A former National Security Council official has alleged that White House lawyers tried to pressure her into signing misleading statements to prevent the publication of John Bolton's memoir. Ellen Knight, who oversaw the prepublication review of Bolton's book, said her team had cleared the manuscript in April after months of work.
In a letter filed in federal court, Knight's lawyers claimed that White House officials conducted a 'fundamentally flawed' review and then sought to get her to admit she had made a mistake. She refused to sign a declaration stating the book still contained classified information, despite 18 hours of meetings over five days.
Knight asked why a supposedly apolitical process had been taken over by political appointees for a seemingly political purpose. She noted that attorneys agreed with her speculation that the litigation was happening 'because the most powerful man in the world said that it needed to happen'.
The criminal investigation into Bolton was launched last week by the US Department of Justice. Bolton's lawyer said he 'emphatically rejects any claim that he acted improperly' and will cooperate fully.
