What is the likelihood that Trump and Barr will be successful in suppressing / censoring John Bolton's tell-all book?

They don’t have grounds to suppress it BUT King Trump will try everything because Bolton has the goods on the “Trump Mafia.”

I don’t see how they can censor it. They could sue for Libel maybe? That would be a civil suit, not censoring.

Thanks for listing the link. I just ordered it. Not the kind of thing i usually read, but the more pre-orders of it the harder it will be to stop.

I think they’re trying to close the barn door after the horse has gotten out. Yippee!

His niece has a book coming; she has a Ph.D and is a trained clinical psychologist !

The title is Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.

I just pre-ordered both.

Trump’s argument is that anything he says is classified information. That is nonsense. Bolton’s lawyer said that Bolton worked closely with classification specialists to make sure that there was no classified information that was disclosed. Link

Only in it’s current form.

“The current draft manuscript still contains classified material,” John Eisenberg, a deputy White House counsel wrote in a letter to Cooper, according to the New York Times, arguing that information could be “exploited by a foreign power” and cause “significant harm to the national security of the United States.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/06/15/report-trump-administration-expected-to-file-lawsuit-to-block-john-boltons-book/#42c9c3d1172f

It’s too late. The book was vetted and has surely been redacted prior to publication. The thing to keep in mind is this: no credible description of anything to do with the fool will be laudatory or commendable. Even his own ghostwriters wind up recanting their work in disgust.

@KNOWITALL: The next sentence in that paragraph ” .” In an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, Cooper said Bolton went line by line through the text of the book to get the approval and called the White House’s effort “a pretext to censor” Bolton.” kind of puts a more complete perspective on it.

Can’t think of a precedent when a book about him got censored by a TV show host in the WH. So I don’t think so. Might just end up reading it out of curiosity not of the TV show host but with Bolton. Was under the impression he was a yes man.

@canidmajor Yes, obviously someone’s lying. I just don’t automatically assume it’s the WH.

It seems that thumper always gets his way, so I’m keeping an open mind. I hope we’re NOT getting to the place where we start censoring others!!! Any chance thumper is trying to help his friend earn more revenue off the book by saying he’s going to suppress it so everybody rushes out to buy a copy??? Maybe he worked out a deal with Bolton so he gets a cut of the profit.

It’s already been approved for release twice by the State Department, only to be stopped by the White House.
It has already been printed, and shipping has begun.

I am really torn on buying this. John Bolton is a vile snake. I don’t want to put money in his pocket.
I am also interested in reading what it has to say.
Guess it’s either GoodWill or shoplifting.

Don’t worry. Anything pertinent in the book will be trumpeted like nobody’s business in the days to come. I mean when you stop to think about it, it’s a remarkable fact that there is not even a facade of decency or competence about Trump. It’s as though he considers it not worth the effort to erect even the pretense of viable governance.

Looks like the NYTimes has a copy.

Game over, Trump and Barr.

It’s only going to be a tell-some. There will never be a tell-all. And our faith and credulity have taken such a beating that we won’t even know the truth when we see it.

So, all together now: “Ha. That’s got to be it. Now it’s over. Now he’s finished.”

How many times are we going to sing that righteous chorus before we realize that there is no limit?

If we ever get to Whole-Truth time, it won’t be believable. We’re never going to know what really happened. By the time someone does piece it all together, decades from now, like a latter-day William Shirer, we’re not going to be around to feel the satisfaction and the vindication.

We’re going to have to settle for “don’t know.” That’s what the Information Age has brought us to: mud everywhere.

Meanwhile, the “significant harm” is channeling directly out of the White House.

I would have to question who decided what was cleared for publication and what might be considered classified. If it was Bolton, he could be in a world of hurt. Classification of materials is not the purview of the average citizen. It is only done through the government and, in particular, the Executive Branch. If I wrote something and said “well, I went through it and don’t see anything classified!” I could be entirely wrong. And let’s remember…Bolton is a civilian these days.

Moreover, what’s on the front pages of the daily newspapers (what’s left of them) can be “exploited by a foreign power” without benefit of anything classified. Never have we made it so easy for foreign interests to compromise our security. Why bother with espionage when you can get the president to blab to hostile foreign agents and leaders just to show off?

Do you really suppose a “tell all” might exceed what we’ve already seen and heard?

@seawulf575 it was cleared before printing, a national security council staffer vetting the book for classified material had indicated to Bolton in late April that she had given him the “last edit” she really had for him.

The part that Trump and Barr are claiming is national security issue is the “smoking gun” with the Ukraine.

Simon & Schuster knows what steps are necessary to have a book vetted for publication. This book was submitted to the National Security Council and approved for publication.

The lawsuit is just noise to please the base and sow doubt about the facts, inoculating the cult against the truth.

It’s half-assed flailing from the incompetents in the White House. Their main accomplishment will be creating publicity for the book and selling more copies.

@KNOWITALL “Yes, obviously someone’s lying. I just don’t automatically assume it’s the WH.”

You should, you really should. The Grifter-In-Chief has a well-documented habit of lying.

Besides, even if A is lying, that doesn’t mean that B is not lying.

Neal Katyal, a lawyer’s take on the issue.

