NSA director says release of Bolton book could cause 'irreparable damage'

The forthcoming book by former national security adviser John Bolton reportedly includes top-secret information that could compromise a National Security Agency electronic spy source.

NSA Director Army Gen. Paul Nakasone states in court documents that he has reviewed a draft of Bolton’s book, due for release Tuesday, about Bolton's brief stint as national security adviser, according to The Washington Times.

The Trump administration has so far fought unsuccessfully in court to stop the release of the book, arguing the vetting process on the content was not completed and that it includes classified information.

“Compromise of this information could result in the permanent loss of a valuable [signals intelligence] source and cause irreparable damage to the U.S. sigint system,” Nakasone stated in an affidavit submitted to U.S. District Court in Washington, The Times also reports.

Nakasone reportedly did not provide details of the information contained in the book that concerned him but stated that the information is “highly classified and extraordinarily sensitive” and could not be contained in the court filing.

The filing was made public when the Justice Department last week sought a temporary restraining order to prevent publication of the book.