White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement Thursday saying anyone wanting to know which anonymous administration official wrote the op-ed in the New York Times slamming President Donald Trump should phone the newspaper's opinion desk.
Sanders gave out the number of the desk in the statement, calling the self-proclaimed "Resistance" member inside the administration a "gutless loser" and "anonymous coward."
"The media's wild obsession with the identity of the anonymous coward is recklessly tarnishing the reputation of thousands of great Americans who proudly serve our country and work for President Trump. Stop," she said. "If you want to know who this gutless loser is, call the opinion desk of the failing NYT at 212-556-1234, and ask them. They are the only ones complicit in this deceitful act. We stand united together and fully support our President Donald J. Trump."
The Times published an op-ed by someone only identified as a "senior official in the Trump administration" Wednesday, who said he or she and others were working to check Trump's worst impulses. The writer said Trump's behavior was a danger to the republic, impetuous, adversarial, unprincipled, and amoral.
For those of you asking for the identity of the anonymous coward: pic.twitter.com/RpWYPHa6To
— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) September 6, 2018
Trump was described as "volcanic" over the op-ed by sources who spoke to NBC News. He fired back on the op-ed on Wednesday, telling reporters the writer was "gutless" and reciting a laundry list of his administration's achievements.
Several Cabinet members, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have denied they wrote the piece. The term "senior official" could relate to hundreds of different people within the Executive Branch.
Trump also tweeted "TREASON?" Wednesday evening, in addition to tweeting the New York Times should reveal the writer for national security purposes.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1037464177269514240
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1037485664433070080