Trump seeks to halt behind-the scenes book’s publication
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday sought to stop publication of a new behind-the-scenes book filled with unflattering descriptions of him and his White House team and threatened to sue for defamation, according to a letter sent by his Hollywood lawyer.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters after signing the tax bill and continuing resolution to fund the government
, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Dec. 22, 2017. Photo Credit: AP
In a letter to the book’s author, Michael Wolff, and his publisher, Henry Holt & Co., attorney Charles J. Harder demanded the author and publisher to stop publication and said he was pursuing possible charges including libel.
The threat of a lawsuit comes a day after Wolff’s book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” was excerpted in the Guardian and New York magazine. The book is scheduled for publication on Jan. 9, but Newsday and others already have obtained copies.
“Mr. Trump hereby demands that you immediately cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination of the Book, the Article, or any excerpts or summaries of either of them,” the letter said.
It added a demand “that you issue a full and complete retraction and apology to my client as to all statements made about him in the Book and Article that lack competent evidentiary support.”
The White House and the publisher did not immediately respond to queries.
The unusual request from Trump’s lawyer follows a cease-and-desist letter sent late Wednesday to former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, telling him he had violated his confidentiality agreement with the Trump Organization and warning he might be sued.
Bannon is quoted liberally in the excerpts released so far from the book, calling the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting that Donald Trump Jr. and other top Trump campaign officials had with Russians to collect dirt on Hillary Clinton “treasonous” and “unpatriotic.”
Bannon and other Trump friends and associates also call Trump “idiotic” and “stupid,” according to the book, which prompted Trump to break up the partnership with the economic nationalist who helped shape his thinking.
In response to the book, Trump said Bannon had “lost his mind,” and belittled Bannon’s role in the campaign and White House, saying the former Goldman Sachs executive and director of the right-wing Breitbart news site had no influence on the Trump administration.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismissed the book as “trashy” and said Trump was “disgusted.”
Bannon late Wednesday said he still supports the president and called Trump a “great man.” The former White House strategist was answering a caller’s question on “Breitbart News Tonight” on SiriusXM.
“The President of the United States is a great man,” Bannon said. “You know I support him day in and day out, whether going through the country giving the Trump Miracle speech or on the show or on the website.”
But while the administration is dismissing Bannon as nonconsequential, Harder also sent a letter to Bannon warning of a lawsuit for defamation and libel, and violation of a confidentiality agreement.
“You have breached the Agreement by, among other things, communicating with author Michael Wolff about Mr. Trump, his family members, and the Company, disclosing Confidential Information to Mr. Wolff, and making disparaging statements and in some cases outright defamatory statements to Mr. Wolff about Mr. Trump, his family members, and the Company,” Harder’s letter said.
The letter to the publisher also mentioned Bannon’s breaking of the confidentiality agreement as a possible avenue of legal action.
Meanwhile, White House staff and guests will no longer be able to use personal cell phones in the West Wing beginning next week, according to an order issued late Wednesday.
The order, long under consideration, comes amid Trump’s complaints about leaks from the White House and concerns about security — but was issued only excerpts from Wolff’s book were reported.
After news reports emerged about the no personal mobile phone policy, Sanders issued a statement Thursday morning, saying it was about security, not leaks.
“The security and integrity of the technology system at the White House is a top priority for the Trump administration and therefore starting next week the use of all personal devices for both guests and staff will no longer be allowed in the West Wing,” she said.
“Staff will be able to conduct business on their government-issued devices,” she added.
Former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus proposed a ban on personal mobile phones before stepping down in July and current White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has advocated that policy at least since November, Bloomberg reported.
In October, Politico reported that White House officials believed that Kelly’s personal mobile phone had been compromised for months, raising concerns foreign adversaries could have gained access to information on it.
The White House computer network already blocks employees from accessing websites such as Gmail and Google Hangouts, news reports say.
With Emily Ngo.
Source:newsday.com