Here was another presidential litany: “Took forever for the IG [Inspector General] report [on the Russian investigation] to come out … Durham [an investigation of the Russian investigation led by John Durham, a federal prosecutor] thing spins on forever … not charging anyone for Black Lives riots … Never took fraud seriously … Doesn’t he get it that this is a massive problem?… What happened to that guy?… I wish I had great lawyers … I have terrible lawyers.”

In a meeting called to mobilize remaining White House and campaign staffers, the attendees arrived in the Oval Office to find the president talking to Elliot Gaiser, a 2016 law school graduate. Not only was Gaiser one of the youngest people on the president’s legal team, but he looked like he was still in high school—junior high even! He had a memo or letter in his hand, and the president was pressing him about it. And now, creating confusion in the room, Trump was pressing everybody else about what to do with it—with everybody else now trying to figure out what the letter was.

“It’s an executive order,” said Trump, “to get the DOJ to take voter action.”

“So, this is from the Counsel’s Office?” asked one of the uncertain staffers.

“No, no, no,” said an anxious Gaiser, holding the page away from him.

“What do I have to do to put this into effect? Do I just sign it?” Trump demanded. “Do I have to put it on letterhead?”

“How long have you been working on this?” another staffer asked the young lawyer.

“No, no, I just got it from—” Gaiser said with mounting panic, indicating the president. “I never saw it.” Plaintively, he asked the president or, broadly, anyone, “Don’t we have to run it by Pat?”

“Molly,” Trump called to his assistant. “Get Pat down here.”

Cipollone arrived seconds later, out of breath.

“I’m sitting here with my new lawyer, Pat,” said Trump, with a pointed smirk, although others in the room surmised that he didn’t know Gaiser’s name.

The now-terrified young lawyer passed Trump’s executive order to the White House counsel. Cipollone, himself confused and, as always, in panic mode, seemed to snatch the paper away and then, with a hurried excuse, withdrew, taking it with him for further study.