A federal judge handed former national security adviser John Bolton a massive legal victory Saturday, ruling that the publication of Bolton’s forthcoming tell-all book can move forward.
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to stop the book’s publication. They claimed the book’s publication would jeopardize national security.
U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth disagreed — although he did not let Bolton completely off the hook, either.
“While Bolton’s unilateral conduct raises grave national security concerns, the government has not established that an injunction is an appropriate remedy,” Lamberth ruled.
Ultimately, Lamberth said that stopping the book’s publication would be impossible to enforce after Bolton’s publisher revealed that hundreds of thousands of copies had already been shipped to book retailers. “The horse, as we used to say in Texas, seems to be out of the barn,” Lamberth said ahead of a Friday hearing, Politico reported.
Still, Lamberth ruled that Bolton has potentially exposed himself to losing the book’s profits, and even criminal liability, for not following the government’s standard review process for books written by former government officials.
Lambert ruled:
Bolton disputes that his book contains any such classified information and emphasizes his months-long compliance with the prepublication review process. He bristles at the mixed messages sent by prepublication review personnel and questions the motives of intelligence officers. Bolton could have sued the government and sought relief in court. Instead, he opted out of the review process before its conclusion. Unilateral fast-tracking carried the benefit of publicity and sales, and the cost of substantial risk exposure.
This was Bolton’s bet: If he is right and the book does not contain classified information, he keeps the upside mentioned above; but if he is wrong, he stands to lose his profits from the book deal, exposes himself to criminal liability, and imperils national security. Bolton was wrong.
I especially like the part leaked from the book where Trump supposedly asked the Chinese to help him win the election… by buying US products and helping US citizens. First, I sincerely doubt Trump would bother asking the people he made eat shit and like it in trade negotiations, much less expect them to buy US products merely to help him; they are salivating at the chance of having the dottering moron Biden as President. Second, what he asked for was GREAT FOR THE US. In any Presidential campaign, using good deeds to justify reelection is pretty standard.
If the rest of the book follows this ridiculous line of thought, it should be pretty funny.
the radicalized muslin terrorist ex pres got a $20+ million on a book of lies and screw ups. ever wonder what john’s deal was?? Trump has no fondness for china and thanks to whore bog billy and the muslin terrorist ex pres. Trump is fighting to regain markets.
-thank to muslin terrorist ex pres most leaded bullets are not made in USA but over seas. muslin terrorist ex pres limited the production of gunpowder and most is bought from overseas venders.
-today in America one can criticize everything but muhammad and allah (currently the biggest slave traders in the world) and the biggest leaders of genocide in the history of mankind
Trump’s lawyers are presently attempting to block the publication of a second exposé—this one written by his niece, Mary L Trump:
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man
Based on advance orders, it’s presently the #4 seller in Amazon’s non-fiction charts. Trump’s lawyers are asserting that it should be blocked based on a 1999 non-disclosure agreement that was signed by Trump’s niece in connection with the final settlement of his father’s estate. That’s yet another story, of course. Mary L Trump is the daughter of Donald’s deceased older brother, Fred Jr. Owing to his early death, Mary was provided for in Fred Sr’s will—a problem that Donald attempted to remedy before Fred Sr’s passing. Fred Sr did not approve of this effort.
@Greg: Gobbled up by those looking for an excuse to hate.
All that he has said and done is coming back to haunt him. That’s how things work. What we do comes back to us.
@Greg: What confirmation is there that he said or did any of this?
@Greg: Im sure this is a much better read.
You know cause Bolton wouldnt lie to make a buck.