The Room Where It Happened Explained

The Room Where It Happened:
A White House Memoir
Author:John Bolton
Publisher:Simon & Schuster
Pub Date:June 23, 2020[1]
Isbn:9781982148034

The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir is a memoir by John Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor for U.S. President Donald Trump from April 2018 to September 2019.[2] [3] Bolton was reportedly paid an advance of $2 million.[4]

In late December 2019, one copy of the manuscript was provided to the White House for standard pre-publication review. In late January 2020, during the Senate impeachment trial, news of the book broke. Bolton's team was surprised that multiple copies of the manuscript had apparently been made and circulated.[5] Leaked information about the book's contents increased the pressure for having Bolton testify in the Senate trial of Trump.[6]

According to Bolton's original draft manuscript, William Barr and Bolton had a conversation about concerns Trump had appeared to have undue influence over two US Justice Department investigations of companies in China and Turkey; specifically regarding China's paramount leader Xi Jinping with regard to ZTE and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with regard to Halkbank.[7] [8] [9] Bolton alleged that Trump, in an attempt to win re-election in agricultural states in the 2020 election, "[pleaded] with Xi to ensure he'd win. [Trump] stressed the importance of farmers, and increased Chinese purchases of soybeans and wheat in the electoral outcome". (Bolton also wrote that he wanted to directly quote Trump, but could not due to "the government's pre-publication review process".) He also stated that Trump asked if Finland was a part of Russia, and was unaware the United Kingdom is a nuclear power. Bolton alleged Trump intervened in U.S. law enforcement and practiced "obstruction of justice as a way of life."[10]

On June 16, 2020, the Trump administration sought to block release of the book by Simon & Schuster, contending that Bolton had breached nondisclosure agreements he signed as a condition of his employment and that the book endangered national security.[4] U.S. federal judge Royce Lamberth denied this request on June 20.[4] On June 21, pirated copies of the book appeared online. The book was released on June 23.[11] Later that summer, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into whether the book revealed classified information, empaneling a grand jury that subpoenaed the publisher's communications records.[12]

The book takes its name from the song "The Room Where It Happens" from the musical Hamilton.[13]

Content

In the book, Bolton claims that:

United States

China

Korea

Europe

Middle East

Venezuela

Publication and release

On March 3, 2020, Simon & Schuster pushed back the release date from March 17 to May 12, saying that the "new date reflects the fact that the government [pre-publication security] review of the work is ongoing".[27] On April 29, the release date was pushed from May 12 to June 23 and the book length was increased from 528 to 576 pages.[28] On June 17, 2020, The Washington Post and The New York Times published excerpts from the book after having obtained pre-publication copies,[29] and The Wall Street Journal published an "exclusive excerpt" from the book with a byline by John Bolton.[30] On June 21, a pirated copy of the book appeared online.[31] On June 23, the book was released as scheduled. In its first week, the book sold 780,000 copies.[32]

Trump administration responses

As Trump faced an impeachment trial that raised the possibility Bolton might provide testimony, the White House on January 23 issued a formal threat to stop Bolton from publishing his book, citing national security concerns.[33] Bolton had submitted his manuscript to the National Security Council for security review in December 2019, and after months of discussions, was told on April 27 by Ellen Knight—the NSC's senior director for prepublication review—that no other classification issues remained. However, the White House did not provide Bolton written notice that he could proceed with publication, and in May another NSC official, Michael Ellis, was assigned to further review the manuscript.[34] [35] Knight is a career NSC staffer, while Ellis was acting at the direction of Trump political appointees under national security advisor Robert O'Brien. The Trump administration asserted that Bolton did not inform it of his decision to proceed with publication, while Bolton asserts he was not advised of the second review by Ellis.[35]

On June 16, 2020—after the book had been shipped to distribution warehouses awaiting official release the following week—the Trump administration filed a civil lawsuit against Bolton in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging breach of contract for failing to submit his manuscript for prepublication security review, seeking to confiscate his $2 million advance, asserting the manuscript was "rife with classified information."[36] The next day, the Department of Justice filed an emergency application for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Bolton, "seeking to enjoin publication of a book containing classified information."[37] By that day, media outlets had acquired copies of the book and had begun publishing articles on its contents.[38] [10]

Several groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, PEN American Center, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Association of American Publishers, Dow Jones & Company, The New York Times Company, and The Washington Post filed amicus briefs opposing the motion for a temporary restraining order.[39] [40] [41] Simon & Schuster released a statement calling the lawsuit "nothing more than the latest in a long running series of efforts by the Administration to quash publication of a book it deems unflattering to the President" and an attempt to infringe Bolton's "First Amendment right to tell the story of his time in the White House to the American public".[42]

