After Trump Seeks to Block Book, Publisher Hastens Release
In an 11-page letter, the president’s lawyer said the book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” by Michael Wolff, as excerpted in a magazine article, includes false statements about Mr. Trump
that “give rise to claims for libel” that could result in “substantial monetary damages and punitive damages.”
Trump hereby demands that you immediately cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination of the book, the article, or any excerpts or summaries of either of them, to any person or entity, and
that you issue a full and complete retraction and apology to my client as to all statements made about him in the book and article that lack competent evidentiary support,” the letter said.
Mr. Bannon was quoted as saying that Donald Trump Jr. had been “treasonous” and “unpatriotic” for meeting with Russians during the 2016 campaign and
that Ivanka Trump was “dumb as a brick.” Mr. Trump fired back on Wednesday, saying that Mr. Bannon had “lost his mind” and had “nothing to do with me or my presidency.”
Mr. Bannon, who had stayed in touch with Mr. Trump sporadically after being pushed out of the White House
last summer, sought to smooth over the rift during his Breitbart News radio show on Wednesday night.
When a caller said that Mr. Trump had “made a huge mistake, Steve, bashing you like he did,” Mr. Bannon brushed it aside.
In separate statements, the White House on Wednesday called the book “trashy tabloid fiction”
that is “filled with false and misleading accounts,” and Mrs. Trump disputed the characterizations of her views.
“He called me a great man last night so, you know, he obviously changed his tune pretty quick.”
Asked why he had kept talking to Mr. Bannon, Mr. Trump said: “I don’t talk to him.
