Trump suing over White House book non-starter: Legal experts

Any lawsuits by US President Donald Trump against former chief strategist Steve Bannon or the author and publisher of a book depicting a chaotic White House and Trump as out of his depth would almost certainly fail and could lead to more damaging disclosures, legal experts said.

Trump threatened legal action against Bannon over “libelous” remarks quoted by writer Michael Wolff in the book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, after excerpts were published by media outlets on Wednesday.

He also tweeted that the book is full of “lies, misrepresentations and sources that don’t exist.”

Charles Harder, a lawyer for Trump, said he would take “legal action” to block the book’s release. He sent cease-and-desist letters to Bannon, Wolff and publisher Henry Holt & Co.

Alan Dershowitz, an emeritus law professor at Harvard Law School, said a libel lawsuit by Trump would be a “terrible mistake” and “a nonstarter” that “no reasonable lawyer would recommend.” He said it is very difficult for public figures to prevail in libel suits. Trump would need to show Wolff and publisher Holt knew statements by Bannon and others were false or they acted with reckless disregard for whether or not they were true.

Wolff said on Friday he had spoken to Trump since the inauguration. He said he was “comfortable” with all the reporting in the book.

BOOK RELEASED EARLY IN DEFIANCE OF BAN ATTEMPT

Henry Holt & Co, the publisher of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, has brought publication forward to Friday in defiance of an attempt by Donald Trump’s lawyers to try to shut it down.

On Thursday afternoon, a spokeswoman for Holt & Co told the Guardian publication in all formats was being brought forward to Friday “due to unprecedented demand.