Summary of Michael Wolff's Siege

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 Trump had a habit of blaming his lawyers for any problems that arose, even when they had tried to explain to him that he was likely to be subpoenaed. He wanted his lawyers to fix things, not bring him problems.
#2 Trump’s legal team, led by Jay Sekulow, recommended that the president cooperate with the Mueller investigation. The president insisted that he was not a target, and that any investigation would not reach him.
#3 The Mueller investigation and its grand jury maintained a level of secrecy that made it difficult to know who was who and what was what. Everyone in the White House feared getting involved with the investigation, as it could lead to them being indicted.
#4 Hicks, the White House Communications director, was the ultimate keeper of the secrets from the campaign, the transition, and through the first year of the presidency. She had witnessed almost everything.

Sujets

• Executive (government)
• Federal government of the United States
• American Government
• Executive Branch

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 27 avril 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669394303
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Michael Wolff's Seige
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6 Insights from Chapter 7 Insights from Chapter 8 Insights from Chapter 9 Insights from Chapter 10 Insights from Chapter 11 Insights from Chapter 12 Insights from Chapter 13 Insights from Chapter 14 Insights from Chapter 15 Insights from Chapter 16 Insights from Chapter 17 Insights from Chapter 18 Insights from Chapter 19 Insights from Chapter 20 Insights from Chapter 21 Insights from Chapter 22 Insights from Chapter 23
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Trump had a habit of blaming his lawyers for any problems that arose, even when they had tried to explain to him that he was likely to be subpoenaed. He wanted his lawyers to fix things, not bring him problems.

#2

Trump’s legal team, led by Jay Sekulow, recommended that the president cooperate with the Mueller investigation. The president insisted that he was not a target, and that any investigation would not reach him.

#3

The Mueller investigation and its grand jury maintained a level of secrecy that made it difficult to know who was who and what was what. Everyone in the White House feared getting involved with the investigation, as it could lead to them being indicted.

#4

Hicks, the White House Communications director, was the ultimate keeper of the secrets from the campaign, the transition, and through the first year of the presidency. She had witnessed almost everything.

#5

Hicks dated only Trump supporters, and it was common knowledge that she had a relationship with White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, who was suspected of being abusive towards his two ex-wives. Porter had gained access to his raw FBI clearance reports and seen the statements of his ex-wives.

#6

The affair between Hope Hicks and Porter was just the least of her problems. The White House had been aware of many of her husband's disturbing allegations, and had covered them up.

#7

Trump, however, seemed to believe that his presidency and his skills were at least a match for all the thoroughness and resources of the Department of Justice. He even believed their exhaustive approach would work in his favor.

#8

The difficulty in proving a conspiracy is proving intent. Many in the Trump circle believed that Trump, and the Trump Organization, and by extension the Trump campaign, operated in such a diffuse manner that it would be extremely difficult to prove any sort of conspiracy.

#9

Trump’s financial woes and desperate attempts to maintain his billionaire lifestyle forced him into constant schemes to hide his identity. In November 2004, for instance, Trump loaned his name to a real estate deal involving Jeffrey Epstein, a friend who had been caught in a scandal involving underage prostitutes.

#10

As Trump's legal issues grew, so did the enmity between him and Epstein. Trump had earned $55 million for hiding the real owner of the house. Dmitry Rybolovlev, an oligarch who was part of the close Putin circle of government-aligned industrialists, bought the house for $96 million.

#11

Trump was constantly suspicious of everyone around him, and he quickly learned that Kushner, who had provided the Kushners with $184 million in financing, had never provided the same for the Trumps. He began to believe that everyone was out to get him, and he didn’t have the time or interest to verify whether this was true or not.

#12

With the subpoena of the Trump Organization, Kushner explained to Trump that the investigation was about to spill over from the Mueller team’s narrow focus on Russian collusion to the Southern District of New York, which would not be restricted to the Russia probe.

#13

The Mueller team had a witness travel to Washington to testify before the grand jury. The witness was questioned about the Trump Organization’s operations, and how meetings with Trump were arranged. The witness revealed that all checks issued by the Trump Organization were personally signed by Donald Trump.

#14

By the third week of March, Trump’s son-in-law Kushner had his father-in-law’s complete attention. He delivered the president a harsh warning: if he were to be impeached, his businesses would be bankrupted as well.
Insights from Chapter 2

#1

Steve Bannon, after being fired from the White House, was now trying to forestall another threat to the Trump presidency: a betrayed base. He was meeting with hedge funders to try and convince liberals that the populist way should be their way, too.

#2

Bannon was, or at least saw himself as, a fixer, power broker, and kingmaker without portfolio. He was a cockeyed sort of Clark Clifford, a political eminence and influence peddler of the 1960s and ’70s.

#3

The final vote on the budget bill occurred on Wednesday, March 21. While the Wall was not funded in the bill, it was funded in Trump’s tweet that announced the vote. The Republican leadership and Democratic leadership both supported the bill, and it passed easily.

#4

The fight over the Wall was not just about the expense and impracticality of the Wall, but also about having to engage in a battle for it. A government shutdown would mean a face-off between the Trump world and the non-Trump world.

#5

The battle was on. The Republican leadership on the Hill, along with the donor class, stood sober and pragmatic in the face of both political realities and the prospect of unlimited billions in government spending. Trump, on the other hand, was a victim of betrayal.

#6