John Bolton proclaims 'complete vindication' after DOJ drops criminal probe over his book
Almost a year after the release of former National Security Adviser John Bolton's tell-all book, the Justice Department has ended a criminal investigation into whether he disclosed classified information.
The DOJ ended its investigation into Bolton's book critical of former President Donald Trump and also dropped a lawsuit that aimed to recoup the profits from it, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Reports that this investigation had been opened first emerged last September, about three months after Bolton published The Room Where It Happened. The Trump administration previously sought to block the book's release, an effort a judge denied while still saying that Bolton "likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information in violation of his nondisclosure agreement obligations."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bolton in an interview with Axios Wednesday celebrated the DOJ's move to drop the investigation and lawsuit against him, saying, "This is a complete vindication. They're just giving up."
The Times described the decision to do so as a "clear rebuke" by Attorney General Merrick Garland of the tactics of former President Donald Trump's Justice Department. The Times also reports that the DOJ has spent recent weeks negotiating the terms of a settlement with Bolton after President Biden's transition advisers "concluded that the department had acted in a highly political manner."
-
Trump wants a weaker dollar but economists aren’t so sureTalking Points A weaker dollar can make imports more expensive but also boost gold
-
Political cartoons for February 3Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include empty seats, the worst of the worst of bunnies, and more
-
Trump’s Kennedy Center closure plan draws ireSpeed Read Trump said he will close the center for two years for ‘renovations’
-
Trump’s Kennedy Center closure plan draws ire
Speed Read Trump said he will close the center for two years for ‘renovations’
-
Trump's ‘weaponization czar’ demoted at DOJSpeed Read Ed Martin lost his title as assistant attorney general
-
Gabbard faces questions on vote raid, secret complaintSpeed Read This comes as Trump has pushed Republicans to ‘take over’ voting
-
Greenland: The lasting damage of Trump’s tantrumFeature His desire for Greenland has seemingly faded away
-
The price of forgivenessFeature Trump’s unprecedented use of pardons has turned clemency into a big business.
-
Will Peter Mandelson and Andrew testify to US Congress?Today's Big Question Could political pressure overcome legal obstacles and force either man to give evidence over their relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?
-
The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it?Talking Point Rambling speeches, wind turbine obsession, and an ‘unhinged’ letter to Norway’s prime minister have caused concern whether the rest of his term is ‘sustainable’
-
A running list of everything Donald Trump’s administration, including the president, has said about his healthIn Depth Some in the White House have claimed Trump has near-superhuman abilities
