Release of bombshell book "Fire and Fury" moved up to Friday
"Due to unprecedented demand," the book about President Trump's White House by Michael Wolff will be released Friday, four days ahead of schedule, according to the book's publisher.
The announcement comes hours after President Trump's personal lawyer issued a cease and desist letter over "Fire and Fury: Inside Trump's White House" to Wolff and Wolff's publisher, Henry Holt and Company. Wolff, too, confirmed the early on-sale date on Twitter.
Here we go. You can buy it (and read it) tomorrow. Thank you, Mr. President.
— Michael Wolff (@MichaelWolffNYC) January 4, 2018
The book's original release date was set for Tuesday. But excerpts from the book -- which include former chief Trump strategist Steve Bannon calling the June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer in Trump Tower "treasonous" -- have engrossed the news cycle in Washington, D.C. this week. On Thursday, Mr. Trump's lawyer demanded that the book's publishing be halted, and the statements retracted, dubbing the book defamatory and libelous.
"Your publication of the false/baseless statements about Mr. Trump gives rise to, among other claims, defamation by libel, defamation by libel, defamation by libel per se, false light invasion of privacy, tortious interference with contractural relations, and inducement of breach contract," the letter says.
Wolff, according to a portion of the book published in New York magazine, said he based the book off of more than 200 interviews, and had extensive access to the White House. Axios' Mike Allen claims Wolff has recordings of many of those conversations.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Thursday's press briefing said Wolff's book is "trash" and filled with "lies," although she declined to list the examples in the book she believes to be false.