Justice Department files lawsuit to block John Bolton's book from publication

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 16 June 2020

The Justice Department is officially calling for John Bolton to delay publication of his book — and it wants a few more things, too.

The former national security adviser's White House memoir, titled The Room Where it Happens, is set to come out next week and possibly reveal President Trump's "transgressions" and "malpractice." So the DOJ is taking a very last-minute stab at stopping the book's publication before it's reviewed, filing a lawsuit Tuesday to delay the book and seize any profits Bolton makes from its sale.

First and foremost, the DOJ lawsuit claims Bolton breached "legal obligations" and "NDAs" by submitting his book for publication "without prepublication review," and that the book contains "classified information." So it's demanding Bolton tell his publisher about all these problems and stop its publication, as well as retrieve any copies of the book that are already out there. And because Bolton got so far in the publication process without government intervention, the DOJ requests that a trust be set up, "for the benefit of the United States," that takes in anything Bolton earns from selling the book, "including movie rights."

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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