There have been several books published about the work done by former special counsel Robert Mueller and his team in the years-long investigation into 2016 election interference by foreign sources — and Donald Trump's part in it.
For the first time, however, Mueller lends his voice to one, writing a preface that issues a cautionary tale.
“Americans have not learned the lessons of Russia’s attack on our democracy in 2016,” Mueller writes for the forthcoming book "Interference: The Inside Story of Trump, Russia, and the Mueller Investigation," according to Lawfare.
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“This threat deserves the attention of every American. Russia attacked us before and will do so again," he warns.
While former FBI special agent Peter Strzok and top Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissmann have authored their own books, authors Aaron Zebley, James Quarles, and Andrew Goldstein's new publication provides a glimpse into "behind-the-scenes deliberations concerning how best to conduct an investigation into a norm-breaking president," writes Lawfare.
Among those details is the "painstaking overview of their negotiations with Trump’s legal team" as the Justice Department tried to get testimony. The Mueller team wanted a live interview, but was forced to settle for Trump filling out a questionnaire aided by his lawyers.
The review states, "previously redacted material from the Mueller report since released under a Freedom of Information Act request suggests that the special counsel’s office may have believed that Trump lied in answering at least one of those questions."
Mueller wanted a subpoena for Trump, but the attorney general blocked and delayed. The new book walks through the frustration the team felt because "Mueller chose not to push further."
Attorney General Bill Barr's final document claimed to be an accurate summary of Mueller's findings said that the DOJ never blocked any subpoenas. It was technically true but, the book claims, it was "extremely misleading, and it obscured the extent to which the department worked to shield Trump."
The authors give a deference to Mueller while alleging others didn't hold themselves to his high standards.
Under Barr, the DOJ never prosecuted Trump using the ten examples of obstruction of justice that Mueller found.
The book will be released Thursday.