Jonathan Karl Unveils Shocking White House Secrets: Exclusive Insights You Can’t Miss

Veteran political journalist Jonathan Karl is back in the spotlight with “Retribution,” a forthcoming book that unloads a trove of new documents, insider interviews and previously unpublished notes from key players in Donald Trump’s final weeks in office. Among the most arresting revelations: Vice President Mike Pence’s own handwritten notes capturing Trump sneering, “You’ll go down as a wimp if you certify Biden’s win,” during a heated New Year’s Day phone call that presaged the January 6 confrontation. Karl, ABC News’ chief Washington correspondent, pairs those notes with first-person accounts from Pence aides who describe frantic efforts to shield the vice president from mounting pressure. The book details how Trump allies even floated replacing Justice Department officials to bolster election-fraud claims—moves that drew threats of mass resignation from senior DOJ lawyers, according to Karl’s sources. “Retribution” also pulls the curtain back on earlier infighting inside the Trump Cabinet. Karl reports that ideological hard-liners and reality-TV loyalists jockeyed for influence during transition meetings, with national-security veterans warning of looming crises while others fixated on scoring face time with the president-elect. Readers learn how those factional battles helped shape the chaotic personnel churn that plagued the administration from day one. Why this matters now • The Department of Justice special counsel is weighing fresh criminal exposure for Trump tied to January 6. Pence’s notes, published for the first time by Karl, could become key evidence in any prosecution. • Congressional Republicans are divided over whether to distance themselves from the former president heading into 2026 midterms; Karl’s reporting adds fuel to that debate. • With Trump teasing an unprecedented third run, the book’s vivid scenes remind voters of the turmoil that defined his last days in office. Release details and tour Publisher Dutton has moved the release date up to November 12 to capitalize on surging pre-orders driven by Karl’s exclusive ABC News coverage. The author launches a multi-city tour in Washington, New York and Atlanta, capped by a Commonwealth Club appearance already wait-listed. Early excerpts have dominated cable-news segments and lit social media, pushing “Jonathan Karl” to the top of real-time search results. About Jonathan Karl Karl has covered every president since Clinton and served as ABC’s chief White House correspondent for eight years. His earlier bestsellers “Front Row at the Trump Show” and “Betrayal” cemented his reputation for meticulous sourcing inside Trump World. “Retribution” aims to be the definitive chronicle of the post-election maelstrom that culminated on January 6. Bottom line If you want the inside story of how a single phone call, a stack of private notes and a crisis of constitutional duty collided, Jonathan Karl’s “Retribution” looks set to deliver page-turning—and potentially legally significant—answers.