Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

A federal grand jury has issued criminal subpoenas to a publishing company and a literary agency in connection with a book by former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, NPR has confirmed.

The move signals the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation surrounding the publication of Bolton's book “The Room Where It Happened” after an unsuccessful effort to block it from being published in June. 

Hundreds of thousands of copies of the book had already been distributed, and Judge Royce Lamberth concluded at the time that the emergency request from the Trump administration had come too late.

, writing that he "has gambled with the national security of the United States. He has exposed his country to harm and himself to civil (and potentially criminal) liability" for possibly disclosing national security secrets. 

: "He turned out to be grossly incompetent, and a liar. See judge's opinion. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION!!!"

A source told NPR the subpoenas have been issued to Simon & Schuster, Bolton's publisher, and Javelin, his literary agency. The criminal probe 

Bolton's attorney, Charles Cooper, has accused the government of slow-walking the review of the book before it was published. In a statement to NPR on Tuesday, Cooper said Bolton denies any wrongdoing.

"We are aware of reports that grand jury subpoenas have been issued seeking information concerning the publication of Ambassador Bolton's recent book. Ambassador Bolton emphatically rejects any claim that he acted improperly, let alone criminally, in connection with the publication of his book, and he will cooperate fully, as he has throughout, with any official inquiry into his conduct," the statement said.

Word of the grand jury subpoenas comes as the administration reels from yet another book about the Trump White House. This time, it's longtime Washington Post editor Bob Woodward, 

of Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and a crisis with North Korea is 

. Simon & Schuster also published Woodward's book.  

Arts and Culture

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

Politics and Government News

Carrie Johnson

Author

The move signals the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation surrounding the publication of “The Room Where It Happened” after an unsuccessful effort to block it from being published. 

Grand Jury issued criminal subpoenas in connection with John Bolton book

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox