Trump’s longstanding grudge against John Bolton

After leaving Donald Trump’s administration during his first presidential term, John Bolton became one of the former president’s fiercest critics. His memoir, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” publicly exposed deep tensions between him and Trump. The book — and the revelations that followed — sparked multiple legal battles against Bolton, mainly centered on violations of confidentiality agreements and the disclosure of classified information.

The Trump administration, and later the U.S. Department of Justice, accused Bolton of breaching his legal obligations as a former senior national security official. The main allegations include:

a) Disclosure of classified information:

The government argued that Bolton knowingly revealed classified materials while writing and publishing his book — a violation not only of his employment contract but potentially of national security laws, which could constitute a criminal offense.

b) Failure to follow the prepublication review process:

According to officials, Bolton bypassed the mandatory prepublication review by intelligence agencies — a process designed to ensure no sensitive or secret information is released.

If these accusations were proven true — particularly if the leaks were deemed intentional — the legal consequences could be severe. The government could demand the forfeiture of all profits from the book and impose significant civil penalties. Moreover, Bolton could face criminal charges under the Espionage Act or other federal statutes governing the handling of classified materials, which could, in theory, lead to long-term imprisonment — though such penalties are rarely applied to former senior officials due to political considerations.

In essence, Trump’s legal pursuit of Bolton centers on the notion that he must be punished “to set an example” and deter future government officials from similar actions. However, many legal and political analysts believe the lawsuits against Bolton were motivated more by personal revenge than by genuine concerns for national security.

Trump has a long record of using government institutions — especially the Department of Justice — to target political opponents. From this perspective, the main objective was not to protect state secrets but to punish anyone who damaged Trump’s public image or challenged his authority.

The administration’s reaction to Bolton’s book was notably harsher than in other cases where former officials had published classified information without proper clearance. The reason is clear: Bolton’s memoir and its revelations played a key role in Trump’s 2020 election defeat. Following its release, several neoconservative Republicans withdrew their support for Trump, contributing to his losses in traditionally Republican states such as Arizona and Georgia.