Trump's lawyers target Bannon, author Wolff over book

A political firestorm is happening in Washington. The publication of a new book is fracturing the relationship between President Donald Trump and former chief strategist Steve Bannon. Trump's lawyers are hoping to stop the book from ever being published. But despite that, the publisher is releasing the book Friday—several days early.

Trump is now battling the man who claims to be in a war on Trump's behalf. A day after saying that Bannon "lost his mind" when he lost his White House job, Trump claimed he does not talk to Bannon anymore.

"I don't know—he called me a great man last night so you know he obviously changed his tune real quick," Trump said Thursday.

In the meantime, the president's lawyers sent Bannon a letter telling him to keep quiet.

"Mr. Trump and the company hereby demand that you cease and desist from any and all further disclosure of confidential information, disparagement of Mr. Trump, his family members," the cease-and-desist letter read.

The letter came on the heels of new revelations in Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, written by Michael Wolff, who spent a year in the West Wing reporting the book.

In the book, Wolff writes that Bannon called a meeting between Donald Trump Jr., Trump campaign officials, and a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton "treasonous" and "unpatriotic."

The president's lawyers also sent a cease-and-desist letter to the book's publisher, Henry Holt and Co., and Wolffe, saying it contained "libelous allegations."

"Regardless of whether or not there's a lawsuit they should be concerned about peddling fake stories, they should be concerned about about putting out information that's not true," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

According to the book, Bannon also went after Ivanka Trump, telling  Wolffe that she is "dumb as a brick."

The White House suggested that the far-right website Breitbart, where Bannon currently works, should fire him.