Fear: Trump in the White House

When he was nominated as secretary: Trump announced at a Cincinnati rally on December 1, 2016, that he would nominate Mattis for secretary of defense.

“A very Trumpian-inspired”: Chris Cillizza, “Here’s Why Donald Trump Picked Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State,” The Washington Post, December 13, 2016. Conway gave her comments on a December 12, 2016, episode of MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports.

CHAPTER 7

The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.

Cohn didn’t mention a report: Christine Giordano, “Trump’s Business Credit Score Is 19 Out of a Possible 100,” Fox Business, October 20, 2016.

Five minutes later while Cohn: Donald J. Trump, “Press release—President-Elect Donald J. Trump to Nominate Steven Mnuchin as Secretary of the Treasury, Wilbur Ross as Secretary of Commerce and Todd Ricketts as Deputy Secretary of Commerce,” November 30, 2016. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=119711.

The day after Christmas: Interview with Michael Flynn, December 26, 2016.

Flynn was being widely criticized: Rosalind S. Helderman and Tom Hamburger, “Trump Adviser Flynn Paid by multiple Russia-Related Entities, New Records Show,” The Washington Post, March 16, 2017.

CHAPTER 8

The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.

An unclassified, scaled-back version: Read the unclassified version of the intelligence community’s January 6, 2017, report on the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) website at https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf.

Steele had shared portions: Max Greenwood, “McCain Gave Dossier Containing ‘Sensitive Information’ to FBI,” The Hill, January 11, 2017.

On the second page it said: Ken Bensinger, Miriam Elder and Mark Schoofs, “These Reports Allege Trump Has Deep Ties to Russia,” BuzzFeed News, January 10, 2017.

This was designed to obtain

: Ibid.

On December 9, Trump said: Nahal Toosi, “Trump Team Rejects Intel Agencies’ Claims of Russian Meddling,” Politico, December 9, 2016.

He later told Fox News: “Trump: Claims of Russian Interference in 2016 Race ‘Ridiculous,’ Dems Making Excuses,” Fox News, December 11, 2016.

He tweeted, “Unless you catch”: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/808300706914594816.

Angry at the criticism: Martin Matishak and Connor O’Brien, “Clapper: Trump Rhetoric on Intel Agencies Alarming U.S. Allies,” Politico, January 5, 2017.

The next day, Kellyanne Conway: Louis Nelson, “Conway ‘Disappointed’ in Media Leaks Before Intel Briefing,” Politico, January 6, 2017.

In a telephone interview: Michael D. Shear and David E. Sanger, “Putin Led a Complex Cyberattack Scheme to Aid Trump, Report Finds,”

The New York Times, January 6, 2017.

In his book, Comey offers: James Comey, A Higher Loyalty (New York: Flatiron Books, 2018), p. 218.

Russia has had a long-standing desire: Read the unclassified version of the intelligence community’s January 6, 2017, report on the DNI website at https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf.

Trump was a “clear preference”: Ibid.

Comey later wrote, “I figured”: James Comey, A Higher Loyalty (New York: Flatiron Books, 2018), p. 224.

In A Higher Loyalty, Comey wrote: Ibid., p. 216.

This is what Comey wrote

: Ibid., p. 225.

After the briefing Trump released: Louis Nelson, “Trump Says Hacking Had ‘No Effect on the Outcome of the Election,’ ” Politico, January 6, 2017.

Four days later, January 10: Ken Bensinger, Miriam Elder and Mark Schoofs, “These Reports Allege Trump Has Deep Ties to Russia,” BuzzFeed News, January 10, 2017.

In Facts and Fears, Clapper: James R. Clapper, Facts and Fears (New York: Penguin, 2018), p. 4.

In A Higher Loyalty, published: James Comey, A Higher Loyalty (New York: Flatiron Books, 2018), p. 216.

On January 15, five days: Fox News Sunday transcript, Fox News, January 15, 2017.