Trump wants to block Bolton's book, claiming most conversations are classified

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-wants-to-block-boltons-book-claiming-all-conversations-are-classified/2020/02/21/6a4f4b34-54d1-11ea-9e47-59804be1dcfb_story.html#click=https://t.co/t10OeA7Bf4

By Josh Dawsey, Tom Hamburger and Carol D. Leonnig

Feb. 21, 2020 at 7:46 p.m. EST

President Trump has directly weighed in on the White House review of a forthcoming book by his former national security adviser, telling his staff that he views John Bolton as “a traitor,” that everything he uttered to the departed aide about national security is classified and that he will seek to block the book’s publication, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

The president’s private arguments stand in contrast to the point-by-point process used to classify and protect sensitive secrets and appears to differ from the White House’s public posture toward Bolton’s much-anticipated memoir. The National Security Council warned Bolton last month that his draft “appears to contain significant amounts of classified information,” some of it top secret, but pledged to help him revise the manuscript and “move forward as expeditiously as possible.”

“We will do our best to work with you to ensure your client’s ability to tell his story in a manner that protects U.S. national security,” Ellen Knight, senior director of the council’s records office, wrote in a Jan. 23 letter to Bolton’s attorney.

But the president has insisted to aides that Bolton’s account of his work in Trump’s White House, “The Room Where It Happened,” should not see the light of day before the November election, according to the two people familiar with the conversations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House deliberations.

</snip>

Kinda torn about this one. On the one hand, I think we really need to know what's in the book. On the other hand, Bolton won't make a cent on it if he can't release it.

Of course, he could also simply spill his guts on Rachel Maddow, too!

[Takket]

1. i actually hope it gets blocked

if he has something to say it should be said to Congress, under oath, for the country, not said in a book for his own profit.

[Raftergirl]

2. This.

[crickets]

10. Exactly.

Not that I want his book to be blocked, but that he should show up when called and testify to all of it. Then there will be a responsible reckoning of what's classified and what isn't.

After that, he can release his book all he likes and I hope it sinks like a stone.

[scarletwoman]

3. I don't care about Bolton, but I DO care about a president assuming the power to unilaterally

prevent a book from being published.

[hlthe2b]

5. Yes.. THIS is the most important issue. Screw Bolton, but we can not allow autocracy.

[scarletwoman]

6. It bothers me that no one else in this thread is looking at this angle. (nt)

[MerryBlooms]

7. rec.

[SamKnause]

4. Fuck Bolton and all the traitors in this administration.

I wouldn't pay 1 cent to read any of their lying bullshit books.

[panader0]

8. I thought Bolton had his book screened to make sure that it

didn't have classified material.

[moondust]

9. Dump doesn't know

"classified" from "categorized" from "constipated." It's just an excuse to continue the endless cover-up.