Bolton's attorney, Chuck Cooper, asserted that the White House was slow-walking the review process to prevent the book, which contained extensive harsh criticism of Trump, from being released during the 2020 election campaign. Cooper had written to Knight when he submitted the manuscript in December, to recount a phone conversation they'd had, stating, "it is our understanding that the process of reviewing submitted materials is restricted to those career government officials and employees regularly charged with responsibility for such reviews. Accordingly, we understand that the contents of Ambassador Bolton's manuscript will not be reviewed or otherwise disclosed to any persons not regularly involved in that process." His letter also noted that, per Bolton's 2018 agreement with the government, there was a 30 working-day limit for the prepublication review.[43] Trump asserted the book contained "highly classified" information but also characterized the book as "pure fiction."

In its June 17 brief filed with the court, the Justice Department provided six examples of what it asserted were classified items that remained in the book, including some characterized as "exceptionally restricted," meaning they could jeopardize intelligence sources and methods. Trump had previously asserted that every conversation with him is "highly classified," and Bolton stated in his book that the prepublication review prohibited him from quoting the president's exact words but not from characterizing what Trump said. For example, Bolton characterized Trump as "pleading with Xi to ensure he'd win" the 2020 election, while Vanity Fair—citing the original manuscript it had seen—showed Bolton quoted Trump telling Xi, "Make sure I win" and "I will probably win anyway, so don't hurt my farms.… Buy a lot of soybeans and wheat and make sure we win."[44] [45] [46] [10]

During a hearing on June 19, Justice Lamberth castigated Bolton for proceeding to publish his book without formal clearance, but expressed doubt he could block publication. A Justice Department attorney acknowledged that Ellis had received no training in reviewing classified information until that month, and that as many as half of the items Ellis had marked as classified may not have been so when Bolton wrote his manuscript, and Ellis' review was the first time they were flagged.[47] [48] [49] [10] [35] [50] [51] Both Lamberth and Cooper noted that while the Justice Department provided an affidavit from Ellis in its brief, it did not include any statement from Knight. After the hearing, which was held via video conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lamberth reviewed the Justice Department evidence in a closed-door session.[52]

On June 20, Judge Lamberth ruled that "Bolton likely published classified materials" and "has exposed his country to harm and himself to civil (and potentially criminal) liability," but denied the government's motion for a temporary restraining order, as "the government has failed to establish that an injunction will prevent irreparable harm."[53] [4] [54] [55] Lamberth elaborated: "While Bolton's unilateral conduct raises grave national security concerns, the government has not established that an injunction is an appropriate remedy. For reasons that hardly need to be stated, the Court will not order nationwide seizure and destruction of a political memoir."[4] Cooper welcomed the "decision by the Court denying the Government's attempt to suppress Ambassador Bolton's book" but disagreed "with the Court's preliminary conclusion at this early stage of the case that Ambassador Bolton did not comply fully with his contractual prepublication obligation to the Government."[4] Cooper had argued before Lamberth the previous day that the particular version of the agreement Bolton had signed did not require that he receive written clearance to proceed to publication.[47]

In September 2020, Knight asserted that her decisions about what in the book should be deemed classified were overridden by White House officials, notably legal advisors close to the president. She claimed she was forced out of the NSC after she declined to sign a statement that would support a government lawsuit against Bolton for publishing his book without White House authorization.[56] [57]

Lamberth ruled on October 1 that the government suit could proceed, rejecting the defense argument that a close parsing of Bolton's nondisclosure agreements showed they required he be aware he was publishing classified information to be charged and that Knight's verbal assurances established that he was not aware.[58]

The Justice Department dropped its criminal inquiry of Bolton in June 2021 and moved to end efforts to confiscate proceeds from his book.[59]

Reactions

On June 22, South Korea took issue with Bolton's account of events surrounding the 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit, with South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-yong saying that "[u]nilaterally publishing consultations made based on mutual trust violates the basic principles of diplomacy and could severely damage future negotiations."[60]

On June 18, 2020, during an ABC News interview, Bolton gave his rebuttal to Trump's previous tweets in which Trump called him a "wacko" and a "sick puppy" and that Bolton's book is "a compilation of lies and made up stories" by saying that "[t]he president isn't worried about foreign governments reading this book. He's worried about the American people reading this book."[61]

