Peril

 

Bob Woodward & Robert Costa, “Peril,” Simon & Schuster, 2021, 418 pp.

The transition from President Donald J. Trump to President Joseph R. Biden Jr. stands as a most dangerous period in American history.  This classic study takes readers deep inside the Trump White House, the Biden White House, the 2020 campaign, and the Pentagon and Congress, with eyewitness accounts of what really happened.  Peril is supplemented throughout with never-before-seen material from secret orders, transcripts of confidential calls, diaries, emails, meeting notes, and other personal and government records, making for an unparalleled history.

Peril is the extraordinary story of the end of one presidency and the beginning of another and represents the culmination of Bob Woodward’s news-making trilogy on the Trump presidency, along with Fear and Rage. And it is the beginning of a collaboration with fellow Washington Post reporter Robert Costa that will remind readers of Woodward’s coverage, with Carl Bernstein, of President Richard M. Nixon’s final days.  Woodward and his reputation give him access to almost anyone he wishes to talk to and this book is illustrative of his broad access.

My Notes:

Pg. xiiif:  General Milley, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, believes January 6^th was a planned, coordinated, synchronized attack on the very heart of American democracy, designed to overthrow the government to prevent the constitutional certification of a legitimate election won by Joe Biden.

Pg. xxvf:  General Milley felt he had to pull a Schlesinger to contain Trump, and he did.  Schlesinger in 1974 as Secretary of Defense gave an edict to military leaders not to follow orders that came directly from President Nixon, who was facing impeachment, or the White House, without first checking with Schlesinger.  Schlesinger had felt Nixon might go around the chain of command and independently contact officers to order a strike, putting the country and the world in jeopardy.  Milley saw alarming parallels between Nixon and Trump. 

Pg. 55:  In January 2020, news of a virulent virus emerged from China.  On January 23, China locked down Wuhan and its population of 11 million people to their homes to control the outbreak.  On January 28^th national security adviser, Robert O’Brien warned Trump that the pneumonia-like virus outbreak would be seismic.  Three days later Trump cut-off travel from China but he remained distracted. 

Pg. 57:  On July 25, 2019, Trump had called the Ukrainian prime minister Zelensky, who was seeking a commitment of military aid from the US in Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.  In the call, according to a transcript of which Trump later ordered released, Trump asked Zelensky to talk with Attorney General William Barr and the president’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, about an investigation of the Bidens, particularly Hunter Biden’s work for Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company that faced legal trouble.

Pg. 89:  On May 25, 2020, the murder of George Floyd by the police occurred in Minneapolis.  Riots erupted and, by June 1^st, Trump wanted a law-and-order crackdown—10,000 active-duty, regular troops in the city.  He asked about the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that gave the president the authority to use active-duty troops domestically by simply declaring an insurrection.  Mark Esper, the Secretary of Defense, left this meeting and arranged for D.C. to be well-protected with National Guard troops, not the regular army that Trump wanted.  Milley left the meeting and changed into more comfortable clothing, his camouflage fatigues.  At 6PM Esper and Milley headed to the FBI command center to meet up.  They planned to visit the Guard in the streets.  But on his way, a call came in to Esper: “The president wants you at the White House.”  Milley received a similar call.  Around 6:30 p.m. the US Park Police led a group of law enforcement officers, in riot gear and on horseback, into the crowd at Lafayette Park and began forcefully clearing protesters from the Square.  When Milley and Esper got to the White House, Trump told them, “We are going to the church.”  Also attending were Barr, and National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, senior advisers, family members Jared Kushner and Ivanka along with Hope Hicks and chief of staff Mark Meadows.  It was one of the most photographed and videotaped parades of the Trump presidency.  “We’ve been duped,” Esper said to Milley.  Milley said he was leaving but, even though he left, he had already been photographed standing at this political event in uniform.

Pg. 124:  On October 2, 2020, Trump was hospitalized with the Coronavirus, briefly interrupting his political campaign for President.  He was released on October 5^th, theatrically removing his mask from the White House balcony.  At least 34 White House staffers and other contacts in the White House had contracted the virus.

Pg. 128:  On October 30, four days before the election, Milley discovered that the Chinese believed the US was going to attack them.  He called his Chinese counterpart and assured him this was not going to happen.

