'The Room Where It Happened': Judge To Hear Why Publication Of John Bolton Book Should Be Blocked

A federal judge scheduled an emergency hearing Friday on whether the Trump administration can block publication of a book written by former national security adviser John Bolton painting an unflattering picture of President Trump as a man ill-equipped to handle his job.

The Justice Department sought an emergency order Wednesday after publisher Simon & Schuster released advance copies of “The Room Where It Happened” and began distributing 200,000 copies of the 592-page book around the world ahead of next week’s publication date. The department also has filed a lawsuit targeting any profits from the book.

The hearing before U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, is set for 1 p.m.

Simon & Schuster dismissed the administration action as “frivolous” and “politically motivated.”

The White House has been vetting the manuscript since late December, and Trump has said it contains classified material – alleging any conversation involving the president is classified.

In promotional interviews, Bolton has called Trump incompetent and unfit for office while Trump responded on Twitter, calling Bolton a “wacko” who couldn’t get over being fired.

Bolton attorney Charles Cooper said career White House official Ellen Knight informed Bolton in late April there was no classified material in the book but no confirmation letter ever was issued in an attempt “to run out the clock before the [November] election.”

In his court filing, Bolton says the administration is trying to block publication because the book portrays Trump in an unflattering light, not because it contains classified material. He framed the administration effort as a way to stifle the First Amendment.

“It is difficult to conceive of speech that is closer to the core of the First Amendment than speech concerning presidential actions in office, including actions at the heart of the president’s impeachment,” Bolton said in the filing. “It is difficult to conceive of a greater attack on the First Amendment than the suppression of that speech in the service of a reelection campaign.”

Trump alleges many of the conversations Bolton, known as a fastidious note-taker, cites never took place, a position that undercuts the Justice Department case.

Former Obama administration counsel Norm Eisen noted “lies and fake stories” cannot be considered classified material.

The Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal all have published stories based on revelations in the book, including a section describing Trump asking Chinese President Xi Jinping to buy U.S. agricultural products to help the president win farm state votes.

Democrats have faulted Bolton for not testifying before House impeachment investigators, saying the allegations in the book should have been aired much earlier.

(U.S. v. Bolton, 20-cv-01580, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia)