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AG William Barr Says John Bolton May Have To Forfeit Book Proceeds To Govt

The degree of John Bolton's potential legal liabilities regarding his new book will depend on whether he completes government review.


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Hell hath no fury like…

The US government taking all your book royalties.

But that's exactly what might happen to John Bolton if he doesn't complete a government review of his new book, "The Room Where It Happened," before publishing. 

In an exclusive interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo, AG William Barr had this to say:

FOX NEWS HOST MARIA BARTIROMO: What about John Bolton, the DOJ’s breach-of-contract suit against the former national security adviser?

Is it too late now to push back?

ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR: I don’t think it’s too late, because what we’re asking is for him to complete the process before the book is published, complete the process of taking out classified material.

And, in our view, there remains – there remains very highly classified material in the book still. And we would like him to address that. And so, under the law, we are bringing a civil action to enforce his agreement that he would do that before publishing.

The remedy, if he doesn’t complete it, is that he forfeits any money from that book to the government."

AG Barr's interview came a day after a federal judge ruled that the publication of the Bolton book will be allowed to move forward. 

Mostly because he already leaked it. 

From NPR:

The release of former national security adviser John Bolton's new book, The Room Where It Happened, remains on track after a federal judge on Saturday rejected the Trump administration's request to block its release.

Judge Royce Lamberth of the D.C. District Court said that Bolton may still be facing legal trouble and that because of a rush to print, it was likely his book contains classified information.

But with hundreds of thousands of copies of the book already out for sale, according to its publisher, the judge ruled that the administration's efforts had come too late. "The damage is done," he wrote in a 10-page opinion.

"Defendant Bolton has gambled with the national security of the United States. He has exposed his country to harm and himself to civil (and potentially criminal) liability," Lamberth concluded. "But these facts do not control the motion before the Court. The government has failed to establish that an injunction will prevent irreparable harm."

The Justice Department had sought a temporary restraining order against Bolton and his publisher, Simon & Schuster, citing what it called the presence of classified information in Bolton's manuscript. But the book already has been widely reported on, and it is scheduled to be released Tuesday.

I for one am honored that Mr. Bolton is willing to contribute to the national budget in such a way.

I know I'm not the only one:

But let's not get too excited. 

It appears that some generous readers are already posting the entire book for free online!

I dont know if I should feel sorry for the government or happy for John Bolton...

Failed author may soon be added to the resume. 



 

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