Russian Roulette

Did you ever read an intriguing spy novel? Well, reading this book feels like that – except that it’s all true. The authors felt a need to write this book in order to prevent a future attack on America. The public and its leaders had to know what had occurred. “A thorough accounting was a national necessity.”The story begins with a history of Trump, Russia, and the Miss Universe contest held in a suburb near Moscow. We see early on Trump’s keen interest to do business in Russia and his desire to meet Putin. It is important to note that when things went badly for Putin and Russia, Putin saw the hidden hand of America trying to impose their worldview. Putin saw the West repeatedly humiliating him, for example, over Libya and Syria, which he considered his back yard. The finger was often pointed at Hillary Clinton, then Secretary of State. Another key moment occurred in February 2013 when Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of staff of Russia’s armed forces, published an article advocating that “Russia adapt its military strategies to the modern world.” Russia was becoming aware of a new world in which battalions and fighter aircraft would be a thing of the past, replaced by hackers and skilled propagandists exploiting rifts in the ranks of the adversary. The goal: destroy NATO, the European Union, and seriously harm the United States. We are all familiar now with the Internet Research Agency and the compromise of social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.The story now segues to the hack of the DNC by APT29 (Cozy Bear) and APT 28 (hackers associated with Russian military intelligence). These groups have been active for many years hacking into the systems of aerospace, energy, media, and government. Some time is spent discussing Trump’s connection to the Russian-born Felix Sater, a NY real estate developer. We also see Trump bragging about how his firm was riding high on money flowing out of Russia. Trump Jr. touted Russia as a key source of profits, and Trump was always trying to secure a project in Moscow. The authors note, “Was he trying to leverage his status as the Republican front-runner to finally score a Moscow deal?” It is an interesting thought.Paul Manafort played an important role in the Trump campaign for a few months, and the authors devote a chapter to this person. Victoria Nuland, assistant secretary of state at the time, had stated that “He’s been a Russian stooge for fifteen years.” There is a lot to say here, dating back to the notorious lobbying and consulting firm Black, Manafort, and Stone. We learn of the relationship between Manafort, Deripaska, and Akhmetov, among others. Of course, then there’s Carter Page and George Papadopoulos. The FBI determined that they were being cultivated by cutouts for Russian intelligence, “as part of a sophisticated operation to infiltrate and influence the Trump campaign.” Then there’s the Trump Jr meeting with Veselnitskaya and others, which figured prominently in the news. Moving on, there is some interesting details on the Christopher Steele dossier and Fusion GPS. I interestingly noted that the information provided by the dossier was “akin to preliminary intelligence reporting – information not analyzed, vetted, or ready for distribution.” It was not meant to be gospel, but a raw product of intelligence gathering.The ensuing chapters discuss the details of the DNC hack, Podesta’s email hack, the search for Clinton’s emails, the Obama administration’s response to the Russian interference in the election, the Internet Research Agency and their compromise of Twitter and Facebook, and what the intelligence community was learning about the Russian attack. If you followed the news, much of this will be familiar to you, but the authors go into a bit of detail on these matters.

Conservatives will brand this book as "fake news" but I'd put money on it that everything in it is factual. This president has become a national embarrassment and I'm sorry now that I voted for him. We should have seen what was coming with him during the debates as he acted like a complete moron. Even his former Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, called him that. Getting pretty bad when he doesn't have the nerve to fire people face to face but rather uses tweets. Anyone with any kind of a decent job would be nuts to become part of the Trump administration. He demanded loyalty from James Comey yet he shows none for the people around him.It should come as no big secret that Trump was in bed with the Russians. He probably would have sold his soul to the devil to get his precious Trump Tower built in Moscow. Seems like he's hell bent on putting up monuments to himself all around the world. I doubt that there has ever been a bigger egomaniac nor a much bigger crook. He makes Nixon look like Honest Abe. He supposedly went to Washington to 'drain the swamp' but instead has flooded it with totally unqualified people and wealthy friends. He badmouthed Obama for playing so much golf yet he spends about every fourth day playing golf. His travels back and forth to Florida are costing the taxpayers a fortune. When he leaves office, Air Force One will be ready for the boneyard.Long story short, this book is well worth reading and I'm glad that I bought. It arrived in good time and was brand new. I would gladly buy from this seller again..

Fantastic! I’ve been glued to the news for 2 years. This book explains EVERYTHING from the very beginning. I thought it might be a tough read due to the vast amount of information. I was pleased to find it as addictive as a fresh Grisham novel; except this is our reality.

I could just say that this book is brilliant. Brilliant, period. End of story. But despite its meticulous detailing, this isn’t the end of the story, it is just, I am afraid, the beginning. Investigative journalists Isikoff and Corn are at it at their lacemaking, weaving their dark mantilla, telling the tale of an international mafia that apparently roots in Russia. But despite their carefully threading, no one is sure where the source starts or where it will end. What one is certain of, is that one is entering into a jigsaw of crimes. Better yet, crimes built like Russian dolls, where one hides another one, and once one discovers that one, the opening that doll’s head reveals something else. And on, and on. Here are a few, just a few things one learns: Trump is not thrown up-hazardously into the political scene, nor is his arrival there a revenge against some humiliating words thrown out humorously by our last president Barrack Obama. There might be cold calculation in what appears to be burst-out, emotional and vulgar eccentricities. In other words, Trump’s impulsiveness might be “fake news.” Chapters are titled with quotes. Here is the title of Chapter 7: “He’s Been a Russian Stooge for Fifteen Years.” This is an allusion to Paul Manafort, in the news now as I am writing this (August 2018), and facing life in prison. He was, after all, a Putin aide before he offered his help to Trump’s campaign. That last gig, he did for free, quite a strange thing for a businessman like him. There are the continuous meetings between Trump’s entourage and Putin’s. There is Trump’s insistence on maintaining a relationship with a country that not only is our enemy, is powerful enough to destroy us, but has a leader who will not encumber himself with delicate sentiments to do it should his interests dictate it. All of this, and much more, is woven with an assembly of names and places, as if they were parts of an infernal machine. But what makes the work fascinating, brilliant as mentioned, but beyond that, important, is that Isikoff and Corn have begun to show us the mechanism of that machine. Hopefully it is not a bomb. Hopefully, with more work like this, it can be dismantled.

Donald Trump corrupt? Colluding with the Russians? No! Surely not! 😉 Oh hang on, this book shows that yes, Mr Trump, the orange Adonis himself, may well have been in bed with the Russians. Whatever will Melania say (whatever it takes her to keep her visa I imagine!).Being serious, this is an incredibly in-depth book that tells you all you need to know about the silver tongued charmer and his friend Vlad!

All the dirt and nothing but the dirt. If you come away still thinking that Trump had nothing to do with Russia over the past few decades, then you must be a lifetime member of the GOP and the NRA in one. Should be required reading for the Congressional Investigative Committees.

There will no doubt be truth buried in what has been written, however it is spoilt because it is loaded with hearsay. I only bought this book on recommendation, and after reading James Comey’s “A Higher Loyalty”.... which was an excellent read by the way! Far better to learn the facts from those with first hand knowledge IMHO!

Really interesting reading

Couldn't put it down. Great read. Scary to think of how the internet makes us so vulnerable.