March 2
Jeff Sessions recuses himself from Russia inquiry.
March 4
Trump tweets that Obama had him “wiretapped.”
April 19
DOJ/FBI obtain second renewal on Carter Page FISA warrant.
April 25
Christopher Steele admits that the “dossier” is “unverified.”
April 26
Rod Rosenstein is sworn in as deputy attorney general.
May 9
Trump fires James Comey.
May 15-16
Comey gives the memos to a friend, who leaks to force appointment of a special counsel.
May 16
Trump meets with Robert Mueller III. Andrew McCabe and Rod Rosenstein discuss invoking the Twenty-fifth Amendment to remove Trump from office.
May 17
Rosenstein appoints Mueller as special counsel.
July 18
Carter Page FISA warrant is renewed for the final time.
July 26
FBI raids home of Paul Manafort, Jr.
July 27
George Papadopoulos is arrested. Peter Strzok leaves Robert Mueller team.
Aug. 2
Rod Rosenstein issues a revised scope memo to Mueller.
Oct. 5
George Papadopoulos pleads guilty to lying to FBI.
Oct. 20
Rod Rosenstein issues a second scope memo.
Oct. 24
The Washington Post reveals that the Clinton campaign and DNC funded Fusion GPS and the Steele “dossier.”
Oct. 30
Robert Mueller indicts Paul Manafort and Richard Gates III. Papadopoulos’s guilty plea is made public.
Dec. 1
Michael Flynn pleads guilty. Judge Rudolph “Rudy” Contreras is recused from his case.
Dec. 2
The Washington Post reveals anti-Trump texts between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.
Dec. 4
Robert Mueller recommends little or no prison time for Michael Flynn.
Dec. 12
Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, now on the Flynn case, orders Mueller to produce exculpatory evidence.
Dec. 30
The New York Times publishes the narrative that the FBI investigation was due to George Papadopoulos’s comments to Alexander Downer.
2018
Feb. 2
Devin Nunes memo is declassified. Andrew McCabe testifies that “no surveillance warrant would have been sought from the FISC without the Steele dossier information.”
March 12
House of Representatives releases report finding “no evidence of collusion, coordination or conspiracy.”
March 16
Andrew McCabe is fired from the FBI.
April 9
Federal agents raid Michael Cohen’s home and office.
May 19
Stefan Halper is revealed to be the FBI’s “inside source” within the Trump campaign.
June 14
Inspector General Michael Horowitz releases report on Hillary Clinton email investigation, showing FBI bias, media leaks, and insubordination by James Comey.
July 13
Robert Mueller indicts Russian intelligence agents on charges of hacking DNC.
Aug. 10
Peter Strzok is fired.
Aug. 22
Michael Cohen pleads guilty to eight counts.
Aug. 28
Bruce Ohr testifies he warned the FBI that Christopher Steele lacked credibility.
Nov. 7
Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigns.
Dec. 8
Trump nominates William Barr as attorney general.
2019
Jan. 25
FBI agents stage dawn raid on Roger Stone’s home.
Feb. 14
William Barr is confirmed as attorney general.
Feb. 17
Andrew McCabe admits that he and Rod Rosenstein discussed removing Trump by invoking the Twenty-fifth Amendment.
March 12
Sentenced to seven years in prison, Paul Manafort is indicted by the Manhattan DA on similar charges.
March 22
Robert Mueller delivers report on Russian interference: no indictments, arrests, or convictions for “collusion.”
March 24
William Barr states that there was no obstruction of justice.
April 18
Barr releases the full Mueller Report with minimal redactions.
May 6
Michael Cohen reports to federal prison.
May 29
Robert Mueller says he “could not exonerate” the president of obstruction of justice.
Acknowledgments
Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.
—GEORGE ORWELL, “WHY I WRITE,” 1946
The late George Orwell was a remarkably eclectic author who penned many incisive books, both fiction and nonfiction. In his seminal novel Nineteen Eighty-Four he warned that “Big Brother is watching you.” Published in 1949, his prophetic words became synonymous with abuse of power and the ubiquity of government surveillance. The Orwellian vision was a cautionary nightmare that came to life. It still haunts us today. More than we know. Evidence of this can be found in the pages of Witch Hunt.
Orwell was controversial, to say the least. But, for me, his assessment of the writing process is well stated. It is not a satisfying or even rapturous endeavor, as some might imagine. Like Orwell, I find it to be grueling, wearying, and debilitating, without a speck of pleasure in it. A daily root canal would be preferable. Skip the Novocain.
Orwell confided that he often wrote because “there is some lie that I want to expose.” That, too, is the reason I wrote this book and the one that preceded it. The compulsion to expose a lie and unravel the truth is what drove me. I felt an urge to right a wrong. In a way, it became my demon that needed exorcising.
I am certain that my literary agent, David Vigliano, grew tired of the missives I sent his way blaming him for my misery. He had convinced me to write this second book when I was dead set against it. In retrospect, I am most grateful that he did. He was tolerant and a good sport about it. David was also a constant source of sage advice. With his unflagging humor, he lifted my spirits when they sagged. This occurred rather frequently, which is a poor reflection on me. To David, I wish to express my utmost gratitude.
Rare is the editor who can satisfy a prickly author during the seemingly endless editing process. Eric Nelson, executive editor at HarperCollins, managed to achieve this. I submitted a manuscript that was twice the length he wanted, yet he managed to apply judicious cuts with a scalpel when a chainsaw was probably merited. As before, Eric was instrumental in shaping the content of the book. He contributed meaningful insights that helped frame the narrative. Many thanks to Eric and his associate, Hannah Long. Theresa Dooley at Harper has been a wonderful publicist.
Unlike with The Russia Hoax, I sought assistance for Witch Hunt. I enlisted the help of Glenna Whitley, who is an extraordinary writer and investigative journalist in Dallas, Texas. She supplemented my notes research and columns with her own considerable research and crafted the last three chapters. She also updated and revised what I had originally written in my critical analysis of the media. She assembled the Timeline and List of Major Characters that can be found in the Appendix. Her work was a valuable piece of the puzzle. This book could not have been completed on time without Glenna’s excellent contributions. I am indebted to her.
Here at Fox News, I thank especially my friends and colleagues at the network’s website. Lynne Jordal Martin, Greg Wilson, and Morgan Debelle Duplan gave prominence to my opinion columns. Gregg Re, an editor and lawyer, lent an extra set of eyes to the original manuscript and recommended clarifications that proved helpful. Kimberley Sialiano solved my computer woes whenever they arose
. Outside of Fox, I am most appreciative to several former FBI officials and federal prosecutors who gave freely of their time to answer my many questions. Victoria Toensing, former deputy assistant attorney general in the Criminal Division at the Justice Department, was notably helpful.
My sincere thanks to Sean Hannity for his continuous support and friendship, along with Porter Berry, Tiffany Fazio, Robert Samuel, Alyssa Carey, Christen Bloom, Andrew Luton, Stephanie Woloshin, Haley Caronia, and Lynda McLaughlin. Grateful am I, too, for the kind words and encouragement from Rush Limbaugh and David Limbaugh. Thanks to Jon Sale, former assistant Watergate prosecutor, as well as Joe diGenova, former independent counsel, for reviewing the book.
Finally, but most importantly, I wish to thank my wife, Cate, and our two daughters, Grace and Liv. They are an indispensable part of my life and career. Their love and devotion are an inspiration to me every single day.
Notes
Preface: A Malignant Force
1. Adam Entous, Devlin Barrett, and Rosalind S. Helderman, “Clinton’s Campaign, DNC Paid for Research That Led to Russia Dossier,” Washington Post, October 24, 2017.
2. Kimberley A. Strassel, “Brennan and the 2016 Spy Scandal,” Wall Street Journal, July 19, 2018.
3. Ken Bensinger, Miriam Elder, and Mark Schoofs, “These Reports Allege Trump Has Deep Ties to Russia,” BuzzFeed, January 10, 2017; “Dossier” document published by BuzzFeed, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3259984-Trump-Intelligence-Allegations.html.
