Trump has ordered an all-hands 'witch hunt' for aides who spoke with Bob Woodward, wrote the Times op-ed


Before an unidentified senior administration official published a brutal op-ed in The New York Times on Wednesday afternoon claiming to be a member of an internal "resistance" faction saving America from a dangerously erratic and amoral president, President Trump had already ordered "a real witch hunt in the West Wing and throughout his administration, asking loyal aides to help determine who cooperated with" Bob Woodward's new book, Fear, CNN reports. Trump is "directing the response strategy personally," and he wants names of both Woodward collaborators and the Times resistor.
"The hunt for the mole began as soon as The New York Times published" the op-ed, Politico reports. "One senior administration official described a White House in 'total meltdown' by Wednesday evening." Inside the West Wing, "top officials canceled afternoon meetings and huddled behind closed doors to strategize about how to expose the author," White House officials told The Wall Street Journal. "Some officials called reporters to chase down rumors about who was behind the op-ed, and whether it came from inside the White House or a Cabinet-level agency."
The scramble to "unmask the writer," The Associated Press suggested, is "a House of Cards-style plot twist in an already over-the-top administration," and some viewed Trump's "extraordinary" demand that the Times immediately unmask the writer as playing "into the very concerns about the president's impulses raised by the essay's author."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Aides fear how Trump will react as more embarrassing bits are reported" from Woodward's as-yet-unpublished book, Gabriel Sherman reports at Vanity Fair. "More than any previous episode," though, Politico says, the Times "op-ed seemed to signal a shift from now-routine internal chaos and infighting to a gathering, and sustained, revolt against the commander in chief by those closest to him." At the same time, an outside adviser tells Sherman, "Everybody on the inside knows it's true. It's just Fox News people who don't want to admit how crazy he is."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
October 19 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's editorial cartoons include Pete Hegseth and the press, an absence of government, and George Washington crossing the Delaware
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelago
The Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?
In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
‘Vile, racist’ leaked chats roil Young Republicans
Speed Read Leaders of Young Republican groups made racist, antisemitic and violent comments in private chats
-
Trump ties $20B Argentina bailout to Milei votes
speed read Trump will boost Argentina’s economy — if the country’s right-wing president wins upcoming elections