“Diane, it’s 9:15 am. January 6. Have you ever thought about the man who invented the potato chip? Do you think he knew what a phenomenon he created? I have some beside me here at Reagan National. Lay’s Sour Cream and Onion. $2.25 from the vending machine. I’m flying to New York to report to president-elect Trump on Russian interference in the November elections. I haven’t been inside Trump Tower before, but I’m told that it’s among the most opulent buildings in the country.”
“Diane, it’s 4:15 pm. I’m in my taxi back to LaGuardia. President-elect Trump seemed bored and distracted when we told him about the Russians, and kept looking over to his national security advisor, Michael Flynn. After four minutes of relaying the details to him, Trump started shouting, ‘Believe me, I know more about Russia than you guys can understand. I’ve got good people working on this already.’ After that, the meeting was over. Flynn didn’t say a word, but kept looking at his phone. It’s amazing what they’re doing with phones these days — have you played Candy Crush?”
“Diane, 5:24 pm, January 26. I’m driving across the Potomac — it’s fifty-six degrees. Unseasonably warm for January. One of the things I can’t change, I guess. Reinhold Niebuhr would have recognized that, even if Al Gore doesn’t. Fred tells me Sally Yates told the Trump guys that we’re looking into Michael Flynn and the Russians. We’ll see how they take that news.”
“Diane, it’s 3:40 p.m. January 27. I’ve just left dinner with President Trump, made in the White House kitchens. Meat loaf, cherry pie, one scoop of vanilla ice cream. The president had two scoops of ice cream, which I would normally discourage given his girth, Diane, but at his age there’s nothing to be lost by allowing yourself some extra pleasure from time to time. The President told me that he really respects loyalty, and asked me if I could be reliable. I told him that I would always tell him the truth. Later he asked me again if I would be quote-reliable-unquote. He didn’t say the quotes out loud, Diane, but you know how there’s a way of talking where the subtext is right there? Trump might have winked, too, but it’s hard to tell with the constant squinting.”
“Diane, 10:20 p.m., January 30. Fred just told me Sally Yates has been fired. Ten days on the job. Four days after telling Trump about Flynn. Damn.”
“Diane, it’s 8:17 p.m. February 14. Happy Valentine’s Day. I’ve just walked out of a meeting with President Trump where he asked me if I knew Michael Flynn had quit yesterday. He told me Flynn was a good man, and suggested that I should tell my folks to call off the investigation. Fred had told me about the resignation, but I didn’t expect Trump to be quite so obvious or prompt in his cover-up. He certainly didn’t take Sun Tzu’s advice on being subtle. Thanks for reminding me to get flowers for Patrice — it’s important not to forget who really matters.”