You’ll recall that the DOJ applied for a temporary restraining order to stop John Bolton’s book release (which dozens of newspapers have already read, reviewed and excerpted.) The judge said no:
A federal judge denied on Saturday the Trump administration’s request to block the release of John Bolton’s memoir, noting that the former national security adviser’s book had already been “printed, bound and shipped across the country.”
U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth said the Justice Department’s request to suppress the tell-all book on national security grounds would be impossible to enforce, but criticized Bolton’s decision to move ahead with publication without the explicit go-ahead from the government.
He said that he believed Bolton had endangered national security which means that the DOJ’s move to seize all the profits may have a chance. ( They may also seek to have Bolton put in jail, although I think that’s a long shot.)
Had Bolton been a patriot and testified to all this during the impeachment, I think people would be more sympathetic. At this point, there’s a little bit of poetic justice in this outcome. The book comes out but Bolton may not profit from it. Win-win.