Throughout the first year of Donald Trump’s second administration, Vanity Fair writer Chris Whipple has interviewed Wiles amid each moment of crisis. This insider’s account joins a portfolio of portraits for an unflinching, up-close look at power—and peril.

Of all the blunt assessments White House chief of staff Susie Wiles shared with Vanity Fair over the past year, perhaps her sharpest words were aimed at Attorney General Pam Bondi.