The publisher of an upcoming exposé by the anonymous senior Trump official behind the infamous New York Times op-ed rejected the Justice Department’s demand for revealing information on the official on Monday, per a letter obtained by TPM.
DOJ Assistant Attorney General Joseph Hunt reached out to Hachette Book Group earlier on Monday warning that the book “may violate that official’s legal obligations under one or more nondisclosure agreements.”
Claiming that such agreements require a “pre-publication review” of any book written by an administration official, Hunt also requested Hachette provide documents proving that the official had not signed an NDA with the administration and did not have access to classified information.
“If you cannot make those representations, we ask that you immediately provide either the nondisclosure agreements the author signed or the dates of the author’s service and the agencies where the author was employed, so that we may determine the terms of the author’s nondisclosure agreements and ensure that they have been followed,” Hunt wrote in his letter.
Carol Ross, the executive vice president of Hachette, sent a short response telling Hunt that the firm “respectfully declines” to comply with the Justice Department’s request.
“Hachette is not party to any nondisclosure agreements with the U.S. government that would require any pre-publication review of this book, and Hachette routinely relies on its authors to comply with any contractual obligations they may have,” Ross wrote. “Hachette has, however, made a commitment of confidentiality to Anonymous and we intend to honor that commitment.”
Read the DOJ’s letter and Hachette Group’s response below:
As if I don’t already have enough books. My wife is going to shoot me.
I just love all the non-disclosure agreement talk. If these were real DOJ threats, wouldn’t they be quoting statutes around secrecy and classified materials?
Don’t tell me, its a close personal confidante saying Trump is an ass?
Won’t be worth buying, just read the writeups on it, and any stories the reporters chase that are juicy
I find the idea that the Department of Justice is enforcing non disclosure agreements of fucking public officials to be offensive.
Impeach and disbar Barr.
Personally I can’t and won’t pick up any book even those written by people sympathetic to Democrats that have to do with this admin. I read for pleasure, entertainment and escape. None of that happens when I’m ingesting this admin’s misdeeds and that writer is profiting off of them.