4. Mike Memoli and Alex Moe, “Republican Congressman Releases Full Transcript of Bruce Ohr Hearing,” NBC News, March 8, 2019; “Interview of: Bruce Ohr,” Executive Session, Committee on the Judiciary, Joint with the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, August 28, 2018, https://dougcollins.house.gov/sites/dougcollins.house.gov/files/Ohr%20Interview%20Transcript%208.28.18.pdf.
5. John Solomon, “State Department’s Red Flag on Steele Went to a Senior FBI Man Well Before FISA Warrant,” The Hill, May 14, 2019; Gregg Re and Catherine Herridge, “State Department Official Cited Steele in Emails with Ohr After Flagging Credibility Issues to FBI, Docs Reveal,” Fox News, May 15, 2019.
6. Federal Bureau of Investigation, “FBI Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide (DIOG),” https://vault.fbi.gov/FBI%20Domestic%20Investigations%20and%20Operations%20Guide%20%28DIOG%29; Department of Justice, “the Attorney General’s Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations”; also found at United States Code, 28 U.S.C. §§ 509, 510, 533, 534; Executive Order 12333, https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/docs/guidelines.pdf; Andrew McCarthy, “FBI Russia Investigation Was Always About Trump,” Fox News, January 13, 2019.
7. Michael Isikoff and David Corn, Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump (New York: Twelve, 2018), 153.
8. Brooke Singman, “IG Confirms He Is Reviewing Whether Strzok’s Anti-Trump Bias Impacted Launch of Russia Probe,” Fox News, June 19, 2018.
9. Author’s interview with President Donald J. Trump, June 25, 2019, Oval Office.
10. Virginia Heffernan, “A Close Reading of Glenn Simpson’s Trump-Russia Testimony,” Los Angeles Times, January 14, 2018.
11. Chuck Ross, “Here’s How the Steele Dossier Spread Through the Media and Government,” Daily Caller, March 18, 2019.
12. John Solomon, “Comey’s Confession: Dossier Not Verified Before, or After, FISA Warrant,” The Hill, December 8, 2018.
13. Abigail Tracy, “Is Donald Trump a Manchurian Candidate?,” Vanity Fair, November 1, 2016; Aiko Stevenson, “President Trump: The Manchurian Candidate?,” Huffington Post, January 18, 2017; Ross Douthat, “The ‘Manchurian’ President?,” New York Times, May 31, 2017; Franklin Foer, “Putin’s Puppet: If the Russian President Could Design a Candidate to Undermine American Interests—and Advance His Own—He’d Look a Lot like Donald Trump,” Slate, July 4, 2016; Jeffrey Goldberg, “It’s Official: Hillary Clinton Is Running Against Vladimir Putin,” The Atlantic, July 21, 2016; David Remnick, “Trump and Putin: A Love Story,” The New Yorker, August 3, 2016.
14. Bret Baier and Catherine Herridge, “Samantha Power Sought to Unmask Americans on Almost Daily Basis, Sources Say,” Fox News, September 21, 2017; John Solomon, “ ‘Unmasker in Chief’ Samantha Power Spewed Anti-Trump Bias in Government Emails,” The Hill, June 26, 2019.
15. Tim Hains, “Sessions: Illegal Leak Against General Mike Flynn Is Being Investigated ‘Aggressively,’ ” RealClearPolitics, February 18, 2018.
16. Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney, “FBI Releases Part of Russia Dossier Summary Used to Brief Trump, Obama,” Politico, December 14, 2018; Alex Swoyer, Washington Times, “James Comey: Trump Briefed on Dossier Salacious Parts Only,” Washington Times, December 18, 2018.
17. Scott Pelley, “Andrew McCabe: The Full 60 Minutes Interview,” CBS News, February 17, 2019, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andrew-mccabe-interview-former-acting-fbi-director-president-trump-investigation-james-comey-during-russia-investigation-60-minutes/.
18. Devlin Barrett, Sari Horwitz, and Matt Zapotosky, “Deputy Attorney General Appoints Special Counsel to Oversee Probe of Russian Interference in Election,” Washington Post, May 18, 2017.
