Jimmy Kimmel has joined the army of Americans speculating about who wrote an anonymous New York Times op-ed criticizing President Donald Trump.
An unnamed senior administration official penned an op-ed Wednesday, claiming to be a part of a group of conservatives within the Trump Administration who are working against the President, sparking a hunt for the author.
Kimmel opened his bit Wednesday night by joking “I’m surprised by how good a writer Ivanka is” – a reference to First Daughter and White House Advisor Ivanka Trump.
Kimmel then sided with people online pointing to Vice President Mike Pence as the op-ed writer, because of the use of the word “lodestar” in the article. Pence frequently says “lodestar” in various written statements and television appearances.
“Wouldn’t that be something if it was Mike Pence?” Kimmel asked after playing a reel of video footage showing Pence’s repeated use of “lodestar” over the last few years. “Trump just announced that the Space Force’s first mission is to locate and destroy the lodestar, whatever that may be.”
Pence denied being behind the op-ed in a statement through his office on Thursday.
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Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com