In this extract from Fiona Hill's new book, she reveals how Donald Trump assumed she was a secretary rather than a Russia expert in a crucial call with Putin
I was surprised, and a bit thrown off. Ivanka and Jared were both senior advisers, but I had had no idea they would be sitting in on the Putin call. It wasn't exactly their remit, but obviously this call was going to be a family affair. I quickly sat on the other sofa, opposite them and alongside Steve Charon, the staffer from the Executive Secretariat.
I figured I should concentrate on keeping myself together and taking good notes: listening carefully to what Putin had to say and how he was saying it and how the whole conversation was being translated on both sides. After years of observing Putin and studying Russian, I knew how deliberate he was in his speech and the way he presented things. I was the only Russian-speaker in the room. Surely the president and others might be interested in discussing what Putin was emphasizing.
There was an exchange between the president and McMaster that I didn't catch. Then the president raised his voice:"Well, can she do it? Can she go type it up and bring it back?" She? I thought. What? What just happened? Only then did I realize Trump was talking about me."She" could only be me. There were three shes in the room, and the she in question was certainly not Ivanka and unlikely to be Margaret Peterlin.
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