Turkey criticized Bolton's book, saying it included misleading accounts of conversations between Trump and Turkish President Erdoğan.[62]

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Bolton of being a "traitor". Pompeo claimed that "from the excerpts I've seen published, John Bolton is spreading a number of lies, fully-spun half-truths and outright falsehoods … I was in the room too."[63]

Bolton used the title of one of the musical Hamiltons songs, "The Room Where It Happens", as the title of his book. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the musical, reacted by posting the rewritten lyrics of another Hamilton song on Twitter: "Let me tell you what I wish I'd known/When I was young and dreamed of glory/You have no control/Who lives, who dies, who [borrows your song title to write a cash-in book when they could have testified before Congress] tells your story...".[64]

Reviews

German author Klaus Brinkbäumer, a New York-based contributor to the weekly newspaper Die Zeit, criticized the book as "cowardly [and] stupid... So submissive and vain; and apolitical, so amazingly unhistorical and unintelligent." Brinkbäumer goes on to say that the book only exists due to the $2 million advance payment Bolton received.[65]

The New York Times book review by Jennifer Szalai called the book "exceedingly tedious and slightly unhinged", 500 pages of "minute and often extraneous details" and "bloated with self-importance".[66]

The Guardian book review by Peter Conrad said it was a "punchy but self-aggrandising memoir" and that, "[d]espite the promise of the book’s title, Bolton was not in the room during Trump’s extended confab with Putin in Helsinki, from which Putin emerged as cockily as a strutting bantam while Trump stumbled out like a trodden hen with ruffled feathers."[67]

