The National Security Council official who led prepublication review for John Bolton’s White House memoir has detailed a troubling chain of events that backed up his claims.
Catching up with PW's Andrew Albanese
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In June, a federal judge refused a Trump Administration plea to block publication of John Bolton’s memoir The Room Where it Happened. The book by the former National Security Advisor has since gone on to sell over one million copies.
“In a June 20 decision, Judge Royce Lamberth issued an order denying the DOJ’s emergency application to block publication,” recalls Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer.
“Many observers, including me, noted that Judge Lamberth rebuked Bolton for opting out of the prepublication review process,” Albanese adds. “However, Bolton has maintained that he was assured that his book was cleared of any classified information—and that he only moved ahead with publication after it became clear to him that political appointees were using the review process to block publication of a book that would embarrass the president.”
Over the summer, the White House’s legal case has continued. This week, attorneys for the National Security Council official who led the prepublication review of detailed a troubling chain of events that backed up Bolton’s claim.
“In a 19-page letter, attorneys for Ellen Knight, the former senior director for records access and information security management at the NSC, confirmed that the book was in fact cleared of classified information after an intensive process—only to be blocked by political appointees who later unsuccessfully pressured Knight to change her story and when she didn’t, removed her from her post,” Albanese tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.
Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.
