Bolton’s Book Tops Amazon Bestseller List Amid Trump Effort To Block It

TOPLINE

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s forthcoming book, The Room Where It Happened, topped Amazon’s bestseller list Tuesday after the Department of Justice sued to block its release, alleging that the book contains classified information.

KEY FACTS

Key Background

An ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush, Bolton served as Trump’s national security adviser from March 2018 to September 2019, when he was ousted by Trump, reportedly due to his hawkish foreign policy views. Bolton’s name emerged again during Trump’s impeachment trial, when he said he would be willing to testify about whether Trump pressured the President of Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden as someone with direct knowledge of the events. Bolton later hinted that answers to many of the questions left unanswered by the trial would be available in his book.

Key Quote

“Simply put, Defendant struck a bargain with the United States as a condition of his employment in one of the most sensitive and important national security positions in the United States Government and now wants to renege on that bargain by unilaterally deciding that the prepublication review process is complete and deciding for himself whether classified information should be made public,” the lawsuit states.

News Peg

Trump’s efforts to block damaging information have frequently backfired. He was impeached by the U.S. House in December not just for asking the Ukrainian President to investigate his political rival, but for his administration’s subsequent efforts to suppress evidence and block testimony from White House officials. 

What To Watch For

Attorney Mark Zaid told the Wall Street Journal that while the lawsuit likely will not succeed in its goal of blocking the book–as the book has already been sent out–it could force Bolton to forfeit his advance and royalties, costing him millions. Bolton, he said, “is probably going to have to take his checkbook out and write a very sizable check to the U.S. government.”