A judge has released a heavily redacted document used to justify a recent search of the Maryland home of John Bolton.

WASHINGTON – Lawyers for former national security adviser John Bolton told a judge Thursday they want to interview White House officials following new allegations that a pre-publication review of his tell-all book was politicized in an effort to block its release. A lawsuit over Bolton's book, including on the question of whether the Justice Department is entitled to proceeds from the publication, is still pending even though a judge in June denied a request for an injunction to block its release. The book, which details Bolton's 17 months as Trump's national security adviser, contains descriptions of conversations with foreign leaders that could be seen as politically damaging to the president. The Justice Department in June sued Bolton to immediately block the release of the book. “What is unprecedented here is a national security adviser releasing his memoir (of his time as) a national security adviser within months of leaving that job,” said Justice Department lawyer Jennifer Dickey.

After Bolton submitted his book for prepublication review last last year, it was Ellen Knight’s job at the White House to make sure it did not contain classified information that could possibly threaten U.S. national security. The Trump administration maintains that it contains classified information, and the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into its release. But the judge expressed concern that Bolton published the book before receiving a formal clearance letter, which Knight said was blocked by the White House. During that time, she and her staff handled more than 135 prepublication review requests, perusing more than 10,000 pages of manuscripts. Two days later, in a White House Situation Room meeting with four Justice Department attorneys, she learned for the first time that Ellis, a political appointee with no prepublication review experience, had been ordered to conduct a second review.

FILE - In this Sept. 30, 2019, file photo, former national security adviser John Bolton gestures while speakings at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth did not immediately rule, saying he wants to review additional information in a case that raises core First Amendment and national security concerns. Boltons lawyers argued that he had labored painstakingly for months with the White House to address concerns over classified information. Boltons lawyers have argued that the White House assertions of classified material are a pretext to censor him over a book the administration simply finds unflattering. Trump on Thursday called the book a compilation of lies and made up stories intended to make him look bad.

Trump said it would be up to Attorney General William Barr to issue any charges, but hinted that the matter would end up in court. They're in court or they'll soon be in court," Trump said about the book, set to be released early next week. The president accused Bolton of not completing a pre-publication review to make sure the book does not contain classified material. Bolton's book, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, was supposed to be released in March. In a March 27 letter, Knight thanked Bolton for his efforts to address the classification issues, but said additional edits were required to ensure national security information was protected.

WASHINGTON The White House has told former national security adviser John Bolton that the manuscript of his forthcoming memoir still contains classified material and could present a national security threat. But Boltons lawyer said Wednesday that publication will go ahead as planned on June 23 and he accused the White House of unfairly trying to keep it on ice. What followed was perhaps the most extensive and intensive prepublication review in NSC history, Cooper wrote. Then Bolton received the letter on Monday that White House concerns about classified material in the book remain. The White House declined comment Wednesday.