Former White House aide who wrote exposé sues Trump

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with a group of sheriffs from around the country before leaving the White House in Washingto on Feb. 11, 2019, for a trip to El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

• Cliff Sims says the government is trying to punish him for writing his book “Team of Vipers”
• Trump has dismissed Sims as a “low level staffer” whose book was “based on made up stories and fiction”

WASHINGTON: A former White House aide is suing President Donald Trump and arguing the government is trying to illegally penalize him after he wrote a book that portrayed an unflattering picture of life in the West Wing.
Cliff Sims filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court in Washington.
Trump’s campaign accused Sims last month of violating a nondisclosure agreement by publishing his book, “Team of Vipers.”
Trump has dismissed Sims as a “low level staffer.” He said the book was “based on made up stories and fiction.”
Sims’ lawsuit charges the government is using a private surrogate to “serve as an illegitimate cutout” and impose liability through the nondisclosure agreement. Sims argues he learned the information only through his time as a federal employee.
The White House didn’t immediately comment.