Anonymous Trump administration author says it's not an act of 'cowardice' to keep name a secret

We're no closer to knowing the identity of the anonymous Trump administration official behind the upcoming book A Warning, but they have given some insight into why they are keeping their name under wraps — and whether they will ever publicly reveal who they are.

The official first made waves last year, when they penned an op-ed for The New York Times, talking about a resistance against President Trump taking place inside the White House. In A Warning, the author writes that shrouding their identity deprives Trump of "an opportunity to create a distraction. What will he do when there is no person to attack, only an idea?" It's not an act of "cowardice" to remain anonymous, the author writes, and they shared that in the future, they could attach their name to criticism of Trump.

The author says that all administration officials "have draft resignation letters in our desks or on our laptops. That's the half-teasing, half-true advice you get on day one in the Trump administration or immediately following Senate confirmation." There was talk of a mass exodus, the author writes, but Trump is such a "mess" that the officials "thought we could keep it together. That answer feels more hollow than it used to."

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It's clear that the author doesn't lean liberal — they complain about former President Barack Obama, saying he was "out of touch with mainstream America," and cheer for Trump's tax cuts and the appointments of conservative judges. It was Trump's lack of decorum that first got under the author's skin, and the final straw for Anonymous came when Trump tried to raise the White House flag when it was half-staff following the death of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). When asked for a response to A Warning, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said the book is "nothing but lies."