The History Book Club discussion

This is the thread for the Free Read- Lead and Discuss thread for The Threat

by Andrew G. McCabe (no photo)

What is the Book About:

On March 16, 2018, just twenty-six hours before his scheduled retirement from the organization he had served with distinction for more than two decades, Andrew G. McCabe was fired from his position as deputy director of the FBI. President Donald Trump celebrated on Twitter: "Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI - A great day for Democracy."

In The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump, Andrew G. McCabe offers a dramatic and candid account of his career, and an impassioned defense of the FBI's agents, and of the institution's integrity and independence in protecting America and upholding our Constitution.

McCabe started as a street agent in the FBI's New York field office, serving under director Louis Freeh. He became an expert in two kinds of investigations that are critical to American national security: Russian organized crime—which is inextricably linked to the Russian state—and terrorism. Under Director Robert Mueller, McCabe led the investigations of major attacks on American soil, including the Boston Marathon bombing, a plot to bomb the New York subways, and several narrowly averted bombings of aircraft. And under James Comey, McCabe was deeply involved in the controversial investigations of the Benghazi attack, the Clinton Foundation's activities, and Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.

The Threat recounts in compelling detail the time between Donald Trump's November 2016 election and McCabe's firing, set against a page-turning narrative spanning two decades when the FBI's mission shifted to a new goal: preventing terrorist attacks on Americans. But as McCabe shows, right now the greatest threat to the United States comes from within, as President Trump and his administration ignore the law, attack democratic institutions, degrade human rights, and undermine the U.S. Constitution that protects every citizen.

Important, revealing, and powerfully argued, The Threat tells the true story of what the FBI is, how it works, and why it will endure as an institution of integrity that protects America.

OK, this is a free read. So there are no deadlines, no assigned moderation, no weekly reading assignment - just folks who want to talk about this particular book.

Hopefully, in time we will have folks step up to the plate and who want to read a poll selected book and the person who nominated the book just gets to read and post about the book they are reading and make comments as they go through the book. There are no spoiler threads and nothing else to it.

It is like the book discussions that you find in most other groups. These are not the History Book Club Buddy Reads, Spotlighted Reads or Book of the Month nor our Presidential Read Series - those all have structure to them. The HBC is making it easy for those folks so they have a spot too.

But we feel that sometimes folks want to read something of their own choosing so we have the polls for the Free Reads and nominations.

You must follow our rules and guidelines for civility and respect and of course - no self promotion and citations are required for any other book or author different from the selection itself.

Who would like to join me for this free read. Sign up on this thread.

I would love to have some company as we post randomly how we feel about the book

March 1st - please join me - very much a free reading opportunity

Come be a Free Reader - only at the HBC - The History Book Club on 카지노싸이트. Free Read!

Background for book:

Why Andrew McCabe Sees The President as a Threat on PBS News - Public Broadcasting



Source: PBS

Sign up here. Come be a Free Reader (only at the HBC - The History Book Club on 카지노싸이트)

I bought the book yesterday. I hope to start it next week.

Great welcome to Free Reading - Suzanne. Glad to have you with me.

You have become a Free Reader (lol).

It is pretty easy here - no rules - no schedule - you just read with no stress and post how you feel about you read as you read and as you want to.

No citations necessary either unless you discuss other books and authors. The Free Reads - only at the HBC are different than our Spotlighted, Buddy Reads, Presidential Series and other moderated reads. It gives you complete flexibility.

So pop in and join me for a conversation or two or more. The Threat has catapulted itself to the top of the New York Best Selling List.

Welcome.

Thank and yes looking forward to this read. I already watched several of his interviews so this book is a must read.

Absolutely, I agree Suzanne - I look forward to talking and posting with you more.

Sign up here. Come be a Free Reader (only at the HBC - The History Book Club on 카지노싸이트)

This is the Free Read section where there is only one thread - and we read at our own schedule - it is never too late to join or post or comment. The only citations are those for books or authors mentioned that are not the main read and discussion. There is no stress - pick up the book and put it down for two weeks and then pick it up again - nobody cares. This is a Free Read. And just post your thoughts as you read or listen.

I am listening to this book from audible.

There is first a Listener's Note which tells the listener that this book contains both chapters and sections - on how we work -

The eight chapters tell the story of McCabe's history and career working for the FBI.

