DOJ is investigating Bolton’s book publisher
Federal prosecutors have issued a grand jury subpoena to John Bolton’s publisher as part of a criminal investigation into whether the former national security adviser unlawfully disclosed classified information in a recent book critical of President Donald Trump, a person with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday.
The Justice Department’s demand for records from Simon & Schuster comes after the Trump administration failed in its effort earlier this year to halt publication of the book, “The Room Where It Happened,” and threats from president that his former aide could face prosecution.
Justice officials declined comment.
Charles Cooper, Bolton’s attorney, said they are aware of “reports” that the subpoenas have been issued but denied any wrongdoing.
“Ambassador Bolton emphatically rejects any claim that he acted improperly, let alone criminally, in connection with the publication of his book, and he will cooperate fully, as he has throughout, with any official inquiry into his conduct.”
The investigation was first disclosed by the New York Times.
In June, a federal judge cleared the way for the book’s publication, ruling that with numerous copies already distributed, it would be futile to stop it.
“With hundreds of thousands of copies around the globe – many in newsrooms – the damage is done,” wrote U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth.
But the judge also sharply rebuked Bolton for not following the government’s pre-publication clearance protocols regarding potentially classified material and suggested he could lose his $2 million advance for the book.
“Bolton has gambled with the national security of the United States,” the judge wrote. “He has exposed his country to harm and himself to civil (and potentially criminal) liability. But these facts do not control the motion before the court. The government has failed to establish that an injunction will prevent irreparable harm.”
Following the judge’s ruling Trump quickly weighed in on Twitter, suggesting that Bolton would have a “really big price to pay.”
Legal analysts said the Justice Department’s action, and its history of intervention on the side of Trump allies, smacked of retaliation.
“Given the way the administration gamed the review system to prevent the book from being published and then Trump repeatedly called on Bolton to be prosecuted, it’s hard to see this as anything other than direct retaliation,” Matt Miller, a former Justice spokesman in the Obama administration, tweeted Tuesday.