Trump Wants New York Times To Turn Over Author Of Scathing Op-Ed
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WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) - The biggest mystery in Washington right now is who is the senior Trump aide behind the anonymous New York Times op-ed titled "I Am Part Of The Resistance - Inside The Trump Administration."
The Times is defending its decision to grant the author anonymity, saying their job would be in jeopardy if his or her identity were known.
In the article, the writer slams Donald Trump's "amorality" and decision-making and claims to be part of an internal "resistance" force dedicated to thwarting his worst impulses
Wednesday night, Trump took to Twitter and called on the paper to turn over to the government the senior official who wrote the scathing piece.
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
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Earlier in the day, in answering reporters questions about the op-ed, Trump tried to discredit the Times.
"We have somebody in what I call the failing New York Times, that's talking about, he's part of the resistance within the Trump administration, this is what we have to deal with," he said.
Members of Congress say they're not surprised by what was written.
"This is what all of us have understood to be the situation from day one," said Sen. Bob Corker, R-TN.
"Those of us who've been around him in moments when he's lost it, understand that you don't want to be in the room and hear what he has to say, and God forbid be in the room when he's about to make a terrible decision that'll hurt this country," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL.
A New York Times spokesperson said the op-ed, "...adds significant value to the public's understanding of what is going on in the Trump administration from someone who is in a position to know."
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders issued a statement calling the author selfish and said: "This coward should do the right thing and resign."
Statements have been pouring out of the West Wing from Vice President Mike Pence on down denying they were the "senior administration official" who wrote the article.
"If you're not in a position to execute the commander's intent you have a singular option, that is to leave," said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Pompeo also said it wasn't him and blamed the media for running the story.
"I find the media's efforts in this regard to undermine this administration incredibly disturbing," he said.
The op-ed came a day after reports of a new book by Bob Woodward, titled "Fear: Trump in the White House," which expressed similar efforts by staff to tame the President's actions. Trump has called the book a work of fiction.
The op-ed offers a firsthand account that corroborates key themes of Woodward's book: that some of the President's top advisers have a dim view of the commander in chief and are quietly working to thwart Trump's most reckless and impulsive decisions from becoming a reality.
The author writes the resistance inside the Trump administration is not the same "resistance" of the left against the President and said they and like-minded colleagues working to thwart some of Trump's actions "want the administration to succeed. But we believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic."
"That is why many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump's more misguided impulses until he is out of office."
The result, the official writes, has been a "two-track presidency" in which Trump's own worldview -- uttered both in public and private -- diverges from some key actions taken by the administration, like those involving additional sanctions against Russia.
A dramatic alternative to the quiet effort to thwart some of Trump's more concerning actions was, however, considered, the official said: invoking the 25th Amendment.
The official alleges there were "early whispers within" Trump's Cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would require a majority of Cabinet officials to declare to Congress they believe the President is "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office."
Explaining the "resistance" effort, the senior administration official offers a damning portrait of Trump's character and leadership ability.
The author argues the "root of the problem is the President's amorality" and assails Trump's "reckless decisions," "erratic behavior" and what the official describes as the President's "impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective" leadership style.
"The root of the problem is the President's amorality. Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making," the official writes. "Although he was elected as a Republican, the President shows little affinity for ideals long espoused by conservatives: free minds, free markets and free people."
(©2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. CNN contributed to this report.)
