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Lamberth was considering an extraordinary request from the DOJ that would have carried sweeping constitutional implications -- the department sought an injunction that would bar Bolton's publisher, along with thousands of distributors and bookstores around the country already in possession of Bolton's memoir, from selling it to customers next Tuesday.

The Justice Department, citing sworn statements from a cadre of the nation's top intelligence officials, argued the book still contains multiple paragraphs-worth of classified information and could cause \"grave\" damage to U.S. national security if released.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a written statement Saturday that the U.S. government \"intends to hold Bolton to the further requirements of his agreements and to ensure that he receives no profits from his shameful decision to place his desire for money and attention ahead of his obligations to protect national security.\"

She quoted the judge’s comments that raised national security concerns, saying: \"Bolton bet wrong, and the downside of his losing bet is that he 'stands to lose his profits from the book deal, exposes himself to criminal liability, and imperils national security.'\"

ABC News' Ben Gittleson contributed to this report

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