--- description: Several members of President Donald Trump's administration have denied writing an anonymous New York Times op-ed that criticizes Trump title: These Trump Administration Officials Deny Writing the Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt59c27140027af286/6989398bfb4eacd78e89792b/donald-trump-op-ed-tweet.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [White House](/tag/white-house/) ## White House Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These Trump Administration Officials Deny Writing the Anonymous New York _Times_ Op-Ed by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 12, 2023 5:45 PM CUTPublished: Sep 6, 2018 8:08 PM CUT  US President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with the Emir of Kuwait Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah during an expanded bilateral meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on September 5, 2018 in Washington, DC. US President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with the Emir of Kuwait Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah during an expanded bilateral meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on September 5, 2018 in Washington, DC.Pool—Pool by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 12, 2023 5:45 PM CUTPublished: Sep 6, 2018 8:08 PM CUT Several members of President Donald Trump’s administration have denied writing an anonymous [New York _Times_ op-ed that criticizes Trump](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/opinion/trump-white-house-anonymous-resistance.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage "undefined"), as people speculate over who could be behind the article. Vice President Mike Pence [issued a denial](http://time.com/5388483/mike-pence-denies-writing-anonymous-op-ed/ "undefined") Thursday, after online sleuths connected him frequently saying the word “lodestar” to its use in the op-ed to refer to John McCain. A spokesperson for the Pence’s office issued a statement denying he was behind the op-ed on Twitter. > [](https://twitter.com/VPComDir/status/1037656944348221440) Others quickly followed suit to distance themselves from the _Times_ op-ed, which claims there is an effort by a group of conservative administration insiders who are working against Trump. In a tweet Wednesday evening, Trump called for the Times to reveal the anonymous writer behind the op-ed, calling the person who wrote it “GUTLESS.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he did not write the op-ed while speaking with reporters in New Delhi Thursday. “It’s not mine,” he said. Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence, also said he did not write the op-ed in a statement. “Speculation that The New York _Times_ op-ed was written by me or my Principal Deputy is patently false,” he said. “We did not. From the beginning of our tenure, we have insisted that the entire IC remain focused on our mission to provide the President and policymakers with the best intelligence possible.” First Lady Melania Trump also weighed in to address the writer of the op-ed through her spokesperson. “Unidentified sources have become the majority of the voices people hear about in today’s news,” Trump said in a statement. “People with no names are writing our nation’s history.” > [](https://twitter.com/StephGrisham45/status/1037743744496402432) Swift denials followed from others in the Trump administration. Commerce secretary Wilbur Ross said he “did not write and am thoroughly appalled by this op-ed.” > [](https://twitter.com/SecretaryRoss/status/1037756392814325760) Secretary of Energy Rick Perry also said he was not behind the piece. > [](https://twitter.com/SecretaryPerry/status/1037750389800689665) U.S. Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin denied authoring the op-ed through a spokesperson. > [](https://twitter.com/tony4ny/status/1037719549045616641) Secretary of Education Betsy Devos issued a statement denying she wrote the op-ed. > [](https://twitter.com/EDPressSec/status/1037768163285446657) Linda McMahon, administrator of the Trump Administration’s Small Business Council. also denied writing the op-ed. > [](https://twitter.com/SBALinda/status/1037772691967823873) Ambassador to Russia Jon Hunstman released a statement denying writing the op-ed through his spokesperson, Andrea Kalan. > [](https://twitter.com/USEmbRuPress/status/1037751354507309063) White House counsel [Don McGahn](http://time.com/5381999/don-mcgahn-emmet-flood-white-house-counsel/ "undefined"), who is leaving his position after the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, told reporters “no” when asked if he had penned the op-ed. National Security Adviser John Bolton also said “no” in response to those asking if he had written the piece. “As General Sherman said, ‘no,'” a spokesperson for Bolton tweeted. > [](https://twitter.com/GMarquis45/status/1037832433603948545) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5389034/trump-new-york-times-op-ed-denial/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5389034/trump-new-york-times-op-ed-denial/"},"headline":"These Trump Administration Officials Deny Writing the Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed","datePublished":"2018-09-06T20:08:34.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T17:45:56.000Z","description":"Several high-ranking members of the administration denied taking part","url":"https://time.com/5389034/trump-new-york-times-op-ed-denial/","keywords":["White House","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt59c27140027af286/6989398bfb4eacd78e89792b/donald-trump-op-ed-tweet.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt59c27140027af286/6989398bfb4eacd78e89792b/donald-trump-op-ed-tweet.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Trump Hosts The Amir Of The State of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah At The White House","caption":"President Trump Hosts The Amir Of The State of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah At The White House","creditText":"Pool—Pool","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5389034/trump-new-york-times-op-ed-denial/","name":"These Trump Administration Officials Deny Writing the Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed"}}]}] ```