Bolton’s lawyer submitted the manuscript to the White House for “prepublication security review” on December 30.

This is a normal process for former government officials like Bolton, to ensure that no classified information is disclosed.

But what’s unfolded since then is not normal.

President Trump has lashed out at Bolton and, according to the Washington Post, has “directly weighed in on the White House review.”
The Post reported on February 21 that Trump has told staffers that “everything he uttered to the departed aide about national security is classified and that he will seek to block the book’s publication, according to two people familiar with the conversations.”