DOJ launches probe into Boltonmemoir
The Justice WASHINGTON— Department has opened a criminal investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton unlawfully disclosed classified information when he publishedamemoirthissummer, a case that the department opened after it failed to stop the book’s publication this summer, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The department has convened a grand jury, which issued a subpoena for communications records from Simon& Schuster, publisher of Bolton’s memoir, “The RoomWhere It Happened.” In the book, Bolton delivered a highly unflattering account of his 17 months working in the Trump administration.
Theinvestigation is a significant escalation in the fraught publication of the book. The Trump administration had sought to stop its publication, accusing Bolton in a lawsuit of moving forward with publication without receiving final notice that a prepublication review to scrub out classified informationwas complete. Thedirector of national intelligence referredthematter tothe Justice Department last month, two of the people said. John Demers, head of the department’snational security division, then opened the criminal investigation, according to a person briefed on the case.
Bolton has denied that he published classified information. Representatives for the Justice Department, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Security Council declined to comment.
Bolton’s account of his timeworking for Trump and his efforts to get the book published set off a furor. He confirmed elements of the Ukraine scheme that prompted impeachment, wrote that the presidentwas willing to intervene in criminal investigations to curry favor with foreign dictators and said he sought China’s help in winning reelection.
Trump has made clear that he wants his former aide prosecuted. He said on Twitter that Bolton “broke the law” and “should be in jail, money seized, for disseminating, forprofit, highly Classified information.” He has also called Bolton “a dope,” “incompetent” and the book “a compilation of lies and madeupstories, all intended to make me look bad.”
Lawyers for the National SecurityCouncil and the Justice Department expressed reservations about opening a criminal case, in partbecause Trump’s public statements made it seem like an overtly political act, according totwo
officials briefed on the discussions. Others noted that a federal judge this summer said that Bolton may have broken the lawand that the case had merit.
Bolton had agreed to let national security officials review any book he might eventuallywrite before publication in order tomake sure that it contained no classifiedinformation. ThedepartmentaccusedBoltonofgiving Simon& Schusterpermission to publish his book before he had official signoff that his prepublication review was complete. It also sued to halt publication.
But the department sued Bolton just aweek before his bookwas set tohit retailers in June, and a federal judge said that it was too late to keep the book out of the hands of readers.
“With hundreds of thousands of copies around the globe — many in newsrooms — thedamage isdone,” wrote Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia.