Bolton book release delayed due to government review

The release date for former national security adviser John Bolton’s memoir about his time in the Trump administration has been delayed due to an ongoing government classification review, the book’s publisher said Tuesday.

A spokesperson for Simon and Schuster said Bolton’s forthcoming book, “The Room Where It Happened,” is now scheduled to be released on May 12. Its original publication date was March 17.

“The new date reflects the fact that the government review of the work is ongoing,” the spokesperson said.

The White House in January sent a letter to Bolton seeking to block publication of certain aspects of his book, saying they contained “significant amounts of classified information.”

It is standard for former government officials to submit their manuscripts to be reviewed for classified information, though critics interpreted the letter as an attempt to prevent Bolton’s book from detailing damaging information about the president.

Bolton’s book sent shockwaves through Washington, D.C., after The New York Times reported on portions of its manuscript that contained allegations about President Trump’s behavior toward Ukraine. The reports emerged in the middle of Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, where Democrats pushed to hear from Bolton as a witness.

The Times reported that the manuscript contained an allegation that Trump said he did not want to release nearly $400 million in security aid for Ukraine until the country agreed to help investigate his political rivals. 

A second report on the manuscript said Bolton described a May meeting during which Trump directed him to put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in contact with the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Trump denied both allegations, calling Bolton’s book “nasty & untrue.”

The Senate ultimately decide not to hear from additional witnesses in a 51-49 vote in which two Republicans sided with the 47 members of the Democratic conference.

Days later, the Senate voted to acquit Trump on charges that he abused his power by pressuring Ukraine and obstructed Congress.