#Trump calls John Bolton a ‘liar’ who ‘broke the law’ in advance of book release

President Trump called John Bolton a “liar” who “broke the law” in response to the unflattering allegations against the president detailed in his former national security advisor’s forthcoming book.

“He is a liar,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal, “everybody in the White House hated John Bolton.”

Bolton’s bombshell tell-all from his time in the White House, “The Room Where It Happened,” is scheduled to be published June 23.

The book alleges the president pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping to help Trump’s reelection, among other critical anecdotes and stories from the Oval Office.

In another interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday night, Trump was again questioned about Bolton’s claim that he sought political help from the Chinese leader.

Trump replied that “nobody has been tougher” on China than he has.

The president also told Hannity that Bolton “broke the law” by authoring content that is “highly classified.”

“He did not have approval,” Trump said of Bolton.

The White House has gone to great lengths to pressure Bolton and his publisher Simon & Schuster from publishing his book. The Trump administration has sued to block its release and Trump himself warned that Bolton could face criminal charges.

Also on Wednesday night, the Justice Department issued an emergency order to block the book’s publication.