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manyreadersofMueller’s 2019report.
“ThatwassimplyagifttoTrump,”Toobin
laments,agiftthatBarrusedtoexoneratethe
presidentinapublicletterthatleftmembers
ofMueller’sstaff“incandescentwithfury.”But
someofthatangershouldhavebeendirected
inward.Notonlydidtheirreport’sopaque
phrasinggiveBarranopening,butasToobin
notes(andasPhilipRuckerandCarolLeonnig
previouslyreportedin“AVeryStable
Genius”),Mueller’steamalsodeclinedan
invitationfromtheJusticeDepartmentto
reviewtheletterbeforetheattorneygeneral
releasedit.“Barrwasabletoperformhis
partisandismantlingoftheMuellerReport,”
Toobinwrites,“onlybecausethespecial
counselandhisstaffgavehimthechance.”
Thelatterthirdof“TrueCrimesand
Misdemeanors”coversthepresident’s efforts
topressureUkraineintoannouncingan
investigationofJoeBiden,plusthe
impeachmentandSenatetrialthatfollowed.
Itisalessrivetingnarrative,inpartbecause
theoutcomeseemedsopreordained.But
spanningbothepisodesisafigurewho
emergesasanantiherointheTrump-Russia-
Ukrainesaga:Giuliani.
Hemaynotproveasintegraltothisperiod
asMueller,ComeyorBarr, butGiuliani
playedcriticalrolesthatfirsthelpedand
laterunderminedthepresident.AsTrump’s
attorney, Giulianirelentlesslyattackedthe
straight-shootingspecialcounsel,depicting
Muelleras“justanotherTrumpenemy,”
Toobinwrites.Anddespitehisunhinged
televisionhits—truthisn’ttruth!—Giuliani
helpednegotiatethecompromisewhereby
thepresidentprovidedwrittenresponsesto
limitedquestionsfromthespecialcounsel,
thushelpingTrumpavoidwhatwouldhave
beenaruinousinterviewwithMueller.
Butthen,asafreelancesecretaryofstate,
GiulianiabettedTrumpinthedisastrous
Ukraineoperation,“probablythegreatest
failureoflawyeringinthehistoryof
presidentialscandals,”Toobinwrites.
EnablingTrump’s worstinstincts,Giuliani
nudgedhimtowardimpeachableoffenses.
Therearealsodeeperconnections.Toobin
looksuponGiuliani’stenureasNewYork
mayor,fullof“belligerence,racialanimus,
andculturalgrievance,”andseesaprototype
forthe45thpresident,who“trackedthe
ideologicalgroovesthatGiulianilaiddown.”
NeverforgetthatRudywastheonly
supportertodefendTrumpontheSunday
televisionshowsafterthe“Access
Hollywood”videobecamepublicinOctober
2016.Theseguysweremadeforeachother.
AndMueller,thetale’s falteringhero,was
madeforanothertime,hisimpulsesas
honorableastheywereself-defeating.
“Muellerhadcomeofageinadifferenterain
AmericanjusticeandAmericanlife,when
modestyandself-effacementwereascendant
values,”Toobinconcludes.“Therewas
somethingadmirableinhisembraceofthis
vanishingworld.Thenandalways,hekeptto
hiscodeofpersonalhonor...andthatwas
bothhisgreateststrengthandhisgreatest
weakness.”
Twitter:@CarlosLozadaWPCarlos Lozadais thenonfictionbookcriticofThe
WashingtonPost.Meanwhile,DeputyAttorneyGeneralRod
Rosenstein,whohadhiredMuellerforthe
job,cautionedhimagainstanendless,Ken
Starr-stylefishingexpedition.