Then there are three chapters on "how we work" and that will give you an insiders view of the techniques and principles of how
the FBI operates.

I am currently listening to the Prologue - FD302 - let us know where you are and you thoughts as you read and listen.

McCabe states that all of the interview notes for his very first interview would have been saved and are somewhere in the J. Edgar Hoover Building of the FBI. McCabe said that he interviewed in Philadelphia almost two decades ago.

Hard to believe that the FBI even saves the interview notes from 20 years ago? Isn't it?

About Andrew McCabe


16th Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
In office - February 1, 2016 – January 29, 2018

See Wikipedia:

So we have learned that every interview done by the FBI is preserved on an FD 302.

Fox News rendition:

And on CNN:

McCabe went through his background and what his FD 302 interview might have looked like. Since his parents were surprised that he would leave his law firm job - I have to ask what about the FBI attracted McCabe - that was not really answered. McCabe met his wife at Duke. Any thoughts?

I completed the Note and the Prologue - how about everyone else?

I am beginning Chapter One - Up for Grabs - listening on audible.

No idea why it said May.

I am listening to it now.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions wanted to talk to McCabe while James Comey was out of town at field office.


Eighty-fourth Attorney General - Jeff Sessions

James Comey fired on May 9, 2017



Source: CNN

Here is a site that shows all of the Attorney Generals of the United States:



Source: The United States Department of Justice

Robert F. Kennedy Building - the Department of Justice Building

Entrance to Attorney General's Office:



This is an interesting pdf on the Art and Architecture of the Department of Justice Building itself - very interesting:



Source: Department of Justice site

In the book, McCabe discusses the perks of being Attorney General including a private dining room (elegantly appointed) etc. It is a complex of several rooms with a bedroom and shower upstairs.

The Robert F. Kennedy building stands in contrast to the brutal architecture of the FBI building - the Department of Justice building represents the ideal while the FBI Building (the J. Edgar Hoover) building represents the instrumental aspects of justice.


J. Edgar Hoover Building - FBI

Rod Rosenstein



More:

JAMES A. CROWELL IV



Before joining the Deputy Attorney General's office, Crowell was the Criminal Chief in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, where he oversaw the work of over 85 Assistant U.S. Attorneys involved in criminal prosecutions, including national security, violent crime, fraud and corruption, cybercrime, narcotics, asset forfeiture, and money laundering, as well as the Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, Project Safe Child, Project Safe Neighborhoods, and related anti-crime programs. Crowell also served as the Chief of the Southern Division. Crowell has worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Maryland since 2007, when he began as an Assistant United States Attorney.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, from 2003 to 2007, Crowell was a Trial Attorney in the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, the office that oversees the federal effort to combat corruption through the prosecution of officials and employees at all levels of government. Crowell is the recipient of numerous law enforcement awards, including all three of the Department of Defense’s highest civilian awards, recognizing his effort to combat contract fraud and corruption involving military contracts. For his prosecution of public corruption cases, Crowell received the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for superior performance and excellence as a lawyer.

Crowell began his career with the Department through the Attorney General’s Honors program as a Trial Attorney in the Antitrust Division’s Criminal Section in 2001, following his clerkship with Judge Charles A. Pannell, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Crowell received his B.A. from Hampden-Sydney College and his J.D. from Boston University School of Law. Crowell has also served in the United States Army Reserve since 1994.

Source: Department of Justice

Note: When McCabe was summoned to the Department of Justice - he was met by three folks in the office of the Attorney General - Sessions, Rosenstein and Crowell (Rosenstein's Chief of Staff). McCabe was blindsided - he did not know that Comey had been fired. Rosenstein stated that the did not want McCabe to send any announcement to the FBI about was had transpired, etc. until he had heard from the White House. McCabe indicated that they needed to say something internally. Rosenstein stated do not say anything about this to anyone and nothing until you hear from us even to your wife until we get back to you!

Discussion Topics:

1. Did anyone else think that this whole meeting and what Rosenstein stated to be quite odd? Obviously, Comey had learned about the firing accidentally while in a field office due to some TV monitor. Wouldn't the FBI staff also have learned about this on one of the news channels?

2. Did you agree with McCabe that everything about the firing of Comey came across as improvised and slapdashed?

Rod Rosenstein's letter about Comey



Trump's Letter Firing Comey

The Letter the Justice Department Said did not Exist:



Source: The Daily Beast

Robert Mueller



Source: MSNBC

Note: For the full report - watch Headliners on April 8th

Looking forward to reading The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump.

