Posted on 06/21/2020 6:41:25 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Former national security adviser John Bolton has written a book that has not received pre-publication approval from the government.
I was a CIA officer, and I also wrote a book without prepublication approval, though the circumstances were different.
The government's prepublication power comes from the Snepp case. In 1977, a former CIA officer named Frank Snepp wrote a book without prepublication approval that criticized the CIA's actions in Vietnam. The government sued him in civil court, won, and took Snepp's book money. The case established the government's ability to take profits from authors who publish without approval.
The Snepp case has been effective because government employee memoirs are written to make money. Most CIA directors write books to cash in, and because of Snepp, they are careful to obtain prepublication approval. I have read all of these memoirs and believe they contain secret and confidential information but were approved because they go easy on the intelligence agencies.
Even with help from ghostwriters, these bureaucrats' memoirs are boring almost beyond human endurance. Bolton's 592 pages will not be brilliant writing — rather, the publisher is selling the promise of secrets and dirt. It certainly diminishes the power of Bolton's message — does Bolton seek to improve our government or to get $2 million?
I did not profit from my book and gave the proceeds to reliable charities. When the government denied approval for my book, I proceeded anyway because my message about intelligence reform was more important than the threat of criminal charges or civil suits. The CIA had become a lazy, corrupt, bureaucratic mess, with 90% of its vast hordes of employees living their entire careers in the Washington, D.C. area. The CIA should instead be an effective fighter against America's enemies overseas. The book was critical of CIA bureaucracy
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Bolton is yet another example that everyone in Washington is bought off. It’s unreal the greed and how they so easily backstab and sell out.
This is one of the reasons I voted for Trump because they cant buy him out, he’s a billionaire. What can a slug like Soros offer Trump that Trump doesn’t already have?
And BTW anyone notice he never goes to fundraisers? Bush, Clinton, Obama every freakin week they were in office, fundraisers fundraisers. I remember Clinton hitting New York city FIVE times in one week for fundraisers. Not so for Trump and this is NEVER talked about
It’ll be interesting to go over Romney’s next campaign fund report. What do you think, $500,000 cash for Bolton’s consulting for the Romney campaign?
” It’s unreal the greed and how they so easily backstab and sell out.”
Large organizations develop distinct personalities and traits. This is partially because managers hire people who are like themselves. Partially it’s because organizations take on the traits of its leaders. I have worked for wonderful, ethical companies like Honeywell in the eighties. I have worked for criminals who looted the company and then let it fail, as did the cast off bits of Bernie Schwartz’s Loral empire.
The problem is that organizational traits persist long after the people who initiated them are gone. I suspect that is why the FBI has become what we see in the media today. I believe what the author had to say about the CIA as most of the bureaucrats I have known were not in the job to serve, but to take what they could. That’s just the nature of desk jobs at big organizations. Fat. Lazy. Insolent. Egotistical. Selfish.
Periodically, agencies should be broken up and restarted with new leadership and new priorities. Moving the agricultural department out of DC was a terrific notion. Notice how the bureaucrats reacted? They quit rather than move where their work was actually supposed to be; farms. This tells me the move was long overdue.
It’s long overdue that we reform the DOJ, the FBI and the CIA.
Anyone remember that picture of a creepy looking Bolton in some back alley street in Dubai when he was writing his book?
What was that all about?
Thank you, I had not noticed that hypocrisy.
Hillary, to her credit, always knew she was in it for the power.
And the money.
Did I mention the history books?
And the money.
And power.
I want to read a book that explains to us what the “interagency” is, who are its members, who do they report to, what links to do they have to Democrats and the media, etc.
I’m pretty sure Bolton’s book won’t broach that subject. No doubt it’s an interagency approved attempt to smear Donald Trump.
Pretty certain Hillary and Benghazi murders are not mentioned in his book. Pretty certain the pile of cash transfer in middle of night from Obama to Iran is not mentioned. Oh how about the exchange of the American deserter for Taliban prisoners and cash. Yeah, but he’s all outraged about a phone call with Ukraine, Turkey, etc.
“Even with help from ghostwriters, these bureaucrats' memoirs are boring almost beyond human endurance. Bolton's 592 pages will not be brilliant writing — rather, the publisher is selling the promise of secrets and dirt. It certainly diminishes the power of Bolton's message — does Bolton seek to improve our government or to get $2 million?”
Wonder how big the typeface is and the margins are?
If you are speaking of Trump, he raises funds from supporters all over rather than fund raisers.
My wife and I receive between 2 and as many as 6 letters each week. The total will be measured in pounds of envelopes in the pile. The writer varies but the message is the same......Please send money.
There is another perhaps more effective and very personal direct appeal......texts on my phone. I receive at least two every day from all sorts of people including Donald Jr, Mitch McConnell and even Newt Gingrich. I responded to an ad on the air ad for something. The campaign got my phone number.
This morning among the signs being waved at the Tulsa rally was one asking you to text FIGHT to a phone number. By that positive action of support action your number is captured and you will begin to receive the texts.
Some texts offer three times your contribution and some five times.
For active people, a direct text is more effective than a mail request. Between the two, the Trump campaign is apparently receiving tons of money.
I’m not objecting and have in fact sent in contributions. I’m not unhappy, quite the contrary. Receiving anything and then giving makes the campaign very personal and I believe it will end up being very effective
Everybody got $1200. I suggest investing a part of that money in America, in the Trump Campaign
Yes I get that too and the good thing about it is he is getting donations directly from the people whose interests are very different from some Marxist Hollywood turd or billionaire who is laying out $50K a plate at a Biden fundraiser
Amen!
Bolton is using a tactic trial lawyers use all the time. He is loudly stating things as fact which (A) might not be factual at all, and (B) he’s not allowed to say in public (in a trial it would be things the lawyer isn’t allowed to say/ask a witness).
The purpose is to get the jury to hear arguments. No matter what a judge may say about disregarding remarks that are subject to a sustained objection, the jury cannot “unhear” them.
The second purpose is to get a reaction from the witness, which might go on the record depending on the judge’s instructions, but also cannot be “unheard”.
He is also giving fodder to fake news organizations who will repeat things endlessly , with embellishment, and who will present and endless parade of “expert contributors” create a fictional narrative to present as truth.
Bolton has committed crimes. The Senate should call him as a witness, place him under oath and ask “Do you swear that you wrote all of this, and that it represents truth? Remember you are under oath.” And “Do you understand that you have violated the terms of your employment and committed criminal acts?” And, “Given that you have been under oath before this body in the past, why did you conceal these things then? Be aware that by concealing material information, you have probably committed perjury.”
You are correct.
Bolton parroted the leftist mass media party line on _everything_....
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GvO7vDn-whr4Os7KZAOxiW4GW1gckjUb/view
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