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Taking Down Trump by Tristan Snell

12 Rules for Prosecuting Donald Trump by Someone Who Did It Successfully

“An indispensable must-read. This is THE book to read to understand what’s going on in the cases against Trump.

Joy Reid, MSNBC News anchor and host of The ReidOut

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More Praise for TAKING DOWN TRUMP

This is a one-of-a-kind book. No one beat Donald Trump before Tristan and his colleagues at the NY AG’s office proved it could be done.If you care about our democracy and about finally bringing Donald Trump and all his cronies to justice, then you absolutely need to read this book.

Michael Cohen, former Trump attorney and author of the New York Times bestseller Revenge

Tristan Snell is one of the very few people on the planet to bring a case against Donald Trump and win. This is a masterclass in how to bring corrupt American oligarchs to justice.

Glenn Kirschner, former federal prosecutor and NBC/MSNBC News legal analyst

Tristan Snell is one of the most important voices in today’s battle to protect the precious gift of our democracy; this book is an essential read for anyone who knows our future and our freedom is at stake

Rick Wilson, political strategist and author of the number one New York Times bestseller, Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever

A timely, entertainingly written, fact-laden inside account of the prosecutorial campaign (2013-2016) to expose the Trump University scam and provide some justice for its victims, “Taking Down Trump” is also a handbook for future prosecutors hoping to bring criminal charges against the most flamboyantly corrupt President in US history.

Joyce Carol Oates, bestselling author and winner of the Jerusalem Prize

This is the book Donald Trump doesn’t want you to read

Tristan Snell led New York State’s prosecution of Donald Trump for defrauding thousands of Trump University students, with Trump having to shell out $25 million to his victims — Trump’s first major legal loss.

Yet even though Donald Trump is facing multiple indictments for lies, cons, and grifts, many fear he will never face any real consequences — because he’s gotten away with such misdeeds for 50 years.

Now, in the first book ever from a lawyer who defeated Trump, Snell argues that Donald Trump can be held accountable — and shares the secret playbook.

Snell lays out 12 key rules for how to beat Trump — including:

  • How can voters and activists hold prosecutors accountable?
  • How do you stand up to Trump’s public bullying?
  • How do you persevere against all the stonewalling and counterattacks?
  • How do you get a key figure to cooperate and cough up critical evidence?

Along the way, Snell discusses his own experiences prosecuting Trump, and observes how prosecutors in the various cases against Trump are exploiting such rules — or not — as well as how to react to Trump’s revolving team of lawyers.

Whether you’re a concerned citizen, a lawyer or prosecutor, or an activist or advocate, Snell shows how America’s systems can still work to bring even the richest and most powerful to justice, and why those systems are worth preserving and improving. Ultimately, this is a roadmap for how America can begin to escape the Trump wilderness of fraud and fascism.

The Author

Tristan Snell

Tristan Snell is a lawyer and legal commentator featured on MSNBC and CNN, and in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. He served as Assistant Attorney General for New York State, where he led the investigation and prosecution of Trump University.

Today he’s the founder and managing partner of MainStreet.Law, and a commentator on Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and Twitter. He lives in New York City.

Tristan Snell headshot