Trump government files lawsuit to prevent publication of Bolton's book

The Trump administration on Tuesdayfiled a lawsuit seeking to prevent publication of former national security advisor John Bolton's book, which is expected to provide a damning insider portrait of the White House.

The Department of Justice alleged in its suit, filed in federal court in Washington, that publication of the book risks "compromising national security" through revelation of classified information that Bolton had access to during his turbulent 17-month stint in the White House, according to news agency AFP. .

The suit says Bolton failed to have the text vetted, meaning his book would be in "clear breach of agreements he signed as a condition of his employment and as a condition of gaining access to highly classified information."

Bolton's "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir," is set to be published on June 23.

The publisher, Simon and Schuster, said in a news release on Friday the book provides an insider account of Trump's "inconsistent, scattershot decision-making process."

The book details Trump's dealings with China, Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, Iran, Britain, France and Germany, the publisher said. "This is the book Donald Trump doesn’t want you to read," Simon and Schuster said.

Ben Wizner, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said the effort to block the book's publication was doomed to fail.

"As usual, the government's threats have nothing to do with safeguarding national security, and everything to do with avoiding scandal and embarrassment," Wizner said.

Trump said the problem of publishing classified information including conversations with the president "becomes even worse if he lies about the conversation, which I understand he might have in some cases." He said he had not read the book.

"So we'll see what happens. They're in court, or they'll soon be in court," Trump said.