As of noon Thursday, eight members of President Donald Trump’s administration have denied they were the author of an anonymous op-ed that was published in the New York Times Wednesday.
The piece blasts Trump for his “amorality,” and claims that “anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making.”
It goes on to say Trump “engages in repetitive rants, and his impulsiveness results in half-baked, ill-informed and occasionally reckless decisions that have to be walked back.”
Various members of the president’s cabinet have denied writing the op-ed, and the first lady, Melania Trump, has called out the person saying, “If a person is bold enough to accuse people of negative actions, they have a responsibility to publicly stand by their words and people have the right to be able to defend themselves.
First lady Melania Trump
Vice President Mike Pence
"The Vice President puts his name on his Op-Eds," tweeted Jarrod Agen, Pence’s communications director. "The @nytimes should be ashamed and so should the person who wrote the false, illogical, and gutless op-ed. Our office is above such amateur acts."
James Mattis, secretary of defense
"It was not his op-ed," chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said.
Mike Pompeo, secretary of state
Secretary Mike Pompeo, on a trip to India, criticized the Times for publishing the op-ed.
“If it's accurate, they should not have chosen to take a disgruntled, deceptive bad actor's word for anything and put it in their newspaper,” Pompeo said Thursday, adding: “I come from a place where if you're not in a position to execute the commander's intent, you have a singular option, that is to leave.”
“It’s not mine,” he said.
Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of Homeland Security
Tyler Houlton, press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement Thursday, “Secretary Nielsen is focused on leading the men and women of DHS and protecting the homeland — not writing anonymous & false opinion pieces for the New York Times. These types of political attacks are beneath the Secretary and the Department's mission.”
Dan Coats, director of national intelligence
“From the beginning of our tenure, we have insisted that the entire IC remain focused on our mission to provide the President and policymakers with the best intelligence possible,” he said in a statement, referencing the intelligence community. … Speculation that The New York Times op-ed was written by me or my principal deputy (Sue Gordon) is patently false. We did not.”
Steve Mnuchin, secretary of the Treasury
“It is laughable to think this could come from the secretary,” Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s aide Tony Sayegh says. Sayegh tweeted, “Steve Mnuchin is honored to serve @POTUS & the American people. He feels it was irresponsible for @nytimes to print this anonymous piece. Now, dignified public servants are forced to deny being the source. It is laughable to think this could come from the Secretary.”
Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the United Nations
Haley was asked by CNN as she was entering the UN Security Council chamber if she was the author of the op-ed. “No,” was her answer.
Mick Mulvaney, White House budget director
“Director Mulvaney did not write the op-ed,” Mulvaney’s spokeswoman said.
Ben Carson, secretary of Housing and Urban Development
When asked if Carson wrote the piece, a spokesman for Carson said, “Aha, no.”
Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services
A spokesman for Azar said, "No, Secretary Azar did not write the op-ed.”
Wilber Ross, secretary of commerce
“I did not write and am thoroughly appalled by this op-ed. I couldn’t be prouder of our work at Commerce and of @POTUS.
Rick Perry, secretary of energy
“I am not the author of the New York Times op-ed, nor do I agree with its characterizations. Hiding behind anonymity and smearing the president of the United States does not make you an "unsung hero", it makes you a coward, unworthy of serving this nation.
Finally, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that if someone wants to know the identity of the “anonymous coward” who wrote the op-ed, they should call the New York Times opinion desk and included that phone number.
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