Asaresult,Mueller“didnotusetheFBI
informationasajumping-offpointfora
deeperexaminationofTrump’s historyand
finances—toexplore,forexample,why
TrumphadaspecialaffinityforRussiaand
itsleader,” Toobinexplains.Hedidnot
subpoenathepresident’s financialrecordsor
obtainhistaxreturns,theauthorsays,
becauseMuellerwasfocusedonascertaining
Trump’sintent(theknowledgethatwhat
you’redoingiswrong)morethanhispossible
motive,whichthepresident’s financescould
haverevealed.ToobinsaysMueller’s decision
was“defensible”—faintpraise—butadds,
“thatdoesn’tmeanthatitwascorrect.”
Throughouttheinvestigation,Trump
ofteninsistedthathewaseagerforan
interviewwithMueller’s team,anda
tentativedatewasevenset,forSaturday, Jan.
27,2018,atCampDavid.Butthepresident’s
attorneysdraggeditout(“Ifyouwereme,
wouldyouallowhimtodothat?”aTrump
lawyeraskedMueller),andthespecial
counselneverreallyfoughtback,avoiding
thecourtbattlethatasubpoenawouldhave
inevitablyproduced.Insteadheagreedto
writtenquestions,whichresultedinnearly
uselesswrittenanswersfromTrumpandhis
lawyers.“Inthiscriticalmoment,”Toobin
concludes,“Muellershowedweakness.”
Somuchhasalreadybeenwrittenonthis
periodthatstretchesofToobin’s bookfeel
likeasmartrecapofthepastfouryears,
punctuatedbyinsiderdetailsaboutthe
investigationsandToobin’s judgmentsonthe
lawyeringskillsandethicsofvariousplayers.
TheauthorhasnopatienceforJames
Comey’ssanctimonyand“fauxhumility.”
(ThisreaderofComey’s2018memoirwould
notdisagree.)Rosensteinis“disorientedand
outofhisdepth,”committinglegaland
political“malpractice”bylettingTrumpuse
himtojustifyComey’sfiring.AndBarris
“sycophantic,”a“toady”whoevolvedfrom
“principledconservativetoTrumpapologist.”
Mueller’sstaff,meanwhile,isholedupina
Washingtonofficebuildingcalled,yes,Patriots
Plaza,wheretheystressaboutsecrecy, puton
weight(the“Mueller15,”theyjoke)and
endurecuttingremarksfromtheirimpatient
boss(“Areyoudoneplayingwithyourfood?”
Muelleraskswhenhesensesequivocation
fromsubordinates).Inararelaughaboutthe
pressurestheteamfaced,twoofMueller’stop
prosecutors,AndrewWeissmannandJeannie
Rhee,receivedbaseballcapslabeled“Angry
Dem#1”and“AngryDem#2,”asgiftsfrom
Rhee’shusband.
ToobinsuggeststhatMueller’s isolation
madehimoverthinkthings.Thespecial
counselconsideredhimselfbound,correctly
so,bytheJusticeDepartmentpolicythata
sittingpresidentcannotbeindicted.But
Muellerwentfurther,decidingthathisreport
couldnotexplaininplainlanguagethatthe
president—byinterferingintheFBI’s
investigationofFlynnandrepeatedlyseeking
toundermineorfirethespecialcounsel—
hadbrokenthelaw. Instead,thespecial
counsel,worriedthatTrumpwouldhaveno
legalforuminwhichtocontestthe
accusation,offeredthenot-guilty-yet-not-AngryDems.Conflicted
prosecutor.Phonywitchhunt.
Nationaldisgrace!
That’s howPresidentTrump
publiclydisparagedthe
investigationbyspecial
counselRobertMueller(in
privatehetriedtoshutit
downaltogether).Muellerand
histeamrespondedwithenigmaticsilence,
lettingtheirindictmentsdotheirtalking.“In
acityfullofpublicfigureswhohungeredfor
attention,Muellerhadcreatedamystique
withhisreticence,”JeffreyToobinwritesin
“TrueCrimesandMisdemeanors,”hisnew
bookexploringtheinquiryintoRussian
electoralinterferenceaswellastheUkraine
scandalthatledtoTrump’s impeachment
andSenatetrial.Mueller’s silencefreed
everyoneto“projecttheir
fantasies”ontothespecial
counsel,Toobinexplains,
imagininghimeitherasa
righteousseekeroftruth
andjusticeorasarogue
prosecutorbentontaking
Trumpdown.
