UPDATE 2:
Despite threat from Trump, publisher of Michael Wolff’s book announces that it will move up publication from next Tuesday to tomorrow at 9 a.m.
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) January 4, 2018
UPDATE: On Wednesday evening, President Trump's attorney threatened Steve Bannon with legal action, and on Thursday morning, he did the same to author Michael Wolff and his publisher in an attempt to stop distribution of Wolff's new book.
Trump attorney Charles J. Harder of the firm Harder Mirell & Abrams LLP, said in a statement, "This law firm represents President Donald J. Trump and Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. On behalf of our clients, legal notice was issued today to Stephen K. Bannon, that his actions of communicating with author Michael Wolff regarding an upcoming book give rise to numerous legal claims including defamation by libel and slander, and breach of his written confidentiality and non-disparagement agreement with our clients. Legal action is imminent."
CNN:
Charles Harder, an attorney representing the president, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Wolff and his publisher, Henry Holt, on Thursday morning.
The legal letter, a copy of which was obtained by CNNMoney, demanded that the publisher "cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination" of the book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House."
However, Axios' Mike Allen reports that Michael Wolff can prove at least some of what he has written is true:
Michael Wolff has tapes to back up quotes in his incendiary book — dozens of hours of them.
Among the sources he taped, I'm told, are Steve Bannon and former White House deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh.
Trump attorney sends Bannon cease and desist letter over 'disparaging' comments (ABC News)
President Trump tries to quash bombshell book (CNN)
Scoop: Wolff taped interviews with Bannon, top officials (Axios)
President Trump, in response to several explosive, newly publicized quotes from former chief strategist Steve Bannon, released the following statement:
"Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my Presidency. When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind. Steve was a staffer who worked for me after I had already won the nomination by defeating seventeen candidates, often described as the most talented field ever assembled in the Republican Party.
Now that he is on his own, Steve is learning that winning isn't as easy as I make it look. Steve had very little to do with our historic victory, which was delivered by the forgotten men and women of this country. Yet Steve had everything to do with the loss of a Senate seat in Alabama held for more than thirty years by Republicans. Steve doesn't represent my base — he's only in it for himself.
Steve pretends to be at war with the media, which he calls the opposition party, yet he spent his time at the White House leaking false information to the media to make himself seem far more important than he was. It is the only thing he does well. Steve was rarely in a one-on-one meeting with me and only pretends to have had influence to fool a few people with no access and no clue, whom he helped write phony books.
We have many great Republican members of Congress and candidates who are very supportive of the Make America Great Again agenda. Like me, they love the United States of America and are helping to finally take our country back and build it up, rather than simply seeking to burn it all down."
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also dismissed the book, contending it “is filled with false and misleading accounts from individuals who have no access or influence with the White House.” She added, “Participating in a book that can only be described as trashy tabloid fiction exposes their sad desperate attempts at relevancy.”
Wolff was generally granted access to the White House with a ’blue badge” instead of the traditional press badge, giving him wide-ranging access to the West Wing, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal protocol. One former White House official said Wolff was known to camp out for hours in the West Wing lobby after meetings, sitting on a sofa as he waited to talk to staffers passing by.
One sign of his unusual access: Wolff was spotted by reporters using the West Wing doors, rather than the briefing room entrance that reporters are typically required to use.
The book was based on more than 200 interviews, including conversations with the president and senior staff, according to New York magazine.
Trump blasts Bannon over book, says ex-aide ‘lost his mind’ (AP)