The Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking information on the anonymous writer of the book “A Warning.” The writer claims to be part of the “resistance” and working inside the Trump administration.
The book will be a follow-up on an op-ed published by The New York Times on Sept. 5 last year, and will deliver an “unprecedented behind-the-scenes portrait of the Trump presidency from the anonymous senior official whose first words of warning about the president rocked the nation’s capital,” the publisher wrote on its website.
In the book, which is set to go on sale on Nov. 19, the author claims to be part of a group of the President’s closest associates that seek to thwart, frustrate, and disrupt his policies as much as possible.
In last year’s op-ed, the author explained that they do endorse a lot of things the Trump administration has accomplished, but find faults in the president’s character.
The DOJ is determined to find out who the anonymous author is. In a Nov. 4 letter to the publisher (pdf), Hachette Book Group, it states:
“If the author is, in fact, a current or former ‘senior official’ in the Trump administration, publication of the book may violate that official’s legal obligations under one or more nondisclosure agreements, including nondisclosure agreements that are routinely required with respect to information obtained in the course of one’s official responsibilities or as a condition for access to classified information,” Assistant Attorney General Joseph Hunt wrote.
Hachette’s law firm Javelin responded later that day:
“Our author knows that the President is determined to unmask whistleblowers who may be in his midst. That’s one of the reasons A WARNING was written,” Javelin said in a statement, The Hill reported.
Carol Ross, Hachette’s CEO, responded later on Monday morning and said, “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. Hachette has, however, made a commitment of confidentiality to Anonymous, and we intend to honor that commitment. Please be assured that Hachette takes its legal responsibilities seriously and, accordingly, Hachette respectfully declines to provide you with the information your letter seeks,” CNN Business reported.
