Tonight, Donald Trump made an unprecedented demand. He wants the New York Times to reveal the name of the op-ed writer for “national security” purposes.
Does the so-called “Senior Administration Official” really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2018
That will never happen. Politico calls it a fresh “West-Wing meltdown.” Aides are pointing fingers and scrambling to try to figure out who the writer, or writers, might be.
“One senior administration official described a White House in “total meltdown” by Wednesday evening, after the president went on television to directly attack the author and the Times, an assessment corroborated in interviews with more than a dozen current and former White House officials and outside advisers.
“More than any previous episode, the 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. One former White House official declared it “open season on the president.”
From The Washington Post:
“Trump reacted to the column with “volcanic” anger and was “absolutely livid” over what he considered a treasonous act of disloyalty, and told confidants he suspects the official works on national security issues or in the Justice Department, according to two people familiar with his private discussions.”
Media: @brianstelter to @wolfblitzer after talking to the @nytimes op-ed editor @jimdao: The Times has taken a number of special precautions to protect the @realDonaldTrump op-ed writer's name. "Only a very small number of people within the Times know the person's identity." pic.twitter.com/mYRpvdFY6g
— Porter Anderson (@Porter_Anderson) September 5, 2018