What Did Bolton's Memoir Contain... Trump Administration Files Lawsuit to Ban Publication

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Donald Trump administration in the United States has ultimately filed a lawsuit to block the publication of former White House National Security Council (NSC) advisor John Bolton's memoir, CNN and other outlets reported on the 16th (local time).

According to reports, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on the same day at the Washington D.C. Federal Court seeking to prevent the release of Bolton's memoir titled The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir. This 592-page book was originally scheduled to be published on the 23rd.

In the complaint, the Department of Justice stated that Bolton "agreed to terms of employment when he held one of the most important and sensitive national security positions in the U.S. government, but is now unilaterally deciding that the preliminary review before publication is complete and that he alone can decide whether to disclose classified information, thereby attempting to break the agreement." It pointed out that the process of deleting classified information before publication had to be completed but was not finalized.

Bolton served in the position for about a year and a half from April 2018 to September of last year. His memoir reportedly exposes events that took place inside the White House during his tenure and contains criticisms of President Trump. The Washington Post anticipated that the book would include content related to major foreign policy issues such as North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela. CNN cited sources close to Bolton saying that he intends to publish the book as scheduled.

Regarding this, Bolton's attorney Charles Cooper pointed out that they have been working with experts for months to avoid violating confidentiality rules, and that while an NSC official conducted a preliminary review of the manuscript, the NSC has not given official approval for publication.

The Department of Justice argued in the complaint that the book should not be published until the preliminary review is complete, and if the book is published on the originally scheduled date of the 23rd, all proceeds should be held in escrow. Foreign media have criticized this, saying "The White House is trying to delay the publication date."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.