President Trump on Wednesday called on the New York Times to disclose the identity of the unnamed senior administration official who savaged the president in an anonymous opinion piece.
“Does the so-called ‘Senior Administration Official’ really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source?” Trump wrote on Twitter. “If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!”
[More: 7 points on the anonymous New York Times ‘resistance’ op-ed]
Does the so-called “Senior Administration Official” really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2018
In the op-ed, published Wednesday afternoon, the mystery author describes how they and other staffers work “diligently” to frustrate parts of Trump’s agenda and “his worst inclinations” because they believe their first duty is to the country rather than the president.
“It may be cold comfort in this chaotic era, but Americans should know that there are adults in the room,” the op-ed states. “We fully recognize what is happening. And we are trying to do what’s right even when Donald Trump won’t.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders later Wednesday called on the unknown “coward” writer to “do the right thing and resign.
“The individual behind this piece has chosen to deceive, rather than support, the duly elected President of the United States,” Sanders wrote in a statement. “He is not putting country first, but putting himself and his ego ahead of the will of the American people.”
