - and read before voting
Jack Heinsius.
November 30, 2020
I have often liked Jeffrey Toobin's books. This one is no different. Very in-depth look at DJT.
September 1, 2020
Very interesting and well researched book.
I liked becoming aware of the behind the scene details that occurred during the Mueller investigation - like understanding more about Paul Manafort's background, Roger Stone, Flynn, and Cohen and how they played their roles in all this drama. James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Priebus, Spicer, and all the others whose careers Trump snuffed out and the details behind these events are here. And then the weird antics of Rudy Guilianni, who the author says is Trump's Roy Cohen. The drama of Wikileaks, the Russians, Igor and Lev, as well as a group of yes men like Bill Barr and Gordon Sondland, seem to become the bridges for us to see that breaking the law, if you are Trump, constant and easy-peasy. And then came the pandemic....
Too bad all of this is a true story.
I liked becoming aware of the behind the scene details that occurred during the Mueller investigation - like understanding more about Paul Manafort's background, Roger Stone, Flynn, and Cohen and how they played their roles in all this drama. James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Priebus, Spicer, and all the others whose careers Trump snuffed out and the details behind these events are here. And then the weird antics of Rudy Guilianni, who the author says is Trump's Roy Cohen. The drama of Wikileaks, the Russians, Igor and Lev, as well as a group of yes men like Bill Barr and Gordon Sondland, seem to become the bridges for us to see that breaking the law, if you are Trump, constant and easy-peasy. And then came the pandemic....
Too bad all of this is a true story.
November 9, 2020
Trump is the most predictable and boring guy on the planet. This book doesn’t really have any breakthroughs, it’s just an account of all the bs of the trump presidency. What’s nice about it is that it sort of summarizes everything up until the 2020 election, or close to it. As I write this on Nov 9th I’m glad to know that this chapter will be coming to an end soon. However, he is the symptom of a movement that he served to validate and they aren’t going anywhere.
October 15, 2020
While it rehashes so much of what we have already heard and read over and over again Toobin makes some connections that haven't been missed so much as just not brought to the fore. He combines written reports and testimony in a highly readable narrative. When it is time for him to offer his opinion, such as his view of James Comey, he does it in a clear and well reasoned style.
November 26, 2024
I've read several books about Trump 's first term lately. The other books were interesting and mildly entertaining, but mostly just chronicled what happened. This book had more of an intellectual angle. It discussed the historical, legal, and political implications, and it seemed to me that Toobin tried to be more even-handed in explaining perspectives from the right and the left. Very good read.
September 14, 2020
Mueller
Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews