This project would not have been possible without the generous support and commitment of our editors at The Washington Post—first and foremost Marty Baron, whose leadership, judgment, and commitment to unearthing truths has not only guided our newsroom but also helped shield and bolster a free press during this extraordinary period. Steven Ginsberg, who has expertly and gracefully directed the Post’s coverage of the Trump administration, was an enthusiastic and essential advocate of our partnership and of this deeper examination. We also are indebted to Cameron Barr, Dave Clarke, Dan Eggen, Matea Gold, Tracy Grant, Lori Montgomery, and Peter Wallsten for the faith they put in us and the energy they gave to our project. They made it possible for us to be absent during periods when news was furiously breaking and granted us the time and flexibility to see this book to completion.
Our work has been lifted and inspired by the very best journalists in America, our colleagues at the Post whose coverage of President Trump has lit the way. We thank profusely Devlin Barrett, Bob Costa, Alice Crites, Josh Dawsey, Karoun Demirjian, Karen DeYoung, Peter Finn, Anne Gearan, Tom Hamburger, Shane Harris, Rosalind Helderman, Sari Horwitz, John Hudson, Greg Jaffe, Michael Kranish, Greg Miller, Nick Miroff, Carol Morello, Ellen Nakashima, Ashley Parker, Paul Sonne, Julie Tate, and Craig Timberg. They lent us their wisdom and kindness and then took on more work when we temporarily stepped aside.
During a generation of turmoil for media companies, we have had the good fortune to find stability and success at the Post. Carol came to the paper in 2000 and Philip in 2005, and we consider ourselves lucky to work in a newsroom that seeds excellence in its journalism and nurtures collegiality in its journalists. The Post’s mission flourishes because of an unbroken chain of leaders committed to the public good and our democracy. These values were first enshrined by Katharine Graham and protected by Don Graham and Katharine Weymouth. Jeff Bezos and Fred Ryan have championed and built upon the Graham family legacy with their determination to uphold the highest journalistic principles, hold the powerful to account, and expand the Post’s reach.
We also are fortunate at the Post to work with a diligent group of public relations professionals, led by Kris Coratti, Molly Gannon, and Shani George, who dedicate themselves to ensuring our journalism finds a broad audience on many platforms. We also are indebted to Alma Gill, Brooke Lorenz, Sam Martin, Elliot Postell, and Liz Whyte for giving us the tools to do our best work.
Ann Godoff’s reputation as a peerless book editor precedes her. When she decided to take a chance on us, we were equal parts thrilled and terrified. Ann brilliantly nourished this project, pushing us out of our comfort zone and helping us bring our reporting into the round. She schooled us in teleology and was our lodestar in this work. Ann and her superlative team at Penguin Press, including Matthew Boyd, Colleen Boyle, Casey Denis, Bruce Giffords, William Heyward, Sarah Hutson, Do Mi Stauber, and Ingrid Sterner, ensured these pages would sparkle and reach many readers.
Elyse Cheney is the most committed agent, counselor, and advocate any author could ask for, and a force of nature. Elyse recognized the potential for this book before we did, and she remained intimately involved throughout. When we doubted whether we had what it took to craft this historic narrative, she dug deep and helped show us that we could. We are grateful for Elyse and her team, including Allison Devereux, Natasha Fairweather, Claire Gillespie, and Alex Jacobs.
A number of other people played essential roles in this project. Julie Tate, our longtime collaborator and friend, trained her scrupulous eye for detail to stress test our manuscript. There is a reason Julie has been a part of so many winning Pulitzer Prize entries. Grace Barnes conducted valuable research. Cynthia Colonna transcribed many of our interviews. Melina Mara, our friend and Post photojournalist, shot our author portraits, and Alicia Majeed made us look great.
We have spent three years in the trenches with scores of journalists at the top of their game, each striving to bring light to darkness and to explain the sometimes incomprehensible. This has been the most challenging and exhilarating period in American journalism during our lifetimes, of which the citizens of our country are the beneficiaries. Our competitors, of which there are too many to list here, have enlivened and inspired our work.
Leonnig
I want to thank the people who have lifted, inspired, and cheered me, including when this project seemed insurmountable. First, I give endless love and thanks to my husband, John Reeder, who somehow bounces back each day, happy and encouraging. He unfailingly carried me, as well as our children, on so many days when I was going to fall down. I am ridiculously lucky to have him as my partner and center in this life. Our literal and figurative house is still standing because of him.
Next, I give buckets of gratitude and love to my wonderful girls, Elise and Molly. You gave me smiles and hugs when I had only a furrowed brow. During this project, you handled major responsibilities on your own, beautifully. You make me so proud. Both of you, along with your father, gave me the reason to keep going when I needed it most.
I will be forever grateful to my work partner, Phil Rucker, who injected our project with an amazing drive and rigor that was stunning to witness in progress. He is a colleague par excellence who never lets up, who demands so much of himself, and who never asks of you what he has not already delivered and cross-checked. The skills and energy he brought to this work left me in awe. I couldn’t imagine a more precise, caring, and gifted collaborator in any narrative project, in this moment, and at any time.
Words fail in expressing my gratitude for the treasure of family and friends who have been critical cheerleaders, in spirit and in deed. Thanks always to my mother, Dolly, who wordlessly did so much for me; to my sister, Brooke, and brother, Henry, for constant support and understanding; to my late father, Harry, who instilled in me a joy for a hard job done well. Major thanks to every member of my extended Reeder clan, too long to list, and to Maureen Reeder and Glenn Kelley for their graceful help throughout.
I am forever indebted to a group of friends—including Michelle Dolge, Julie Maner, Lisa Rosenberg, Kristianne Teems, Liz Wieser, and Kristin Willsey—for giving me the gifts one cannot buy: their ear, laughter, and time. Thank you for the soul-restoring breaks, sometimes running through Rock Creek Park or talking over wine. Caitrine Callison, I couldn’t have made it without your every gracious deed and welcoming hug. Thanks also to people who were encouraging listeners from the earliest days, including Cynthia Baker, Kitson Jazynka, Juliana Reno, Laura Scalzo, and Elizabeth Shreve.
Thanks to the people in the craft who were my early guides. I’m grateful to Steve Coll, Anne Hull, Carlos Lozada, David Maraniss, Dana Priest, Karen Tumulty, Joby Warrick, Paige Williams, Bob Woodward, and many more, who generously offered their advice on book writing over lunches and long talks. Thank you, Paige, for hopping on the phone at any hour.
I have a wealth of fabulous collaborators at the Post, where teamwork is a hallmark and the reason I love the place. Rachael Bade, Bob Barnes, Bob Costa, Aaron Davis, Josh Dawsey, David Fahrenthold, Anne Gearan, Tom Hamburger, Shane Harris, Rosalind Helderman, Greg Jaffe, Michelle Lee, Ashley Parker, Beth Reinhard, Mike Semel, Ian Shapira, Craig Timberg, and so many others make the work invigorating—and fun. I’m indebted to the magical poise and instincts of Matea Gold, who leads our political enterprise team, along with John Drescher and Sandhya Somashekhar. Finally, thank you to the amazing team at NBC and MSNBC, where smart, savvy pros including Chris Hayes, Dafna Linzer, Rachel Maddow, Andrea Mitchell, Nicolle Wallace, Brian Williams, and many others shine a light day in and day out on the best breaking journalism and bring our reporting to a broader audience.