DOJ Sends Letter to Publisher of WH Official’s Book Seeking Info on ‘Anonymous’: May Be Violating an NDA

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The book from the anonymous Trump administration official is set to be released later this month, but the DOJ has already sent the publisher a letter saying the author may be violating non-disclosure agreements.

According to CNN, assistant attorney general Joseph Hunt wrote in the letter to Hachette and literary agency Javelin, “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. Such agreements typically require that any written work potentially containing protected information be submitted for pre-publication review.”

The DOJ wants the publisher to provide “representations that the author did not sign any nondisclosure agreement and that the author did not have access to any classified information in connection with government service,” or, if the author did sign NDAs, that they be handed over.

Hachette responded with a statement from top lawyer Carol Ross saying, “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.”

Javelin, meanwhile, denounced “the administration’s effort to intimidate and expose the senior official who has seen misconduct at the highest levels will not prevent this book from moving forward.