Judge weighs US bid to stop release of John Bolton's book

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former national security adviser John Bolton created a “mess" of his own making by moving to publish his book without receiving final authorization that the manuscript was free of classified information, Trump administration lawyers argued Friday in urging a judge to block the book's release.

But a lawyer for Bolton described the government's request as surreal and impractical, particularly since copies of the book have already been released to leading news media organizations and have received substantial publicity.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth did not immediately rule, saying he wants to review additional information in a case that raises core First Amendment and national security concerns.

He pressed both sides on their positions, making it clear he was troubled by the government's contention that Bolton had bailed prematurely on the prepublication review process designed to protect against the disclosure of classified information. But he also asked the Justice Department what he was supposed to do since “the horse seems to be out of the barn" now that copies of the book have been distributed.

Justice Department attorney David Morrell said Bolton should not be rewarded for a problem that he himself had created.

“He has flung the barnyard doors open. He has let the horses out, and now he looks at us collectively and says, ‘What are you going to do about it?'" Morrell said.

The Justice Department sued to halt next week's release of “The Room Where it Happened," insisting that the book contained classified information that could damage national security and that Bolton had failed to complete a prepublication review process.

Bolton’s lawyers argued that he had labored painstakingly for months with the White House to address...