The New York Times published a stunning essay Wednesday, authored by an anonymous official within the Trump administration who said they are part of a cadre of White House officials who "are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of [the president's] agenda and his worst inclinations." The op-ed's author, whose identity the Times said "is known to us" but was left unrevealed because their "job would be jeopardized by its disclosure," further alleged that some of President Trump's Cabinet officials discussed invoking the 25th Amendment in the early days of the administration "given the instability" they saw from the president.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders excoriated the piece's anonymous author in a response statement Wednesday, calling the writer a "gutless anonymous source." "The individual behind this piece has chosen to deceive, rather than support, the duly elected president of the United States," Sanders inveighed. "This coward should do the right thing and resign."
Sanders also, in perhaps an unsurprising move, noted that "nearly 62 million people voted for [Trump] in 2016, earning him 306 Electoral College votes — versus 232 for his opponent." "None of them voted for a gutless, anonymous source to the failing New York Times," she continued. Trump's own response to the op-ed came in real-time during a photo op with sheriffs from around the country, where he called the piece's publication a "disgrace." See a clip of Trump's reaction here, or read Sanders' full statement — which also attacks the "liberal media" — below. Kimberly Alters