See also

References

Footnotes

Notes and References

  1. News: Bolton book release pushed back again, to late June. Daniel. Lippman. Politico. April 29, 2020. May 3, 2020. June 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200623080301/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/29/john-bolton-book-delay-222164. live.
  2. News: Paula . Reid . Stefan . Becket . Report: Bolton book says Trump tied Ukraine military aid to Biden probe . January 27, 2020 . . en-US . January 27, 2020 . June 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200623080306/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-bolton-report-bolton-book-says-trump-tied-ukraine-military-aid-to-biden-probe/ . live .
  3. News: 5 Takeaways on Trump and Ukraine From John Bolton's Book. Weiland. Noah. January 26, 2020. The New York Times. January 27, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331. June 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200623022328/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/us/politics/john-bolton-trump-book-takeaways.html. live.
  4. Spencer S. Hsu, U.S. judge declines to block release of book by former national security adviser John Bolton, Washington Post (June 20, 2020).
  5. Web site: Bolton book leaked after the White House made copies of the single manuscript they were given: report. Brigham. Bob. January 27, 2020. The Raw Story. en-US. January 28, 2020. April 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200408055758/https://www.rawstory.com/2020/01/bolton-book-leaked-after-the-white-house-made-copies-of-the-single-manuscript-they-were-given-report/. live.
  6. Web site: Pressure Grows for Bolton to Testify at Impeachment Trial . Rebecca . Ballhaus . Siobhan . Hughes . January 27, 2020 . . January 28, 2020 . January 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200128055006/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/pressure-grows-for-bolton-to-testify-at-impeachment-trial/ar-BBZmZdq . dead .
  7. News: Bolton Book Puts New Focus on Trump's Actions in Turkey and China Cases. Lipton. Eric. January 28, 2020. The New York Times. January 30, 2020. Rappeport. Alan. en-US. 0362-4331. June 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200623031514/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/us/politics/bolton-book-trump-china-turkey.html. live.
  8. Web site: New York Times: Bolton wrote he was concerned Trump was granting favors to autocratic leaders. LeBlanc. Paul. January 28, 2020. CNN. January 30, 2020. March 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200301211313/https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/27/politics/john-bolton-trump-turkey-china/index.html. live.
  9. Web site: Libro de John Bolton: 4 revelaciones sobre Trump en las polémicas memorias cuya publicación quiere impedir la Casa Blanca . July 16, 2020 . June 18, 2020 . . London . es .
  10. Web site: Baker . Peter . Bolton Says Trump Impeachment Inquiry Missed Other Troubling Actions . The New York Times . June 17, 2020 . June 17, 2020 . June 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200623230805/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/us/politics/bolton-book-trump-impeached.html . live .
  11. Libby Cathey, Bolton book releases Tuesday even as judge says his profits might be seized, ABC News (June 23, 2020).
  12. News: Justice Dept. Opens Criminal Inquiry Into John Bolton's Book. Katie. Benner. The New York Times. September 15, 2020.
  13. Web site: Truitt . Brian . Lin-Manuel Miranda throws 'Hamilton' shade at John Bolton's Trump book title . USA Today . June 18, 2020 . July 19, 2020.
  14. News: John Bolton book says Trump gave 'favors to dictators,' confirms he bullied Ukraine. Chris. Sommerfeldt. New York Daily News. June 17, 2020. June 17, 2020. June 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200623080239/https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-bolton-book-trump-favors-dictators-20200617-cjyfe6ygpreatkvqi7ukvnk3ry-story.html. live.
  15. News: Swan . Jonathan . Savage . Charlie . Haberman . Maggie . 2023-12-09 . Fears of a NATO Withdrawal Rise as Trump Seeks a Return to Power . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-12-11 . 0362-4331.
  16. News: 'Who cares about that?': Bolton said Trump wouldn't make a statement on the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre because he was prioritizing a deal with China . Business Insider . June 17, 2020.
  17. News: Pompeo calls Bolton 'a traitor' over upcoming tell-all book. Axios. June 19, 2020. Orion. Rummler.
  18. News: South Korea says Bolton's claims on Trump-Kim summit distorted . The Washington Post . June 22, 2020 . Min Joo. Kim. John. Hudson.
  19. News: Trump Tied Ukraine Aid to Inquiries He Sought, Bolton Book Says. The New York Times. June 23, 2020. June 29, 2020. Maggie. Haberman. Michael S.. Schmidt. February 1, 2020. https://archive.today/20200201193640/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/us/politics/trump-bolton-book-ukraine.html. live.
  20. News: John Bolton urged to elaborate on Trump-Erdoğan claims . The Guardian . June 18, 2020.
  21. News: Trump defended Saudi leader after Khashoggi's murder to distract from Ivanka's email scandal: Bolton . Salon . June 18, 2020.
  22. News: Trump supported Israeli attack on Iran, John Bolton writes in tell-all memoir . Jewish Telegraphic Agency . June 22, 2020 . June 26, 2020 . June 29, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200629043603/https://www.jta.org/quick-reads . dead .
  23. News: John Bolton Can Stomach Kim Jong Un's North Korea, but Not Iran . Foreign Policy . June 25, 2020.
  24. News: How Bolton, Netanyahu and Pompeo Sabotaged Trump's Dream of Talks With Iran . Haaretz . June 21, 2020.
  25. Web site: Colombia y Venezuela, co-protagonistas en el libro de John Bolton . July 16, 2020 . Mesa . Jesús . June 23, 2020 . El Espectador . Comunican S.A. . Bogotá . es .
  26. Web site: Venezuela entre dos torpezas: la de Trump y la de Bolton . July 16, 2020 . Shifter . Michael . June 25, 2020 . The New York Times . New York . es .