ExceptMuellerprovedto
beneither.Hewas,above
all,“arule-following
JusticeDepartmentnear
liferwhodidn’twantto
steptoofaroutsidehis
assignedlane,”a
meticulousandhonorable
manconcernedwith
behavingfairly—toafault
—towardthepresident
andavoidingtheendless
investigationsofspecial
prosecutorspast.Forallof
Trump’s complaintsabout
theleftleanofMueller’s
starlawyers,thatwasnevertheirmost
relevanttrait.“Moreimportantthanthe
politicalinclinationsofMueller’s teamwas
theirprofessionaltrainingasprosecutors,
andthosehonedinstinctslimitedtheir
ambitions,”Toobincontends.
EvenasMuellerandhisstaffpursuedleads,
evidenceandwitnesses,theirrestraintworked
toTrump’sadvantageatthreepivotal
moments:whenMuellerchosenottodiginto
thepresident’sfinances;whenhedeclinedto
subpoenaTrumpforapersonalinterview;and,
aboveall,whenMuelleroptedagainststating
inhisreportwhatthefactsshowed:that
Trumphadengagedinobstructionofjustice.
“Thesewerechoices,andcostlyones,”
Toobinasserts.Trumpandhissupporters
assailedtheinvestigationateveryturn,but
Muellerwashisownworstenemy.
Muellerdidnot“saveus,”asthepresident’s
criticshadhoped,becausehewasnever
goingto.Henevermeantto.Thatwasn’thow
hesawhisjob,andpopularfascinationwith
Muelleronlyreaffirmedhisnarrowviewof
hismandate.Oppositehimstoodmensuch
asRudyGiuliani,whoservedasthe
president’s personallawyer,andAttorney
GeneralWilliamBarr,whoprettymuchdid,
too.Thecontrastingvaluesandobjectivesof
theseindividualsformtheessenceofthis
bookand,toalargeextent,explainTrump’s
abilitytoemergeunscathedeventhough,as
Toobinputsit,“everyone—friendsaswellas
enemies—knewwhathehaddone.”
AstaffwriterfortheNewYorkeranda
legalanalystforCNN,Toobinhaswritten
booksontheBillClintoninvestigationand
theIran-contrascandal;hehadservedasa
youngprosecutorinthelattercase.AToobin
bookontheTrumpinvestigationsseemed
inevitable.Inanauthor’s note,Toobinsayshe
interviewedmembersofMueller’s staff,
subjectsandwitnessesintheprobe,Trump’s
legalteamandmembersofhis
administration,aswellaslawmakers.
Specificsourcesusuallygounnamed,and
Toobinalsoreliesonreportingandanalysis
byTheWashingtonPost,theNewYork
Times,Lawfareandothers.Puttogether,this
allgivesthebookanauthoritative,
omniscient-narratorquality, particularly
whenToobingoesinsidethedeliberationsof
Muellerandhisteam.
InMueller’s firstmeetingwithFBIofficials
asspecialcounsel,heisinformedaboutthe
targetsthebureauhadbeenpursuing—
TrumpcampaignofficialsPaulManafort,
CarterPageandGeorgePapadopoulos,as
wellasformernationalsecurityadviser
MichaelFlynnand,ofcourse,Trumphimself.
Muellerregardedthatlistassettingthe
contoursofhisinvestigation,Toobinreports.
Carlos
Lozada
Mueller was his own worst enemy
SALWANGEORGES/THEWASHINGTONPOST
RobertMueller’srestrainedapproach to hisjob as special counselworkedtoPresident
Trump’s advantageatpivotal moments,JeffreyToobin writes.TRUE CRIMES
AND
MISDEMEANORS
The
Investigation
of Donald
Trump
ByJeffrey
Toobin.
Doubleday.
482 pp.$30.