Siege: Trump Under Fire

by Michael Wolff

By March 2018, Mueller’s team was contemplating an audacious move. In an initiative led by Weissmann, the special counsel’s office laid out an indictment of the president. The proposed indictment provided a virtual road map of the first year of Trump’s presidency. There were three counts in “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - against - DONALD J. TRUMP, Defendant.” The first count, under Title 18, United States code, Section 1505, charged the president with corruptly—or by threats of force or threatening communication—influencing, obstructing, or impeding a pending proceeding before a department or agency of the United States. The second count, under section 1512, charged the president with tampering with a witness, victim or informant. The third count, under section 1513, charged the president with retaliating against a witness, victim or informant.