If you are someone who always asked yourself "What does Russia have on Trump?" Look no further than this stupendous book.

Of the many books about the impeached, racist liar and his corrupt administration, this is easily the best and most important of them all. With excruciating detail, the author walks the reader through the events of the Trump years from 2015-2018. The sheer amount of dirt that Russia and Putin have on Trump is simply astounding.

With the election about 5 weeks away and today's latest bombshell investigative reporting about Trump's taxes, this book is more important than ever. ( )

"Corrupt and compromised, with no moral center and no ethics and only their own self-interests to guide them, such leaders see criticism as a challenge to their legitimacy and, when challenged continuously, rage louder—ruining lives, destroying careers, and worse." Peter Strzok has a clear view of the President and lays it all out to see in this scary but important book. I decided I had to read this because I wanted a FACTUAL look at the issues of Russian influence in the 2016 Presidential Race (which is indisputable) without all the vitriol and misdirection. "Compromised" delivers on that and Mr. Strzok writes like the clearheaded and organized FBI agent he was. The book spends some time laying out Mr. Strzok's history and establishes his bonafides which is important so one accords him the proper respect he has earned as an investigator. There are some interesting bits about the real Russian spies upon with the excellent television series "The Americans" was based. Then he gets to the meat, the "investigation" into Secretary Clinton's use of a private server to handle her email, which amounts to doing something she probably should not have but is not even close to being anything criminal or actionable, and then on the Russian interference on behalf of "NAME REDACTED BECAUSE I CAN'T TYPE IT WITHOUT THROWING UP." He soon finds "Russian playbook of active measures. Overload the debate with competing theories. Create false equivalences. Raise doubts and fan suspicion. Divert attention and sow division. But at all costs, avoid the truth." Sound familiar? His faith in the system drives him forward because he knows that facts matter and things will work out. Yeah, right. As the story is leaked (gee, who did that?) he realizes that "corrupt and compromised, with no moral center and no ethics and only their own self-interests to guide them, such leaders see criticism as a challenge to their legitimacy and, when challenged continuously, rage louder—ruining lives, destroying careers, and worse." And this happens to Mr Strzok of course. "Authoritarian leaders and tin-pot dictators don’t tolerate dissent or criticism, and when they hear it, they smear their critics in outlandish terms, as traitors, as enemies of the people, as saboteurs and spies." One of the weaknesses of the book is the decision, which I totally understand, to not talk about the personal issues that put Mr. Strzok in the spotlight. But because of those issues he "aced a decision that I and countless other subjects of Trump’s ad hominem attacks would face in the months ahead: how to respond to an immature, name-calling bully while still respecting the office of the president." It is not a good decision to have to make. After many of the late night twitter storms that the "President" unleashes on him, Mr. Strzok wonders "how can the leader of the free world have time for this?" We have all wondered the same thing Peter. As things move along he again has faith the the hearings before Congress with testimony by James Comey and Mr. Strzok himself will fix things. Sigh. "Ruefully, I registered the thought that Trump’s bullying had broken the system. Instead of fulfilling the roles envisioned by our Founding Fathers, the Republican Congress had become an enforcement arm of Trump’s warped cult of personality." I can't say this is an enjoyable read and there isn't anything truly new in it, but having it all laid out methodically, meticulously, and factually is really chilling. I wish everyone could read this book and understand how prevalent the meddling was and how many links there were to the official campaign of He Who Shall Not Be Named but I know that will never happen. The Cult of Personality continues to reign. I will continue to inform myself with facts. ( )

I checked this 16 Chapter, 14:03 hour, Audiobook out from the county library. Author, Peter Strzok worked for the FBI during the Trump administration. He made the mistake of sending text messages critical of Donald Trump on his government provided device. Apparently this wasn't in violation of FBI policy. However, it turned out to be extraordinarily bad judgement which eventually resulted in attacks by Trump and his ultimate firing about two years before he could retire. The book was written before the 2020 election. I found Chapters 15 & 16 and the Epilogue to be the most interesting. Anyone who still isn't worried about the damage Trump and his cronies are doing to this country should read this book. ( )

An insider perspective on the political pressures on the FBI during the 2016 campaign and after. Stroke was the lead on both the Clinton emails and the early Russia meddling investigation. Yet another disturbing parable. ( )