A US judge on Saturday denied a request by the Trump administration for an injunction to block publication of a book by President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton that alleges the president sought China’s help to win re-election.

“While Bolton’s unilateral conduct raises grave national security concerns, the government has not established that an injunction is an appropriate remedy,” US district judge Royce Lamberth said in his ruling.

The administration had sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the publication of The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, saying it contained classified information and threatened national security.

The book, scheduled to hit store shelves on Tuesday, is already in the hands of media organisations.

“Defendant Bolton has gambled with the national security of the United States. He has exposed his country to harm and himself to civil (and potentially criminal) liability,” the judge wrote.