Skip to main content

Court allows publication of John Bolton’s book, in blow to Donald Trump

A U.S. court has ruled that the publication of a tell-all book by former national security adviser John Bolton can move forward, denying an attempt by President Donald Trump’s administration to prevent its release.

In his decision Judge Royce Lamberth said that the government failed to prove “irreparable harm” by halting the book’s publication, since much of its contents have already been disclosed through media reports.

“With hundreds of thousands of copies around the globe – many in newsrooms – the damage is done,” Lamberth said in his decision. “There is no restoring the status quo.”

But Lamberth also slammed Bolton saying he “gambled with the national security of the United States” and has exposed himself to possible forfeiture of profits and criminal liability in future court proceedings for failing to fully comply with the government’s classified information review.

The book, titled “The Room Where It Happened,” is scheduled to be released this Tuesday. It depicts Trump’s foreign policy as feckless and driven by personal interest.

Bolton says Trump asked his Chinese counterpart to purchase U.S. agricultural products to help his re-election bid.

He also told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he could intervene in a law enforcement probe to aid a Turkish bank, according to experts published in media reports.

The court’s decision will likely ensure a wider readership of the bombshell book, which comes roughly four months before the US presidential election.

Trump called the decision a “BIG COURT WIN against Bolton” despite losing the injunction request and referred to Bolton as a warmonger who “likes dropping bombs on people, and killing them.”

“Bolton broke the law and has been called out and rebuked for so doing, with a really big price to pay,” Trump said. “Now he will have bombs dropped on him!”
Lamberth said Bolton’s allegation that the White House classification review process was politically motivated did not hold up and he should have allowed more time for review of his 500-page manuscript.

“Many Americans are unable to renew their passports within four months, but Bolton complains that reviewing hundreds of pages of a National Security Advisor’s tell-all deserves a swifter timetable,” Lamberth said.

In his conclusion, Judge Royce Lamberth wrote that Bolton had also “exposed his country to harm and himself to civil [and potentially criminal] liability.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kenyan Law Court dismisses case of man seeking compensation after his wife eloped with another man from hospital

  A lawsuit filed by a man seeking to be compensated by St Mary's Mission Hospital in Kenya for allowing his wife to leave the hospital with another man after giving birth, has been struck out by a law court.    The appellant had sued the St. Mary's Mission hospital at Kakamega law courts in 2020 seeking general damages from the facility on grounds that the hospital had discharged his wife and allowed her to leave with another man. After delivering and at the time of discharge, the wife of the appellant claimed he was the baby's father.   The court of appeal judges Patrick Kiage, Mumbi Ngugi and Francis Tuiyott sitting at the Kisumu Court of Appeal, empathized with the man, but disagreed that he (the appellant) be compensated by the hospital for not detaining his wife.  They upheld the lower court's judgement which added that there's no remedy that lies in the law for such grievances.   Kiage said;   "I agree that if a man takes the woman he loves to t...
Post a Comment
Read more

FRSC reinforces directive on use of google maps while driving

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has clarified its position on the use of Google Maps, The FCT Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ayuba Gora was quoted saying that driving with the aid of Google map using mobile phones is a serious traffic offence. Gora said this at the inauguration of the 2019 Ember Months Campaign by Lugbe Unit Command of the FRSC in Abuja yesterday. But, FRSC Spokesman Bisi Kazeem making reference to Gora’s comments said the Sector Commander was quoted out of context and his statement outrightly misrepresented. Kazeem said the FRSC as a technology-driven organisation is not and has never stood against the use of Google Maps by Motorists. The statement read: “To state the obvious, we have always enlightened the public on the position of the law on the use of phone while driving. “The statement he made during the flag off buttresses the position of the Corps, which is that any driver who intends to deploy the use of Google Map...
Post a Comment
Read more

CJN Tanko unveils panel to hear Atiku’s appeal against Buhari

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed is presiding over the 7-man panel that will hear the appeals filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari at the February 23 poll. Other members of the panel are Bode Rhodes-Vivour, Amiru Sanusi, Uwani Abaji, Ejembi Eko, John Inyang Okoro and Olukayode Ariwoola. Atiku and his party are challenging the September 11 judgment of the Justice Mohammed Garba-led Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal which affirmed President Buhari’s victory at the polls. The appeals hearing has generated some controversies especially due to the silence of the Supreme Court on the justices that would constitute the panel, with the Coalition of United Progressives Party (CUPP) demanding the use of seniority in selecting them. A senior member of Atiku’s legal team, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), told reporters that they considered it strange that as at ...
Post a Comment
Read more