President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that John Bolton, his former National Security Adviser, could be facing legal problems if he proceeds with the scheduled publishing of his new book.
According to the White House pool, the president claimed during an event on America’s seniors that it is “highly inappropriate” for Bolton to publish the effort while Trump is still in office.
“Maybe he’a not telling the truth,” Trump continued. “He’s been known not to tell the truth, a lot.”
Reuters’ Jeff Mason reported that the president suggested that Bolton will “have broken the law and should have criminal problems” if the book is released in its current form.
Trump says if Bolton’s book gets out he will have broken the law and should have criminal problems pic.twitter.com/5cdFnbyXOU
— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) June 15, 2020
Attorney General Bill Barr added during the same event that Bolton has not “completed the process” required of former administration officials for publishing books.
The book in question, “The Room Where It Happened,” is currently slated for release on June 23, 2020, despite months of Bolton and the Trump administration haggling over certain classified information contained within its pages. Bolton’s publisher, Simon & Schuster, released a statement on Friday claiming Trump doesn’t want people to read the book. (RELATED: ‘The Book Donald Trump Doesn’t Want You To Read’: John Bolton’s Memoir Contains New Trump Allegations)
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 20: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media as National Security Adviser John Bolton listens during a meeting with President of Romania Klaus Iohannis in the Oval Office of the White House August 20, 2019 in Washington, DC. This is Iohannis’ second visit to the Trump White House and the two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral issues during their meeting. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“In fact, (Bolton) argues that the House committed impeachment malpractice by keeping their prosecution focused narrowly on Ukraine when Trump’s Ukraine-like transgressions existed across the full range of his foreign policy,” the statement reads. “Bolton documents exactly what those were, and attempts by him and others in the Administration to raise alarm about them.”
ABC claimed Monday that the administration is planning on filing an injunction that would block Bolton’s book from coming out in June.