True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump

CNN legal analyst Toobin (American Heiress) delivers a vivid and doggedly reported rundown of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the impeachment of Donald Trump over the Ukraine affair. Drawing on interviews with more than 100 people, Toobin crafts an immersive narrative rich with insider details and astute observations. He credits teams led by Mueller and Congressman Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, with doing excellent work under difficult circumstances, yet contends that Mueller's "caution and reticence led him to fail at his two most important tasks": getting a consequential interview with Trump, and delivering a comprehensible final report that couldn't be misrepresented by the president's allies, in particular Attorney General William Barr. Mueller established multiple instances of obstruction of justice, Toobin notes, yet "placed Trump effectively above the law" by refusing to say whether he should be prosecuted. Lucid prose, trenchant analysis, and colorful anecdotes%E2%80%94including the time Schiff's 13-year-old son asked if he could call his dad "sleazy" because the president had just done so%E2%80%94will keep readers engrossed despite knowing the outcome. The result is a definitive behind-the-scenes portrait of what these investigations accomplished, and why they didn't bring Trump down. (Aug.)