The recently-released memoir of former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton sold over 780,000 copies in all forms in its first week on sale in the U.S., publisher Simon & Schuster announced Wednesday.
The book, “The Room Where it Happened,” made headlines last month as it paints President Trump as a man singularly obsessed with whatever would help his reelection prospects and says the president petitioned China to give his campaign a boost through trade policy.
Mr. Bolton worked for the president for a little more than a year and signed several non-disclosure agreements that he would not divulge classified information which could endanger national security.
Less than two months after leaving his job, Mr. Bolton secured a book deal with Simon & Schuster for a reported $2 million. He went through months of review with an official from the National Security Council over his draft and believed it to be cleared for publication in April, but never received the written authorization.
Mr. Bolton’s book did not reach the same mark in its first week of sales as former FBI Director James Comey, but it is on track to reach 1 million printed copies and has been ranked as one of the best-selling political books of the Trump presidency.
The Trump administration made several attempts to halt the distribution of the book over concerns that it might contain classified information, but the memoir was ultimately released on June 23.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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