White House Told Bolton That Manuscript Included Top Secret Classified Information

The White House told former national security adviser John Bolton that his manuscript included “significant amounts of classified information,” according to a Jan. 23 letter made public on Jan. 29.

Bolton has a book scheduled for a March release; parts of the book were leaked to the media, which published some of the details.

The letter was sent to Boltons lawyer, Charles Cooper, from Ellen Knight, the senior director for records, access, and information security management for the White House National Security Council.

“Based on our preliminary review, the manuscript appears to contain significant amounts of classified information. It also appears that some of this classified information is at the TOP SECRET level, which is defined by Executive Order 13526 as information that reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave harm to the national security of the United States if disclosed without authorization,” Knight wrote.

“Under federal law and the nondisclosure agreements your client signed as a condition for gaining access to classified information, the manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion of this classified information.”

The council was still reviewing the manuscript, Knight added, adding that she would be in touch soon with additional, more detailed guidance.

“The manuscript remains under review in order for us to do our best to assist your client by identifying the classified information within the manuscript, while at the same time ensuring that publication does not harm the national security of the United States,” she wrote. “We will do our best to work with you to ensure your clients ability to tell his story in a manner that protects U.S. national security.”

President Donald Trump speaks ahead of signing the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, known as USMCA, during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on Jan. 29, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

In this image from video, the Senate chamber during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 28, 2020. (Senate Television via AP)

Details from Boltons book, “The Room Where It Happened,” leaked to media outlets this week. Bolton denied coordinating with the media while National Security Adviser Robert OBrien said that he was “pretty confident” that the leak didnt come from the National Security Council (NSC).

The details, which include the claim that BoRead More – Source
[contf]
[contfnew]

The Epoch Times

[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]