Trump lawyers say Steve Bannon violated confidentiality agreement

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Lawyers for Donald Trump have reportedly sent Steve Bannon a cease-and-desist letter to get him to stop smack-talking the Trump family.

“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,” the lawyers wrote in a letter.

After excerpts from Michael Wolff‘s new book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, were published, Trump and Bannon have been at war.

In the book, Bannon was quoted as saying that Donald Trump Jr.‘s infamous Trump Tower meeting with Russians was “treasonous,” and Trump has since responded by distancing himself and his presidency from Bannon.

“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,” Trump said in a statement.

Cease and desist

Now, Trump is taking things a step further and ordering Bannon to stop bad-mouthing him and his family.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump had everyone who was part of the campaign sign non-disclosure agreements that would keep them from speaking ill of Trump or his family. Now, Trump says that Bannon’s comments violate that agreement.

“You [Bannon] have breached the Agreement by, among other things, communicating with author Michael Wolff about Mr. Trump, his family members, and the Company, disclosing Confidential Information to Mr. Wolff, and making disparaging statements and in some cases outright defamatory statements to Mr. Wolff about Mr. Trump, his family members, and the Company, knowing that they would be included in Mr. Wolff’s book and publicity surrounding the marketing and sale of his book,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.