Donald Trump demands John Bolton is treated as a 'CRIMINAL' for bombshell book and TV interview and claims 'every conversation with me is highly classified'

President Trump said Monday that 'every conversation' with him is 'highly classified' suggesting former National Security Advisor John Bolton could face criminal prosecution for the contents of his forthcoming tell-all about working in the Trump White House.  
'I will consider every conversation with me as president highly classified,' Trump told reporters Monday. 'So that would mean that if he wrote a book and if the book gets out he's broken the law. I would think he would have criminal problems,' Trump added. 
On Monday, ABC News announced that Bolton had taped a primetime sit-down interview with Martha Raddatz that will air Sunday night. 
Additionally, the network reported that the Trump administration is expected to file a lawsuit to keep Bolton's book, in its current form, off of store shelves.    
Bolton, President Trump's former national security adviser, is poised to release 'The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir' next Tuesday, June 23, which will paint a picture of 'chaos' and a president focused exclusively on his own re-election, according to the book's publisher.  

President Trump said Monday that every conversation with him is 'highly classified' thus suggesting that if former National Security Advisor John Bolton goes ahead with releasing his book he could face 'criminal problems'
President Trump said Monday that every conversation with him is 'highly classified' thus suggesting that if former National Security Advisor John Bolton goes ahead with releasing his book he could face 'criminal problems' 
John Bolton (left), President Trump's former national security adviser, sat down for his first interview about his blockbuster book with ABC News' Martha Raddatz (right). The interview will be a primetime Sunday night special, the network announced Monday
John Bolton (left), President Trump's former national security adviser, sat down for his first interview about his blockbuster book with ABC News' Martha Raddatz (right). The interview will be a primetime Sunday night special, the network announced Monday 
Meanwhile, President Trump's (pictured) administration plans to file an injunction in federal court in order to prevent Bolton's book from being released. It's due to hit bookshelves on June 23
Meanwhile, President Trump's (pictured) administration plans to file an injunction in federal court in order to prevent Bolton's book from being released. It's due to hit bookshelves on June 23 
The book's epilogue describes battles with the White House over publication of the book, which is likely to continue to play out this week in court
The book's epilogue describes battles with the White House over publication of the book, which is likely to continue to play out this week in court 
John Bolton (right) is photographed in the Oval Office with President Trump (left) in August 2019. Trump ousted Bolton from his position as national security adviser a month later
John Bolton (right) is photographed in the Oval Office with President Trump (left) in August 2019. Trump ousted Bolton from his position as national security adviser a month later  
Attorney General Bill Barr said at the White House that the current goal to deal with Bolton's book is to have the ex-aide finalizat the National Security Council security review process. Bolton's lawyer charged the NSC with dragging its feet, bowing to White House pressure
Attorney General Bill Barr said at the White House that the current goal to deal with Bolton's book is to have the ex-aide finalizat the National Security Council security review process. Bolton's lawyer charged the NSC with dragging its feet, bowing to White House pressure 
The Trump administration could file an injunction as early as Monday in federal court to prevent Bolton's book release, ABC News said. 
At the White House Monday, Attorney General Bill Barr said the current goal was to get Bolton to finalize the National Security Council security review process. 
'The thing that is front-and-center right now is trying to get him to complete the process, go through the process and make the necessary deletions of classified information,' Barr said. 
But Bolton's book has already been delayed due to the standard back-and-forth with the NSC over whether it contained classified information. 
In a June 10 op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, Bolton's lawyer Chuck Cooper said the process was anything but standard.  
'What followed was perhaps the most extensive and intensive prepublication review in NSC history,' Cooper said. 
In a printed press release given to reporters last week, Bolton's publisher said he had worked to address NSC's concerns and the 'final published version of this book reflects those changes.'  
Cooper documented a play-by-play of the rounds of edits Bolton made in conjunction with Ellen Knight, the NSC’s senior director for prepublication review of materials written by NSC personnel. 
By late April she informed Bolton 'that’s the last edit I really have to provide for you,' but the White House refused to give the former adviser his letter saying the book had been cleared. 
Cooper wrote that Bolton hadn't heard from Knight since May 7. 
Then on June 8 , John A. Eisenberg, the president's deputy counsel for national secuirty, reached out to Bolton and said the manuscript contained classified information and publishing the book would violate Bolton's non-disclosure agreement. 
'This last-minute allegation came after an intensive four-month review, after weeks of silence from the White House, and - as Mr. Eisenberg admits in the letter - after press reports alerted the White House that Mr. Bolton's book would be published on June 23,' Cooper argued. 
'This is a transparent attempt to use national security as a pretext to censor Mr. Bolton, in violation of his constitutional right to speak on matters of the utmost public import,' Cooper wrote. 'This attempt will not succeed, and Mr. Bolton's book will be published June 23.'  
Barr continued to maintain that without the letter, Bolton wasn't done yet. 
'And we don't believe Bolton went through that process, hasn't completed the process and therefore is in violation of that agreement,' Barr said. 
Trump chimed in adding, 'And that's a criminal liability. 
'By the way, you're talking about, you're not talking about like he's going to return $3 that he's made on the book,' the president continued. 'By the way, you're talking about, you're not talking about like he's going to return $3 that he's made on the book.' 
'You know Hillary Clinton, she deleted 33,000 emails. And if we ever found out what those emails said, she'd have a liability. That's what you have, you have a liability,' the president continued, referencing his former political rival's decision to use a private email account during her time serving as secretary of state, which she deleted messages from. 
Clinton was investigated by the FBI over whether she mishandled classified information, but was never charged of a crime. 
Last week some details about Bolton's book were released by publisher Simon & Schuster. 
It will accuse the president of 'misconduct' beyond the Ukraine scheme, which led to Trump's impeachment in the House of Representatives in December. 
ABC News' Martha Raddatz (left) will speak to John Bolton (right) for the first time about President Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - the call that got Trump impeached by the House of Representatives in December
ABC News' Martha Raddatz (left) will speak to John Bolton (right) for the first time about President Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - the call that got Trump impeached by the House of Representatives in December 
Bolton describes additional 'Ukraine-like "transgressions"' in a 'full-range of his foreign policy, the release for the book said. 
The former national security adviser will also make the point that Trump's only aim is to win a second term. 
Bolton described Trump as a person 'for whom getting re-elected was the only thing that mattered.' 
In promotional material about Bolton's forthcoming interview with Raddatz, ABC News said Bolton would discuss - for the first time - Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to the president's impeachment. 
He'll also tell American audiences why he didn't testify during last year's impeachment hearings. 
Democrats were frustrated that Bolton, who was poised to publish a tell-all, wouldn't testify publicly about Trump's behavior surrounding the Zelensky call. 
Trump was accused of holding up military aid to Ukraine in order to pressure Zelensky to announce an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden. 
Joe Biden, the former vice president, is now the presumptive Democratic nominee. 
Donald Trump demands John Bolton is treated as a 'CRIMINAL' for bombshell book and TV interview and claims 'every conversation with me is highly classified' Donald Trump demands John Bolton is treated as a 'CRIMINAL' for bombshell book and TV interview and claims 'every conversation with me is highly classified' Reviewed by Your Destination on June 15, 2020 Rating: 5

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