Judge deems Bolton was wrong

[sprintcyclist]

............ In the decision Saturday, Lamberth slammed Bolton for moving the publication forward before he formally got the administration's approval.
"He opted out of the review process before its conclusion. Unilateral fast-tracking carried the benefit of publicity and sales, and the cost of substantial risk exposure. [highlight]This was Bolton's bet: If he is right and the book does not contain classified information, he keeps the upside mentioned above; but if he is wrong, he stands to lose his profits from the book deal, exposes himself to criminal liability, and imperils national security," Lamberth wrote. "Bolton was wrong."[/highlight]
Lamberth said the Trump administration convinced him on Friday that sensitive national security information was still included in the book. The judge didn't make a decision at the almost two-hour hearing Friday and said he would wait to review more details from the Justice Department before deciding.
"Upon reviewing the classified materials, as well as the declarations filed on the public docket, the Court is persuaded that Defendant Bolton likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information in violation of his nondisclosure agreement obligations," Lamberth wrote.
Bolton attorney Charles Cooper welcomed the ruling in a statement Saturday, but added that "we respectfully take issue, however, with the Court's preliminary conclusion at this early stage of the case that Ambassador Bolton did not comply fully with his contractual prepublication obligation to the Government, and the case will now proceed to development of the full record on that issue."
"The full story of these events has yet to be told -- but it will be," Cooper said in the statement.
One reviewer from the National Security Council had worked with Bolton over several sessions to remove all classified information from the book. But once she finished early this spring, other officials deemed details still in the book to be classified, and the White House told Bolton this month it wasn't ready for publication. ........ ............

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/20/poli ... index.html