  27. Web site: Stelter . Brian . John Bolton's book has been delayed until May due to White House review . CNN . March 8, 2020 . March 3, 2020 . June 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200623034233/https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/03/media/john-bolton-book-delayed/index.html . live .
  28. News: Italie . Hillel . . April 29, 2020 . John Bolton's book about his time in the Trump White House again delayed, this time to June 23 . . May 12, 2020 . June 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200623035459/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2020/04/29/john-bolton-book-delayed-again-june-23-pending-security-review/3054097001/ . live .
  29. News: Dawsey. Josh. June 17, 2020. Trump asked China's Xi to help him win reelection, according to Bolton book. June 17, 2020. Washington Post. June 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200623011826/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-asked-chinas-xi-to-help-him-win-reelection-according-to-bolton-book/2020/06/17/d4ea601c-ad7a-11ea-868b-93d63cd833b2_story.html. live.
  30. Web site: Bolton. John. June 17, 2020. John Bolton: The Scandal of Trump's China Policy. June 17, 2020. Wall Street Journal. June 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622233847/https://www.wsj.com/articles/john-bolton-the-scandal-of-trumps-china-policy-11592419564. live.
  31. News: Associated Press. Pirated editions of Bolton's book appearing online. June 22, 2020. Politico. en.
  32. News: John Bolton Memoir Sells Over 780,000 Copies in First Week. The Wall Street Journal. July 1, 2020. Jeffrey A.. Trachtenberg.
  33. Web site: White House has issued formal threat to Bolton to keep him from publishing book. Tapper. Jake. January 30, 2020. CNN. January 30, 2020. May 28, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200528191323/https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/29/politics/donald-trump-john-bolton-white-house-book/index.html. live.
  34. News: Haberman . Maggie . Benner . Katie . Trump Administration Asks Judge to Stop Publication of Bolton's Book . The New York Times . June 16, 2020 . June 16, 2020 . June 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200623032544/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/us/politics/john-bolton-book-publication.html . live .
  35. News: Targeting Bolton, Justice Dept. Again in Alignment With Trump's Desires. Katie. Benner. Charlie. Savage. The New York Times. June 18, 2020. June 19, 2020. June 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622222403/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/18/us/politics/justice-department-bolton-book.html. live.
  36. Web site: Van Horn. Daniel. Gerardi. Michael. June 16, 2020. United States v. Bolton Complaint. June 20, 2020. Court Listener. February 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210209145105/https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17254525/1/united-states-v-bolton/. live.
  37. Web site: Hunt. Joseph H.. Sherwin. Michael. Davis. Ethan. Morrell. David. Haas. Alexander. Van Horn. Daniel. Gerardi. Michael. June 17, 2020. Emergency Application for Temporary Restraining Order and Motion for Preliminary Injunction. June 17, 2020. Court Listener. June 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200618104105/https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17254525/3/united-states-v-bolton/. live.
  38. News: Trump Put Re-Election Prospects Ahead of National Interest, Bolton Alleges. The Wall Street Journal. June 17, 2020. Michael C.. Bender. Rebecca. Ballhaus. June 24, 2020. February 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210209145007/https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-put-re-election-prospects-ahead-of-national-interest-bolton-alleges-11592423359. live.
  39. Web site: Kaufman. Brett. Jaffer. Jameel. Spitzer. Arthur B.. June 19, 2020. Brief Of American Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union Of The District Of Columbia, And Knight First Amendment Institute At Columbia University As Amici Curiae in Support Of Defendant's Opposition To The Government's Emergency Application For A Temporary Restraining Order And Motion For A Preliminary Injunction. June 19, 2020. Court Listener.
  40. Web site: Benavidez. Nora. Boutous. Theodore. June 19, 2020. Brief Of PEN American Center, Inc. As Amicus Curiae In Support Of Defendant. Court Listener.
  41. Web site: Brown. Bruce. June 19, 2020. Brief Of The Reporters Committee For Freedom Of The Press, The Association Of American Publishers, Inc., Dow Jones & Company, Inc., The New York Times Company, And The Washington Post As Amici Curiae In Support Of Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff's Emergency Application For A Temporary Restraining Order And Motion For Preliminary Injunction. June 19, 2020. Court Listener.
  42. Web site: Johnson. Ted. June 16, 2020. John Bolton's Publisher Simon & Schuster: DOJ Lawsuit Is Latest Effort To Quash "Unflattering" Book About Donald Trump. June 17, 2020. Deadline. June 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200623075158/https://deadline.com/2020/06/john-bolton-donald-trump-justice-department-lawsuit-1202960872/. live.
  43. Web site: Cooper & Kirk.
  44. Web site: Trump pleaded with China's president to buy US agricultural products to help him win the 2020 election, John Bolton's new book says. Business Insider.
  45. "Make Sure I Win": John Bolton's Unredacted Book Shows What Trump Was Really Trying to Hide. Vanity Fair. June 18, 2020. June 21, 2020. July 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200701162324/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/06/boltons-unredacted-book-shows-trump-trying-to-hide. live.
  46. Web site: Trump claims 'every' conversation is classified ahead of Bolton book – but experts say otherwise. June 16, 2020. The Independent. June 19, 2020. June 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200618221220/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/url-trump-john-bolton-book-classified-conversations-a9569551.html. live.
