The Life of Lies. The silent circle of assent. The boss in complete control. Loyalty oaths. An us-versus-them worldview. Lying about things, large and small, in service to some warped code of loyalty. These rules and standards were hallmarks of the Mafia, but throughout my career I’d be surprised how often I’d find them applied outside of it.

-James Comey, A Higher Loyalty. Truth, Lies and Leadership (N.Y.: Flatiron Books, 2018), page 7.

Useful Assets explores the deep-rooted ties between the Trump family, the Russians and Eurasian organized crime dating as far back as 1977. But just how deep do those ties go? How involved were the Russians in the outcome of the 2016 presidential election and how does this link to our current constitutional crisis?

In this thoroughly researched political expose, Russian historian Robert C. Williams strives to answer those questions, and more.

About the Author

Robert C. Williams is a retired Russian historian living in Maine. A graduate of Wesleyan and Harvard Universities, he has taught history at Bates, Davidson, Williams Colleges, and at Washington University in St. Louis. He is the author or co-author of 15 books, co-founder of History Associates Incorporated, a former trustee of Agnes Scott College and Wesleyan University and a director of Midcoast Senior College in Brunswick, Maine.

Harvard University Press nominated Williams’ book Russian Art and American Money 1900-1940 for the Pulitzer Prize in 1980.