Schmidt S. - Donald Trump V. the United States - Inside the Struggle to Stop a President

Flynn’s son had been fired:Matthew Rosenberg, Maggie Haberman, and Eric Schmitt, “Trump Fires Adviser’s Son from Transition for Spreading Fake News,” New York Times, December 6, 2016.

“Not again, this guy”:Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III, “Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election,” U.S. Department of Justice, March 2019.

“Why does it matter”:“Full Transcript: Sally Yates and James Clapper Testify on Russian Election Interference,” Washington Post, May 8, 2017.

“The head of the FBI”:James Comey, Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership (New York: Flatiron Books, 2018).

At 6:20 p.m.:James Comey, memorandum, January 28, 2017.

Morticians embalmed:Conrade C. Hinds, The Great Columbus Experiment of 1908 (Charleston, S.C.: History Press, 2012).

Eleanor Roosevelt greeted the pilot:Maurine H. Beasley, Eleanor Roosevelt and the Media: A Public Quest for Self-Fulfillment (Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 1987).

“so-called judge”:Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Twitter, February 4, 2017, 8:12 a.m., twitter.com/​realDonaldTrump/​status/​827867311054974976.

Blumenthal said that Gorsuch:Julie Hirschfeld Davis, “Supreme Court Nominee Calls Trump’s Attacks on Judiciary ‘Demoralizing,’ ” New York Times, February 8, 2017.

Trump then publicly called:Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Twitter, February 9, 2017, 6:57 a.m., twitter.com/​realDonaldTrump/​status/​829660612452036608.

When Comey entered the White House:James Comey, memorandum, February 8, 2017.

Flynn had in fact spoken:Greg Miller, Adam Entous, and Ellen Nakashima, “National Security Adviser Flynn Discussed Sanctions with Russian Ambassador, Despite Denials, Officials Say,” Washington Post, February 9, 2017.

On Saturday night in Florida:David A. Fahrenthold and Karen DeYoung, “Trump Turns Mar-a-Lago Club Terrace into Open-Air Situation Room,” Washington Post, February 13, 2017.

“I don’t know about that”:Matthew Rosenberg and Glenn Thrush, “Trump Will ‘Look Into’ Reports That Flynn Discussed Sanctions with Russia,” New York Times, February 10, 2017.

“General Flynn does enjoy”:Madeline Conway and Tara Palmeri, “Spicer and Conway Send Split Signals on Flynn’s Future,” Politico, February 13, 2017.

“We’ll give you a good recommendation”:Mueller, “Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election.”

“That sounds better”:Mark Mazzetti et al., “Intimidation, Pressure, and Humiliation: Inside Trump’s Two-Year War on the Investigations Encircling Him,” New York Times, February 19, 2019.

“Good afternoon”:“Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sean Spicer,” White House, February 14, 2017, www.whitehouse.gov/​briefings-statements/​press-briefing-press-secretary-sean-spicer-021417/.

At 4:15 p.m.:James Comey, memorandum, February 14, 2017.

at least two meetings:Adam Entous, Ellen Nakashima, and Greg Miller, “Sessions Met with Russian Envoy Twice Last Year, Encounters He Later Did Not Disclose,” Washington Post, March 1, 2017.

“became President of the United States”:Jason Kurtz, “Van Jones on Trump: ‘He Became President of the United States in That Moment, Period,’ ” CNN, March 1, 2017.

“This is bullshit”:Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael D. Shear, Border Wars (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2019).

“You’re telling me”:Mueller, “Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election.”

The showdown in the Oval Office:“Video Shows Heated Oval Office Meeting,” CNN, March 5, 2017, www.cnn.com/​videos/​politics/​2017/​03/​05/​heated-oval-office-meeting-bannon-trump-nobles-newday.cnn.

Trump put out a series:Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Twitter, March 4, 2017, 6:25 a.m., twitter.com/​realDonaldTrump/​status/​837989835818287106.

When McGahn wasn’t looking:Mueller, “Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election.”

WikiLeaks had repeatedly teased:WikiLeaks (@wikileaks), Twitter, February 4, 2017, 5:38 a.m., twitter.com/​wikileaks/​status/​827828627488268290.

He secretly told McGahn:Mueller, “Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election.”

From the Oval Office:Ibid.

“I can’t go into the particulars”:Kailani Koenig, “Schiff: ‘More Than Circumstantial Evidence’ Trump Associates Colluded with Russia,” NBC News, March 22, 2017.

Trump started the call:James Comey, memorandum, March 30, 2017.

Comey missed the call:James Comey, memorandum, April 11, 2017.

Trump proudly told McGahn:Mueller, “Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election.”

Feinstein accused Comey:Adam Goldman, “James Comey ‘Mildly Nauseous’ Over Idea He Swayed the Election,” New York Times, May 3, 2017.

In the exchange with lawmakers:“Read the Full Testimony of FBI Director James Comey in Which He Discusses Clinton Email Investigation,” Washington Post, May 3, 2017.

“This is terrible, Jeff”:Mueller, “Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election.”

“He told me three times”:Ibid.

“Dear Director Comey”:Ibid.

“Few events have represented”:Adam Goldman, “Andrew McCabe, Ex-F.B.I. Official, Will Not Be Charged in Lying Case,” New York Times, February 14, 2020.

McGahn and Dhillon also tried to appeal:Mueller, “Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election.”

Comey began his day in Jacksonville:“Hours Before His Firing, FBI Director James Comey Was at Law-Enforcement Conference in Jacksonville,” Action News Jax, May 9, 2017, www.actionnewsjax.com/​news/​local/​hours-before-his-firing-fbi-director-james-comey-was-at-law-enforcement-conference-in-jacksonville/​521019494/.

Comey landed at Reagan National Airport:Flight data for JENA625, May 9, 2017, flightaware.com/​live/​flight/​JENA625/​history/​20170510/​0103Z/​KLAX/​KDCA.

“Only seven days after Donald J. Trump”:Michael S. Schmidt, “In a Private Dinner, Trump Demanded Loyalty. Comey Demurred,” New York Times, May 11, 2017.

“James Comey better hope”:Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Twitter, May 12, 2017, 8:26 a.m., twitter.com/​realDonaldTrump/​status/​863007411132649473.

Trump had disclosed highly sensitive intelligence:Greg Miller and Greg Jaffe, “Trump Revealed Highly Classified Information to Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador,” Washington Post, May 15, 2017.

“I could record the President”:Stewart, Deep State.

“It’s your fucking fault”:Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig, A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America (New York: Penguin Press, 2020).