19. Jonathan Turley, “The Special Counsel Investigation Needs Attorneys Without Conflicts,” The Hill, December 8, 2017; Eric Felten, “Does Robert Mueller Have a Conflict of Interest?,” Weekly Standard, July 5, 2018; Carrie Johnson, “Special Counsel Robert Mueller Had Been on White House Shortlist to Run FBI,” NPR, June 9, 2017; Dan Merica, “Trump Interviewed Mueller for FBI Job Day Before He Was Tapped for Special Counsel,” CNN, June 13, 2017.
20. Author’s interview with John Dowd, lawyer for President Donald Trump, June 13, 2019.
21. Gregg Re, “Comey Reveals He Concealed Trump Meeting Memo from DOJ Leaders,” Fox News, December 9, 2018.
22. Ibid.
23. Michael B. Mukasey, “The Memo and the Mueller Probe,” Wall Street Journal, February 4, 2018; Andrew C. McCarthy, “Rosenstein Fails to Defend His Failure to Limit Mueller’s Investigation,” National Review, August 7, 2017.
24. Adam Goldman and Michael S. Schmidt, “Rod Rosenstein Suggested Secretly Recording Trump and Discussed 25th Amendment,” New York Times, September 21, 2018.
25. Author’s interview with President Donald J. Trump, Oval Office, White House, June 25, 2019.
26. Samuel Chamberlain, “McCabe Says Rosenstein Was ‘Absolutely Serious’ About Secretly Recording Trump,” Fox News, February 17, 2019.
27. Author’s interview with John Dowd, June 13, 2019; Byron York, “When Did Mueller Know There Was No Collusion?,” Washington Examiner, April 26, 2019; Andrew McCarthy, “How Long Has Mueller Known There Was No Trump-Russia Collusion?,” Fox News, March 26, 2019.
28. Robert S. Mueller, The Mueller Report: The Final Report of the Special Counsel into Donald Trump, Russia, and Collusion as Issued by the Department of Justice (New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2019), 39.
29. Ibid., 194.
30. Ibid., 195.
31. Tim Hains, “Full Replay: AG William Barr Senate Judiciary Committee Testimony on Mueller Report,” RealClearPolitics, May 1, 2019.
32. William P. Barr, Attorney General, letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, March 24, 2019, https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/5779688/AG-March-24-2019-Letter-to-House-and-Senate.pdf.
33. Jan Crawford, “William Barr Interview: Read the Full Transcript,” CBS News, May 31, 2019.
34. Ibid., 2.
35. Tim Hains, “Full Replay.”
36. Jan Crawford, “William Barr Interview,” 9.
Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Cases
1. The alliance of the mainstream media and corrupt law enforcement officials was a perfect marriage of liberal ideology. Both abhorred the conservative orthodoxy espoused by the Republican nominee. Both ridiculed his foreign policy pronouncements as reckless and demeaned his proposed outreach to Putin as dangerous. This despite the fact that
Trump’s advocacy on the campaign trail of rapprochement with Russia was not materially different from the promises and practices of his immediate predecessor, President Barack Obama. In fact, they were, to all intents and purposes, identical.
It was Obama who acceded to Russian demands that a missile defense shield in Europe be abandoned amid intense domestic opposition. Then, with Obama’s critical endorsement, Russia became a member of the World Trade Organization. The Trump administration would later call it a mistake. But at the time, Clinton, who was secretary of state, praised the controversial decision. Of course, who can forget the red “reset button” presented by Clinton to Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, which was intended to usher in a new era of warmer US-Russian relations? The media cheered. There was little public criticism when Clinton proposed a plan to “collaborate” with Russia on the construction of a new Silicon Valley–like complex of advanced technology in Moscow, despite dire warnings that the project would only serve to strengthen our adversary’s cyberabilities and military proficiency. Collusion? Not if you are Obama or Clinton.
The FBI did not launch an investigation of Clinton or accuse her of being a Russian asset, even as they monitored a Russian spy’s efforts to gain access to the secretary of state or when a Kremlin-linked bank cut a check to Bill Clinton in the amount of $500,000. The mainstream media and federal prosecutors all but ignored Clinton’s highly suspicious role in the sale of the United States’ uranium deposits to Russia while the coffers of the Clinton Foundation were enriched by some $145 million from Russian sources connected to that deal. Corruption? Collusion? Not if you’re a Democrat or your last name is Clinton.
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