John Bolton.Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty
The lawsuit - filed during the final months ofDonald Trump’s presidency - had originallysought to blockBolton from publishing the tell-all book about his tumultuous tenure at the White House under Trump, 75.
A spokesperson for Bolton, 72, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. His attorney, Charles Cooper,toldThe New York Timeshe believed the DOJ’s lawsuit was a “politically motivated order.”
The book painted a scathing image of Trump’s interactions with his foreign counterparts and was released during the final months of the former president’s failed re-election bid.
From left: former President Donald Trump and former National Security Advisor John Bolton.Alex Wong/Getty
Bolton’s book gave an unfavorable, first-hand account of Trump’s private meetings with several foreign leaders, including North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump complained on Twitter that he thought Bolton was a “wacko” who “turned out to be grossly incompetent, and a liar.” Bolton served 18 months as Trump’s national security adviser.
President Donald Trump and former National Security Advisor John Bolton together at a NATO summit in Brussels on July 12, 2018.Sean Gallup/Getty
Several Trump aides also downplayed Bolton’s account around the time of the book’s release, as the White House sought to block the book’s publication legally while claiming Bolton was publishing sensitive security information.
However, Bolton, his attorney, and his publisher all said the former security adviser worked extensively with officials from the National Security Council to make sure no sensitive information was published.
A federal judge had ruled against the DOJ’s lawsuit at the time, clearing the way for Bolton’s book to be published as scheduled. The tell-all had already become Amazon’s top seller ahead of its release.
Critics alleged the attempt to block the book’s release was one ofseveral instancesin which Trump tried to use the DOJ to his personal or political advantage.
During the 2020 election, Bidenallegedthe Trump administration had been “the most corrupt administration in modern American history” and that the former president attempted to turn the DOJ into his own “private law firm.”
source: people.com
