Nothing, not even a doomed-to-fail lawsuit filed by president Donald Trump Tuesday -- will stop former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton from releasing his explosive tell-all book that will reveal Trump's Ukraine-like malfeasance in other countries, as well as other crimes by Trump.
Bolton's book, "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir," has been described as an insider's rebuke of Trump's foreign policy. It exposes examples of Trump's hitherto unknown international misconduct, some of it perhaps even criminal, apart from his infamous quid-pro-quo campaign in 2019 to pressure Ukraine into embarrassing Joe Biden.
The book will go on sale at U.S. bookstores on June 23. Advance copies of the book were sent to reviewers weeks ago. These reviewers will publish their opinions about Bolton's book, thereby revealing the most damaging accusations Bolton is leveling against Trump.
Published by Simon & Schuster, Bolton's book has already shipped to warehouses nationwide. Bolton himself has taped an interview with ABC about his book to air June 21.
A Bolton confidant says Bolton is intent on releasing the book as scheduled on June 23. Bolton will deal with the consequences of Trump's lawsuit to stop the release of his book after the book hits bookstores around the country.
Trump's lawsuit filed by his Department of Justice in federal court Tuesday demands Bolton not disclose allegedly classified information without written authorization. It contends information in the book will jeopardize the national security of the United States despite the book having been vetted for publication by the government twice before.
Bolton's lawyer, Chuck Cooper, accused Trump of seeking to block the book for purely political reasons. He said that as a practical matter, Trump's legal challenge comes too late. Other legal experts have described Trump's lawsuit as doomed to fail because it runs afoul of the First Amendment. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is a part of the United States Bill of Rights. It protects freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and right to petition.
Ben Wizner, director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the Supreme Court rejected a similar attempt by the Nixon administration in 1971 to block the publication of the Pentagon Papers. Since then, it's been firmly established that prior restraints on publication is both unconstitutional and un-American, he said
"As usual, the government's threats have nothing to do with safeguarding national security, and everything to do with avoiding scandal and embarrassment," said Wizner.
Simon & Schuster said Trump's lawsuit is the latest in a long-running series of efforts by Trump's administration to quash publication of a book it deems unflattering to the President.
