The Washington Post reports that Drumpf considers John Bolton a traitor and a back-stabber, considers all conversations that Drump had with Bolton about National-Security matters classified and privileged, and wants to prevent publication of Bolton’s book while Drumpf remains in office, and especially before the November Election.
But the president has insisted to aides that Bolton's account of his work in Trump's White House, "The Room Where It Happened," should not see the light of day before the November election, according to the two people familiar with the conversations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House deliberations.
Trump has told his lawyers that Bolton should not be allowed to publish any of his interactions with him about national security because they are privileged and classified, these people said. He has also repeatedly brought up the book with his team, asking whether Bolton is going to be able to publish it, they said.
Trump told national television anchors on Feb. 4 during an off-the-record lunch that material in the book was "highly classified," according to notes from one participant in the luncheon. He then called him a "traitor."
“We’re going to try and block the publication of the book,” Trump said, according to the notes. “After I leave office, he can do this. But not in the White House.” “I give the guy a break. I give him a job. And then he turns on me,” Trump added during the West Wing lunch. “He’s just making things up.”
I’m not a fan of Bolton, and will not buy his book, but he should file his lawsuit seeking a writ of mandamus immediately. Or he should just say eff u to Drumpf and go ahead and publish, and risk criminal prosecution for publishing classified information.