Who wrote the New York Times op-ed? These Trump administration officials have denied it

KTRK logo
Friday, September 7, 2018
These Trump officials denied writing the Times op-ed
''Good Morning America'' takes a look at the growing list of Trump administration officials who have denied writing the New York Times op-ed.

WASHINGTON -- Though it's not yet known who penned the New York Times opinion piece claiming to be part of the ''resistance'' within the administration of President Donald Trump, several officials have come out to say that it wasn't them.

The anonymous op-ed, which was published on Wednesday, outlined the "resistance" within the administration. Its author claimed that "there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment" because of the "instability" witnessed in the president.

In an editorial note with the article, the Times' editorial team explained that they know the author's identity, writing:

"The Times is taking the rare step of publishing an anonymous Op-Ed essay. We have done so at the request of the author, a senior official in the Trump administration whose identity is known to us and whose job would be jeopardized by its disclosure."

RELATED: Trump blasts critical New York Times op-ed

Trump has said that the author of the opinion piece committed "treason" and should come forward.

So far, about two dozen officials have said that they did not write the article. They include:

Vice President Mike Pence

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis

Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen

Housing Secretary Ben Carson

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke

Energy Secretary Rick Perry

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue

Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Nikki Haley, ambassador to the United Nations

Jon Huntsman, ambassador to Russia

Dan Coats, director of national intelligence

Gina Haspel, director of the CIA

Mick Mulvaney, budget director

White House counsel Don McGahn

Robert Lighthizer, U.S trade representative

The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.