The Trump administration has filed an emergency order to block the release of a new book by former national security adviser John Bolton, citing national security concerns. The book, titled 'The Room Where It Happened,' is scheduled for publication on 23 June and contains allegations that President Donald Trump sought help from China to win re-election in 2020.
Among the claims, Bolton writes that Trump 'pleaded' with Chinese President Xi Jinping to increase purchases of US soybeans and wheat to boost his electoral prospects. The book also alleges that Trump praised China's internment camps in Xinjiang, was willing to intervene in criminal investigations to favour dictators, and described invading Venezuela as 'cool.'
The Justice Department's request for a hearing on Friday argues that the book still contains classified information. However, constitutional experts and the publisher, Simon & Schuster, have dismissed the move as unlikely to succeed, with the American Civil Liberties Union calling it 'doomed to fail.'
Bolton's account goes beyond previous anecdotes about Trump's disinterest in governance, painting a picture of a president willing to bend foreign policy for personal and political gain. The allegations echo the impeachment case against Trump, where Democrats accused him of withholding aid to Ukraine to pressure for investigations into Joe Biden.
Republicans have dismissed the book as the work of a disgruntled former employee, while Democrats have criticised Bolton for not revealing these details during the impeachment proceedings. The White House has also filed a separate lawsuit against Bolton earlier this week.