Great glad to have you

I'm about halfway through the book, just before Comey's July, 2016 announcement about Hillary Clinton's emails, and am finding it fascinating and disturbing so there are times I need to put it down.

I found the background information about how the FBI works, the investigation into the Boston marathon bombing and even the Hillary Clinton email investigation very enlightening.

Whatever McCabe did wrong (or not), it's heartbreaking to me how much he obviously loves the FBI. He does not come across as partisan at all to me. If anything, he seems skeptical of all politicians and politics, with his real loyalty going to the FBI and maybe the U.S. justice system.

Ellen hello - I am leisurely reading and listening and I feel the same way.

The background information on the FBI and their processes is interesting.

I think he got a bum rap - whatever he did or did not do was not done with malice - I think he loved the FBI. And I think he got caught in the web of whatever was or is going on in the White House. The meeting that he was called into when nobody knew that Comey had been fired was bizarre at best.

The timing of McCabe's firing was spiteful and telling. And at the very least - there was no need for that pettiness.

Right now the climate in this country is not elevated - and that cannot be argued no matter what your politics. What is interesting is that when anybody disagrees - there is a label attached to that disagreement immediately without looking at the merit of the argument. There is sort of a seek and destroy mission when anyone seeks a higher ground or talks truth to power.

And that in and of itself serves as a reminder that we need to reflect on the substance of any argument without that rush to judgement.

Comey: Mueller findings show Trump lied about FBI, his attempt to destroy the agency failed

The former FBI director spoke to NBC News in his first on TV interview since the special counsel ended his investigation.



Source: NBC News

McCabe made inference to the following:

McCabe was ushered into a meeting with the President. McCabe thought that the President was very large. Odd comment from Trump once again that Comey had told him three times that he was not the subject of an investigation.

The whole meeting with McCabe and the President and everybody else in the room including Pence had the odd feeling of a shakedown of sorts of McCabe to get him into line after they fired Comey - at least that is the way it is coming off listening to the audio.

Trump told McCabe that he had been told that there was an uprising in the FBI and was it true that everybody disliked Comey.

McCabe made inference to the following:

McCabe said that some folks were frustrated with the Clinton email investigation last summer but on the whole - feelings about Director Comey were positive.

It was obvious that Trump did not like McCabe's answers and with a tilt of the head it appeared that Trump was silently saying - "Which side or whose side are you on?"

Trump was really not asking questions but probing McCabe as to whether he was on board or not with his agenda. Trump was demanding personal loyalty and this was a loyalty test.

Everything Trump said was going to be great and he was talking about Lieberman. Trump talks all of the time and doesn't wait for answers - it all adds up to a bizarre encounter.

Trump was implying that the FBI was a mess and that it was going to be great again just like everything Trump tears down. McCabe willed himself to pay close attention to everything that Trump was saying and implying.

McCabe felt that everything was false flattery because Trump had not been flattering to him as far back as 2015 when his wife Jill had run for office.

He then mentioned that McCabe had one mistake - I was very hard on you. Trump said a lot of tough things about my wife. She felt deeply helping out her community. Oh yeah, she is great - Trump said. McCabe said that at least Mike Pence always says something nice and comports himself as a gentlemen.

The FBI's main mission to protect America and Americans and uphold the constitution. McCabe said that since 9/11 - that the FBI has had a major focus on thwarting terrorism.

Link:

Source: FBI

McCabe made inference to the following:

Russia - interfering with our election is factual and there is no argument that they did not do that and they are still trying to interfere with America and its political and social structure. They never stopped and it is on going.

The only person who is disagreeing with the findings is the occupant of the Oval Office - why that is remains to be seen - and Trump will always face scrutiny as long as he sides with dictators and lambasts our allies.

Trump has compared the intelligence community to Nazi Germany.

Trump said that he values the word of Putin over his intelligence services and said that publicly and he engages in conspiracy theories. The FBI must remain independent of the White House. His draconian behavior is a threat and dangerous.

That is what I got out of Chapter One - any comments or posts?

Next will be Chapter Two - Answering the Call when I get to it.

