“Isn’t the question whether the information is classified or not?” Lamberth prodded Bolton’s defense. Lamberth refused to halt publication in a June 20 ruling, saying the government acted too late to prevent the sale of already distributed books. ADAt issue Thursday was Bolton’s motion to toss out the case, and the government’s motion for a summary ruled that the government can seize Bolton’s profits because the book contained classified information. If unsure, Cooper argued, he was required only to confirm from “an authorized official” — in this case, he said, Ellen Knight, the National Security Council’s senior director for records access — that the information was unclassified. Dickey said there was no dispute that Bolton gave the manuscript to his publisher without receiving formal written authorization that the pre-publication review he initiated was concluded.

Source: Washington Post September 24, 2020 21:50 UTC