Well – - – - – Stephen Colbert has a copy, he was quoting from it tonight on his show.

That’s what I mean. It’s out already.

I predict there is zero chance of getting it suppressed. They might go after Amazon or other book sellers but the information will still be spread faster than a trump thumb dump about a useless covid cure.
The suppression effort is just making more buzz for the book. Keep it up!
I’m going to pre-order a copy now.

That Donnie Boy is now screaming that the book is all lies blows holes in his claim that it’s full of classified information.

@Darth_Algar It won’t matter to the Reps at this point, for this election anyway.

With all the leaks, I’d say it’s almost impossible. John is scheduled to be on A Late Show With Stephen Colbert the first day it is released. I can’t wait to hear that interview. I was reading earlier today where ABC has prereleased an upcoming interview with John. I’m sorry but once heard, I can’t unhear it. The cat is out of the bag already so it seems a little late although I don’t expect that to stop trump from still trying. I wouldn’t want to be John Bolton nor the State Department personnel who approved the book right now. Amazingly, I wasn’t shocked to hear anything that John had to say

I’ll take a bet that Billy Barr is fired when the first copies get delivered by Amazon.

Trump already fired Elaine McCusker, Department of Defense’s acting comptroller and chief financial officer, Trump hand picked her for the position. She supposedly said something in May about his actions in the Ukraine meeting that Trump thought was treason.

I don’t know Willy, Barr kisses ass very well and when it’s not being spanked, trump loves having it kissed

You’re on @SEKA ! $5.00 for next Friday June 26th, Billy is gone.

@KNOWITALL

It may not matter to Republican voters, but should this end up in court it very well may matter.

The folks from Simon & Schuster had better avoid the middle of Fifth Avenue, though. Just as a precaution.

@Jeruba – fine and apropos answer.

@Tropical_Willie If I’m wrong, it will be the best $5 I’ve ever spent. Rumor has it that Pence will be gone come July. I’m now wondering how much I’ll lose on that one?

trump’s not having a very good day today. The Supreme Court let him down once again and Zuckerberg has smacked him down on FB. I’m almost feeling sorry for him. “Yeah right” <giggling>

@SEKA What did Zuckerberg do?

^ This

Haven’t had a chance to read all the comments, but imagine someone has already pointed out that there are already copies out there, most probably to media types. Stephen Colbert showed the copy he had online the other day, tho’ said he hadn’t read it yet. I’m not sure I believe him there, but he definitely has it, so I imagine anyone with the media/news has a copy. The Wash. Post and MSN posted a ton of excerpts, or at least summaries of points, yesterday, so, well, no chance it’ll be surpressed. And, for those who’ll scream “Unfair!” this is actually the way just any book published is released. Early copies, handed out freely, are called ARCs, Advance Reading Copies, and are the norm, not the exception. Simon and Schuster, the publisher, is just doing the normal promotional thing, tho’ probably with some glee on the part of those who oppose Trumpster. Ha

(Anticipating a widespread Schadenfreude hangover)

@LuckyGuy I got my copy in the mail today, did you get your copy ? ?

@Tropical_Willie Not yet. I’ll let you know.

I received mine yesterday & watched Bolton on A Late Night last night…an interesting interview. He loves the Republican Party but despises trump. He’s trying to convince the RP to run anybody but trump.

@Tropical_Willie My copy arrived yesterday 6/27. I’ll circulate it after I finish reading it.

I think it contemptible that Bolton withheld his revelations from the fool’s impeachment proceedings. The entire point of his book is that the fool is unfit for office, and Bolton’s record of Trump’s crimes which he saved for the book marks Bolton as a man willing to sell out his country for the sake of a book deal—patriot my ass!

@stanleybmanly You also might want to consider that many of his claims of crimes are opinions. He didn’t think Trump did something right, or it might have been that Trump was up to something shady. When you see statements like that, it is no longer factual and is into opinion column fodder. When you consider that, it makes perfect sense that he didn’t testify to congress…it isn’t fact. Making claims that have no fact associated with it could have put him into perjury space. It’s just like all the Dem star performers during the impeachment…no fact, just opinions and hearsay. And it also makes it perfectly clear that the only reason he is putting out this book is because he is butt-hurt that Trump canned him and wants to take advantage of the Trump Haters.

Funny how 2 people can view the facts and draw such opposite conclusions. I thought it perfectly obvious that the reason he is putting this book out is the 2 million dollars guaranteed him for the effort. Your theory of butt hurt revenge as motive once again fails the logic test. For there could be no greater revenge for Bolton than appearing at Stinky’s impeachment trial and stating EXACTLY what he said in the book. The fact that he didn’t speaks volumes. To state that a wing nut like Bolton is in any way allied with the Dems is so preposterous that no comment refuting it is necessary. And once again, you have the most stalwart proponent of rigid conservatism confirming every allegation leading to the fool’s impeachment. Keep lying to yourself. Justice is coming for Trump as surely as it is slicing through the sleaze surrounding him, his turn is coming.

I think John Bolton is an insecure man. Just by his presentation. He has been discredited by those he used to link himself with. I think he is coming from a place of pain and will fight to restore his credibility. I can’t trust someone like that. There are a lot of other people I would trust before him.