Donald Trump sues to block publication of John Bolton book

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent publication of former national security adviser John Bolton’s memoir.

Former US national security adviser John Bolton. Picture: AP

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the publication of former national security adviser John Bolton’s book, which is expected to provide a damning insider portrait of the President.

The Department of Justice alleges in its suit that publication of the book risks “compromising national security” through revelation of classified information that Mr Bolton had access to during his turbulent 17-month stint in the White House.

The suit says Mr Bolton failed to have the text vetted, meaning his book would be in “clear breach of agreements he signed as a condition of his employment and as a condition of gaining access to highly classified information”.

The book, The Room Where it Happened: a White House Memoir, is due to hit the shelves next Tuesday.

Mr Bolton, a veteran Washington insider and a controversial conservative hawk, was a close adviser to President Donald Trump. He is believed to have taken meticulous notes during his meetings with Mr Trump and other senior personnel.

After the two had a public falling out, Mr Bolton in January threatened to become a prime witness against Mr Trump in the President’s impeachment trial, but only if the Senate issued a subpoena for his testimony.

The National Security Council found “significant quantities of classified information that it asked the defendant to remove”, the court docket says, but the “defendant apparently became dissatisfied at the pace of NSC’s review”.

It says Mr Bolton and publishers Simon & Schuster reportedly resolved to release the book next Tuesday “without … giving any prior notice to the NSC” or completing the pre-publication review process.

AFP