Pg. 131:  In the months before the election, Trump systematically claimed the election outcome would be rigged.  If he didn’t win, the election would be stolen.  It was his unless there was massive fraud.  On June 22, he had tweeted: “MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WILL BE PRINTED BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES AND OTHERS.  IT WILL BE THE SCANDAL OF OUR TIMES!”

Pg. 132:  Fox News stunned the Trump crowd shortly before 11:30 pm calling Arizona for Biden.  Trump now claimed that Fox News was in on the steal.

Pg. 133:  There were two ways to look at the returns.  On one hand, Biden had won by 7 million votes—81 million to Trump’s 74 million.  On the other, a switch of 44,000 votes in Arizona, Wisconsin, and Georgia would have given Trump and Biden a tie in the Electoral College. 

In his bid for election, Biden had ended up doing what Hillary Clinton could not in 2016: pick up some support from working-class Americans who rarely participated in politics.

Pg. 139:  After the election, on November 9, 2020, Trump fired Esper, the Secretary of Defense,  by tweet.  This is the same day that Pfizer announced that its vaccine trials were 90 percent effective in preventing the virus.  Trump, of course, believes they delayed the announcement so it would not benefit him during the election some days earlier.

Pg. 156:  On November 11, 2020, a memo from Trump was given to Milley instructing: “I hereby direct you to withdraw all US forces from Somalia no later than 31 December 2020 and from Afghanistan no later than 15 January 2021.  (because of the extraordinary fuss the memo kicked up, the memo was withdrawn later in the day).  (Later Trump announced that on May 1, 2021, we had to evacuate Afghanistan: he made a deal with the Taliban not to attack US troops in the interim p. 335).  (The NATO allies had nearly 10,000 troops left in Afghanistan when Biden announced he was getting out—of these, the US had 3,500 troops there).

Pg. 198:  In late December 2020, Pence called Dan Quayle for some advice concerning Trump’s insistence that Pence not certify the election and throw the election to the House.  Quayle advised against doing this.

Pg. 239:  Before Trump took the stage on January 6, Giuliani used militaristic language in his own rally remarks.  “Let’s have trial by combat,” he said, as the crowd hooted their approval.  Trump, in his speech, declared, “You’ll never take back our country with weakness.  You have to show strength and you have to be strong,” he said.  “We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only counts the electors who have been lawfully slated.  I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voice heard.”  Just before 1 pm, Trump made one last try for Pence to submit and do his bidding.

“Mike Pence, I hope you’re going to stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country.  And if you’re not, I’m going to be very disappointed in you.  I will tell you right now.  I’m not hearing good stories.”  Pence was removed from the Senate floor a 2:13pm yet Trump tweeted at 3:13 pm, “I am asking for everyone at the Capitol to remain peaceful.  No violence!  Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order—respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue.  Thank you!”  At 4:17 pm trump posted a video: “This was a fraudulent election, but we can’t play into the hands of these people.  We have to have peace.  So go home.  We love you.  You’re very special.”

Pg. 258:  At 3:40 am on January 7^th, Pence announced that Biden had been certified the winner, even though 138 Republicans voted to reject Pennsylvania’s votes.

Pg. 289:  Finally Trump resisted his inclination for a self-pardon but over 140 people were granted clemency near midnight on January 19, including Bannon, rapper Lil Wayne, former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and countless other allies in politics and business.

Pg. 402:  The intelligence agencies reported to Biden that they had determined with high confidence that Russia was behind three major acts of aggression: the poisoning of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, the massive cyberattacks that allowed Russia to spy on or disrupt some 16,000 computer systems worldwide, and the interference in 2020 US presidential election to help Trump. Biden then called Putin and laid out the accusations.  Biden dismissed the expected denials.  “I’m warning you we are coming at you with these responses,” Biden said.  He described a series of aggressive sanctions.  “They will happen this week and I want you to hear it from me directly.  And it’s because of the specific things you’ve done.  He also warned Putin not to start a new military incursion into Ukraine.  On April 15 the US announced sanctions on the Russian Central Bank, its Finance Ministry, wealth fund, six technology companies, 32 entities and individuals for attempts to influence the 2020 presidential election, and eight individuals and groups involved in Russia’s occupation and repression in Crimea.