Inside the Trump White House -- tell-all book about to be published

The Guardian has obtained an advance copy of Michael Wolff''s  Fire and Fury:  Inside the Trump White House.  As reported by David Smith, it's a doozy.

The book's author, Michael Wolff, is a "prominent media critic" and biographer of Rupert Murdoch, who had previously done interviews for the Hollywood Reporter with both Donald Trump and Steve Bannon.   To research the book, Wolff -- as characterized by an NPR commenter -- "practically took up residence in the White House for a year -- where he did more than 200 interviews "with the president, his inner circle and players in and around the administration."   Smith further comments that Wolff "lifts the lid on a White House lurching from crisis to crisis amid internecine warfare, with even some of Trump's closest allies expressing contempt for him."

Bannon's opinions stand out  -- at least in Smith's report -- to the point it almost seems like a hit job commissioned by Bannon.  But for what it's worth, here are some of Smith's choices to comment on in his review.

"Steve Bannon has described the Trump Tower meeting between the president’s son and a group of Russians during the 2016 election campaign as 'treasonous' and 'unpatriotic' . . . . warned that the investigation into alleged collusion with the Kremlin will focus on money laundering and predicted: 'They’re going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV' . . . .  Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic . . . and I happen to think it’s all of that, you should have called the FBI immediately.”

Bannon went on to crtiticize Trump's decision to fire Comey and suggests "White House hopes for a quick end to the Mueller investigation are gravely misplaced. . . .  You realise where this is going, . . .  This is all about money laundering.  Mueller chose [senior prosecutor Andrew] Weissmann first and he is a money-laundering guy. Their path to f--ing Trump goes right through Paul Manafort, Don Jr and Jared Kushner . . .  It’s as plain as a hair on your face."

Bannon "insists that he knows no Russians, will not be a witness, will not hire a lawyer and will not appear on national television answering questions."   Although selections chosen to be highlighted in this report by Smith seem to focus mainly on Steve Bannon's opinions, the book -- to be published next week -- does not spare Donald Trump.  Wolff writes that "Thomas Barrack, Jr., a billionaire who is one of the president's oldest associates, allegedly told a friend [about Trump]:  'He's not only crazy, he's stupid.'"

I acknowledge that Smith's take on the book seems like selective sniping from a particular point of view, rather than a balanced view of what may be the real truth of an embattled administration.    But The Guardian is too serious a journalistic enterprise to publish a totally biased hit piece.  So I'll reserve judgment.

Bannon may actually be describing the situation as it is, which begs the question:   Why would he want to have a part in this?    The answer may very well be that Bannon has his own agenda to try to change the world and thought that Donald Trump could be useful to him.   That fits with the impression Bannon always put forth, that it was really he who was the mastermind.  Now it seems that there was more baggage there than even Steve Bannon anticipated or could handle.

Whatever . . . I suspect that the guilty pleasure of reading about troubles in Trumpdom is going to be an irresistible read.

Ralph

PS:   Although The Guardian report of the book did not mention this Bannon claim, it is the most sensational one being trumpeted by other media outlets.   Bannon makes the unsubstantiated claim that, in his opinion, "The chance that Don Jr. did not walk these [Russians] up to his father's office of the 26th floor is zero," ("Fire and Fury." p. 255).   This is quoted in a tweet from NBC reporter Peter Alexander.

PPS, Later in the day:  This is getting full play in the media.   Apparently there is a book excerpt in New York magazine, and Trump has issued a fiery rebuttal, saying that when Bannon left his job at the White House, he lost his mind.  Trump also denies that Bannon had anything to do with his winning the election;  he also blames him for Roy Moore's loss in Alabama.   And . . . and . . . 

What do I think?   If anyone, other than Trump, has the ability to destroy Trump with the base that elected him, it's Steve Bannon.   And he has the Breitbart platform and the Mercer money.   And Bannon probably knows way too much for comfort.   Trump has reason to worry.

PPPS:   Maybe not, re the Mercer money.  A late report said that Rebekah Mercer, the daughter who actually owns a good stake in Breitbart News has threatened to cut off her support because of Bannon's tell-all about Trump.