Report: Bolton Plans to Publish With or Without WH Approval

Former national security adviser John Bolton has apparently grown weary of waiting for the White House to approve his tell-all book about his time in the White House. Sources tell the Washington Post that Bolton plans to publish The Room Where It Happened on June 23 whether the White House approves or not. Bolton originally planned to release the book on March 17, but the release has been delayed for months by the security classification process. President Trump has described the memoir as "nasty & untrue," and the Post's sources say the president has privately described Bolton as a "traitor."

The book will be the "most detailed criticism yet from a former administration official who served at a high level of government," insiders tell the Post. In excerpts leaked before Trump's impeachment trial, Bolton said Trump told him he wanted to freeze military aid to Ukraine until the Bidens were investigated. Sources say Bolton believes he has removed all classified material from the book, although CNN notes that the president and other senior White House officials have "broad authority" over classifying information and it is possible for the president to use executive authority to retroactively classify information in Bolton's book. (More John Bolton stories.)