Inside Trump’s war on the investigations encircling him

For two years, President Trump has waged a very public assault on federal law enforcement over the various investigations that have consumed his presidency, including the special counsel’s inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election. But an examination by The New York Times reveals the extent of more secretive maneuvers.

When federal prosecutors in New York began investigating Mr. Trump’s role in paying women hush money during the 2016 campaign, the president asked his acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, to give control of the inquiry to a Trump ally who had already recused himself. Mr. Trump called that account “fake news.”

Here are takeaways from our investigation.

How we know: Times reporters interviewed dozens of current and former government officials and others close to Mr. Trump and reviewed confidential White House documents, finding numerous unreported episodes of pressure and intimidation that may expose the president to accusations of obstruction of justice.