First published 2019
Andrew McCarthy argues that the true conspiracy in 2016 involved Clinton campaign operatives and Obama administration officials, not Trump and Russia. He contends that despite Clinton's polling advantage, partisan intelligence figures crafted an insurance policy against Trump's potential victory. This plan centered on an unverified dossier funded secretly by Clinton's campaign and assembled by a former British intelligence officer. McCarthy claims the FBI used this dubious document to launch surveillance of Trump's team, even though top bureau officials knew it was salacious and unproven. When Trump won unexpectedly, his opponents refused to accept the outcome. Intelligence operatives, Justice Department personnel, and media allies promoted the Russia story through leaks and coverage. Trump's firing of FBI Director Comey after contradictory public and private statements triggered the special counsel investigation. McCarthy examines how congressional Republicans eventually shifted focus to the investigators themselves, revealing what he sees as unprecedented politicization of law enforcement and intelligence agencies that inserted themselves into electoral politics.
Genres: history, political-science, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, current-affairs, political-thriller, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: conspiracy-theory, political-corruption
Setting: United States
Period: 2016
434 pages · Hardcover · Encounter Books