President Trump on Friday said that the Justice Department should investigate the identity of the anonymous writer of a New York Times op-ed claiming to be part of the “resistance” within his administration.
The president also said he is “looking at” taking potential action against the Times, when asked by reporters aboard Air Force One, calling the decision to publish the op-ed a “disgrace.”
{mosads}“We’re going to take a look at what he had, what he gave, what he’s talking about also where he is right now,” Trump said, according to the report.
“It’s national security,” Trump told reporters when asked if Attorney General Jeff Sessions should investigate who wrote the op-ed. He made the comments to reporters while on a campaign trip in North Dakota.
When asked to comment on Trump’s statements, a Justice Department spokesman said the department “does not confirm or deny investigations.”
Speculation over the individual’s identity has mounted since the Times published the op-ed Wednesday, identifying the writer only as a “senior official in the Trump administration.”
A long list of high-level officials have issued statements claiming they were not the source of the critical op-ed, which among other things described the president as acting “in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic.”
Trump reacted to its publication on Twitter and in an interview aired Friday on Fox News by suggesting that the writer was treasonous. He has also been critical of the Times, suggesting the publication should reveal its source.
“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!” Trump tweeted Wednesday.
Updated at 1:10 p.m.