The Apprentice: Trump, Russia and the Subversion of American Democracy

The Apprentice: Trump, Russia and the Subversion of American Democracy
Greg Miller

From Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Greg Miller comes an exclusive book uncovering the truth behind the Kremlin’s attempt to destroy Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump win the presidency, Trump’s steadfast allegiance to Vladimir Putin and Robert Mueller’s ensuing investigation of the president and his entourage.This exclusive book uncovers the truth behind the Kremlin’s interference in Donald Trump’s win and Trump’s steadfast allegiance to Vladimir Putin. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of people in Trump’s inner circle, the intelligence communities, foreign officials, and confidential documents. The Apprentice offers exclusive information about:• the hacking of the Democrats by Russian intelligence;• Russian hijacking of Facebook and Twitter;• National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s hidden communications with the Russians;• the attempt by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, to create a secret backchannel to Moscow using Russian diplomatic facilities;• Trump’s disclosure to Russian officials of highly classified information about Israeli intelligence operations;• Trump’s battles with the CIA and the FBI and fierce clashes within the West Wing;• Trump’s efforts to enlist the director of national intelligence and the director of the National Security Agency to push back against the FBI’s investigation of his campaign;• the mysterious Trump Tower meeting;• the firing of FBI Director James Comey;• the appointment of Mueller and the investigation that has followed;• the internal battles within Trump’s legal camp;• and Trump’s jaw-dropping behaviour in Helsinki.Deeply reported and masterfully told, The Apprentice is essential reading for anyone trying to understand Vladimir Putin’s secret operation, its catastrophic impact, and the nature of betrayal.

Copyright (#u31dfdad9-2908-5b10-96f6-955b3da1d413)

William Collins

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This eBook first published in Great Britain by William Collins in 2018

Copyright © 2018 by W P Company LLC

Cover design by Ploy Siripant; cover photographs © AFP/Getty Images (Trump); © by Phoelixde/Shutterstock (Russian skyline); © by Samiran Sarkar/Shutterstock (D.C. skyline); © Maxym/Shutterstock (texture)

Greg Miller asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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Source ISBN: 9780008325756

Ebook Edition © October 2018 ISBN: 9780008325763

Version: 2018-09-27

Dedication (#u31dfdad9-2908-5b10-96f6-955b3da1d413)

To Rebecca, Katie, Peter, and Cole

For Mom and Dad

Contents

Cover (#u2d187a17-3b04-5984-a2ab-ccea0234741a)

Title Page (#u4476ac34-7538-55a7-abb2-5a8fc3fbb577)

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

Part One

1. The Hack

2. Putin’s Trolls

3. Moths to the Flame

Part Two

4. “I Believe You Have Some Information for Us”

5. The Missing Emails

6. Crossfire Hurricane

7. Deep Inside the Kremlin

Part Three

8. Dezinformatsiya

9. The Russian Ambassador

10. Briefing the President

Part Four

11. You’re Fired

12. The Special Counsel Strikes

Part Five

13. “I Can’t Put on the Charm”

14. Helsinki

Epilogue

Plate Section

Notes

Index

Acknowledgments

About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

Also by Greg Miller (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

PROLOGUE (#u31dfdad9-2908-5b10-96f6-955b3da1d413)

THE WARREN OF CUBICLES WAS SECURED BEHIND A METAL door. The name on the hallway placard had changed often over the years, most recently designating the space as part of the Mission Center for Europe and Eurasia. But internally, the office was known by its unofficial title: “Russia House.”

The unit had for decades been the center of gravity at the CIA, an agency within the agency, locked in battle with the KGB for the duration of the Cold War. The department’s prestige had waned after the September 11 attacks, and it was forced at one point to surrender space to counterterrorism operatives. But Russia House later reclaimed that real estate and began rebuilding, vaulting back to relevance as Moscow reasserted itself. Here, among a maze of desks, dozens of reports officers fielded encrypted cables from abroad, and “targeters” meticulously scoured data on Russian officials, agencies, businesses, and communications networks the CIA might exploit for intelligence.

Deeper inside was a conference room adorned with Stalin-era posters of heroically depicted Soviets, muscled soldiers and workers striding across fields or factories under the hammer and sickle. The room, swept routinely for listening devices, was the scene of increasingly tense meetings in the months leading up to the 2016 presidential election, as senior agency officials sought to make sense of a series of disconcerting reports. In late July, the agency had gained access to an extraordinary stream of information showing that Russian president Vladimir Putin was himself directing the “active measures” operation aimed at disrupting the U.S. presidential race. U.S. intelligence partners were also warning Russia House about worrisome contacts between Russian figures and campaign associates of the Republican nominee.

Donald Trump’s vigorous displays of admiration for the Russian leader only made things more bewildering. He routinely praised Putin and even seemed to enlist Moscow in an effort to hack his opponent’s email account. The question was, why? Taking a hard line against Russia was the politically winning move, and yet Trump seemed subservient.

Unlike any presidential candidate in memory, Trump had shielded his finances from public scrutiny. He refused to release his personal tax returns. His business empire was a labyrinth of separate companies registered under different names. Many of those he had done business with hid their identities behind corporate shells. Some of his most prominent developments were deep in debt, though how deep and to whom was nearly impossible to discern.

During the campaign, there was consolation in the idea that Trump’s unsettling behavior toward Moscow was a product of inexperience—a problem that would be contained when he was surrounded by smarter advisers or wouldn’t matter anymore once he lost. But those inside U.S. spy agencies were privy to alarming secrets that were not so easily shrugged off. Among them was that the Kremlin was actively seeking to help elect Trump.