Overview
- Excerpts report the Justice Department waited until January 2022 to convene a grand jury on the fake electors plan, then the FBI took about 10 more weeks to approve a memo that named the Trump campaign—but not Trump—as a subject.
- Attorney General Merrick Garland imposed a preelection freeze in fall 2022 under a conservative reading of DOJ norms, pausing subpoenas and interviews in both the classified documents and election inquiries.
- Special counsel Jack Smith brought the classified documents case in Florida, increasing the chance Judge Aileen Cannon would draw it; the case was later dismissed after a series of rulings criticized by legal experts.
- After the Supreme Court’s 2024 presidential‑immunity decision required a narrowed election indictment, Smith dismissed that case following Trump’s reelection under DOJ policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
- The book details additional factors, including Kash Patel tempering earlier declassification claims in November 2022 testimony, initial limits on Jan. 6 committee evidence sharing, and a warning from prosecutor George Toscas about combining the probes under one special counsel.