FARGO, N.D. | President Donald Trump said on Friday that the Department of Justice should investigate the identify of the writer of a critical New York Times opinion piece, submitted by a member “resistance” movement within the administration that is straining to limit Trump’s most dangerous impulses.
Trump said the letter prompted concerns over national security and directed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to open an investigation to unmask the author. Trump is also exploring the potential of bringing legal action against the Times over the publication of the essay.
“Jeff should be investigating who the author of that piece was because I really believe it’s national security,” Trump said. If the person has a high-level security clearance, he said, “I don’t want him in those meetings.”
Trump said the author “may not be a Republican, it may not be a conservative, it may be a deep state person who has been there for a long time.”
However, the list of officials who potentially could have been the author is lengthy.
With such a deep pool of possible suspects, Trump’s team felt they had no choice but to speak out. Many officials have already spoken out claiming they were not the author.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis denied authorship on a visit to India; Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke chimed in from American Samoa. Vice President Mike Pence, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman, Dan Coats, director of national intelligence, and other Cabinet members have also denied authorship.
Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s attorney, suggested that it “would be appropriate” for Trump to ask for a formal investigation into the identity of the op-ed author.