Firing Line (Interview) - pretty good interview done by Margaret Hoover



Source: WGBH

Suzanne, Tom and Ellen - you are probably ahead of me on this leisurely read - but simply post any thoughts as you go along - this is a free read - so you can go at whatever pace you want and come to any conclusions at any time - we would love to hear from all of you.

All, just post your thoughts as you read along - on your own schedule or with me - whatever you prefer - since this is free reading - any schedule and at any pace will do - just post "your" ideas, questions, topics, insights as you come across anything interesting.

Also anyone else that wants to join in - by all means - it is never too late because it is a free read. Just let us know you are here and read and pop in at your own pace. No pressure and no stress and no schedule.

Table of Contents

✔ Cover

✔ Title Page

✔ Copyright Notice

✔ Dedication

✔ Author’s Note

✔ Prologue

✔ 1. Up for Grabs

About to begin soon - 2. Answering the Call

How We Work: Enterprise Theory
3. The Shift
4. Interrogation

How We Work: President’s Daily Brief
5. Benghazi to Boston
6. Examination

How We Work: The Attorney General Guidelines
7. Mess and Crisis
8. Real Americans

Acknowledgments

Index

The audio version became available today. I will begin it as soon as I finish Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law.

OK good. What do you mean that the audio version became available today - I have been using it. Possibly through your library maybe? In any case, it is all good.

That is another good one that I have not gotten to. Too much on my plate.

by Preet Bharara (no photo)

Please be sure to add citations for books that we are not reading on the thread - book cover, by, author's photo if available, author's link and (no photo) at end if the author's photo is not available. That helps the goodreads software populate our site successfully.

In any case, there is no rush and glad that you are joining in. I look forward to reading your posts. This is a leisurely read or listen with absolutely no stress, no schedule, no assignments (smile) - it is a free read.

I finished reading the book several weeks ago but have waited to post anything because I wanted to digest it a while. For one thing, the book made me cry at the end. I not only cried for McCabe, who was treated so unfairly in my view, but also for our country that would treat such a patriot this way. I don't want to get into a political discussion so I'll leave it there.

Putting politics aside, I found the information about how the FBI works fascinating and totally worthwhile. I'm sure McCabe held a lot back about the Russia investigation and I hope one day he'll tell us a lot more.

Ellen, thank you for your post. I have to agree with you. However, I am still in line waiting for my copy from the library but I was able to listen to a lot of interviews of Andrew McCabe, and he came across, as you say, a true patriot. Time will tell.

In the book, he goes into a lot of detail about his work before Trump and the Russia investigation. He worked on the Boston marathon bomb case and one of the would-be plane bombers. Also, Russian mafia cases. I like true crime stories so I found the anecdotes fascinating on that level.

I also wonder if McCabe wasn't a source or the source for the report that the Mueller investigators were unhappy with AG Barr's summary. As I recall, the source was not any of the investigators themselves but someone who knew how they felt. You know that source had to be very authoritative or the paper (I think it was the NY Times) would not have run with it. There can't be a lot of people with that stature likely to leak.

Ellen wrote: "I finished reading the book several weeks ago but have waited to post anything because I wanted to digest it a while. For one thing, the book made me cry at the end. I not only cried for McCabe, wh..."

Thank you Ellen - it has been a moving book and since this is a free read - folks can post and read the book at any time and we will always respond.

Lorna wrote: "Ellen, thank you for your post. I have to agree with you. However, I am still in line waiting for my copy from the library but I was able to listen to a lot of interviews of Andrew McCabe, and he c..."

Lorna, I hope you get the book soon so we can comment and post together.

Ellen wrote: "In the book, he goes into a lot of detail about his work before Trump and the Russia investigation. He worked on the Boston marathon bomb case and one of the would-be plane bombers. Also, Russian m..."

I guess that is always a possibility but you know with everything the McCabe family is going though - I don't think his lawyers would have thought that was a good idea. I would tend to agree that it could one of the former FBI directors or a pundit who was affiliated with the FBI or the CIA. Or even someone who left the current White House.

Secret texts cast light on UK's early role in Trump-Russia inquiry
Senior MI5 and FBI officials shared concerns about ‘our strange situation’ in 2016

See article in The Guardian:


Andrew McCabe, who was deputy director of the FBI when exchanging texts with MI5’s Jeremy Fleming in 2016. Fleming now heads GCHQ. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA

Link:

Source: The Guardian