  47. News: Benner. Katie. Savage. Charlie. June 18, 2020. Targeting Bolton, Justice Dept. Again in Alignment With Trump's Desires. en-US. The New York Times. June 21, 2020. 0362-4331. June 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622222403/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/18/us/politics/justice-department-bolton-book.html. live.
  48. News: Justice Dept. Escalates Legal Fight With Bolton Over Book. Charlie. Savage. The New York Times. June 17, 2020. June 19, 2020. June 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622183537/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/us/politics/john-bolton-lawsuit.html. live.
  49. Web site: DOJ applies for emergency restraining order to block Bolton's book. Orion. Rummler. Axios. June 18, 2020 . June 19, 2020. June 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622093031/https://www.axios.com/bolton-restraining-order-trump-e5f54f66-fba6-4f29-9257-68f9b579dca6.html. live.
  50. News: U.S. judge blasts Bolton for abandoning classified information review but doubts he can bar book publication. Washington Post. June 19, 2020. June 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200623040844/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/us-judge-to-hear-trump-administrations-emergency-request-to-block-publication-of-bolton-book/2020/06/19/ce8b5844-b198-11ea-8758-bfd1d045525a_story.html. live.
  51. Web site: White House seeks emergency order to block release of John Bolton's book. Star Tribune. June 19, 2020. June 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200617212649/https://www.startribune.com/bolton-says-trump-asked-china-to-help-him-get-reelected/571324152/. live.
  52. News: Judge Rejects Trump Request for Order Blocking Bolton's Memoir. The New York Times. June 20, 2020. Charlie. Savage. June 21, 2020. June 21, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200621215636/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/20/us/politics/john-bolton-book-ruling.html. live.
  53. Web site: Lamberth. Royce. June 20, 2020. Memorandum Order. June 20, 2020. Court Listener. February 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210209145019/https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17254525/27/united-states-v-bolton/. live.
  54. News: 0362-4331. Judge: Bolton Can Publish Book Despite Efforts to Block It. AP via The New York Times. June 20, 2020. June 20, 2020. June 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622132027/https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/06/20/arts/ap-us-trump-bolton-book.html. live.
  55. Web site: Judge: Bolton can publish book despite efforts to block it . July 16, 2020 . Tucker . Eric . June 20, 2020 . . July 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200716232016/https://apnews.com/dd4d178b8050739c915e455e022347ae . live .
  56. News: White House Accused of Improperly Politicizing Review of John Bolton's Book. Michael S.. Schmidt. Charlie. Savage. The New York Times. September 23, 2020. September 23, 2020. September 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200923162815/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/us/politics/john-bolton-book-review-process.html. live.
  57. Web site: Ex-NSC official accuses White House of trying to block Bolton book to satisfy Trump. Katelyn Polantz. CNN. September 23, 2020 . September 23, 2020. September 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200923194612/https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/23/politics/john-bolton-ellen-knight/index.html. live.
  58. News: Government Lawsuit Over John Bolton's Memoir May Proceed, Judge Rules. Charlie. Savage. The New York Times. October 1, 2020. October 12, 2020. October 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201011213307/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/01/us/politics/john-bolton-book-proceeds-lawsuit.html. live.
  59. News: Justice Dept. Ends Criminal Inquiry, Lawsuit on John Bolton's Book. Michael S.. Schmidt. Katie. Benner. The New York Times. June 16, 2021.
  60. News: Shin . Hyonhee . South Korea says Bolton's account of Trump-Kim summits is distorted . Reuters . The Globe and Mail Inc . June 22, 2020 . June 22, 2020 . June 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200623045046/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-south-korea-says-boltons-account-of-trump-kim-summits-is-distorted/ . live .
  61. News: John Bolton responds to President Trump's tweets about new memoir. June 18, 2020. ABC News. June 18, 2020. June 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622095652/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/john-bolton-responds-to-president-trumps-tweets-about-new-memoir/ar-BB15Gzl0?li=BBnb7Kz. live.
  62. News: Turkey says Bolton's book 'misleading' on Erdogan-Trump conversations . Reuters . June 25, 2020 . June 25, 2020 . June 26, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200626041629/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-usa-bolton/turkey-says-boltons-book-misleading-on-erdogan-trump-conversations-idUSKBN23V3BI . live .
  63. News: Pompeo slams Bolton account as spreading 'lies,' 'fully-spun half-truths' and 'falsehoods' . The Hill . June 18, 2020 . June 25, 2020 . June 22, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200622023444/https://thehill.com/policy/international/503516-pompeo-to-bolton-i-was-in-the-room-too . live .
  64. News: Truitt . Brian . Lin-Manuel Miranda throws 'Hamilton' shade at John Bolton's Trump book title . . June 18, 2020 . July 2, 2022.
  65. News: Ein Haufen Feiglinge (Original in German) . June 23, 2020 . www.zeit.de – Zeit Online . June 23, 2020 . August 10, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200810221412/https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2020-06/us-republikaner-john-bolton-donald-trump . live .
  66. News: Szalai . Jennifer . In 'The Room Where It Happened,' John Bolton Dumps His Notes and Smites His Enemies . . September 23, 2020 . July 2, 2022.
  67. News: Conrad . Peter . The Room Where It Happened by John Bolton review – a monument to his own grandiosity . . June 28, 2020 . July 2, 2022.