‘ Anonymous’ discloses his identity

Former Trump official Miles Taylor says he wrote critical op- ed.

A former administration off icial who wrote a scathing anti- Trump op- ed and book is a CNN contributor.

A former Trump administration official who penned a scathing anti- Trump oped and book under the pen name “Anonymous” revealed himself Wednesday as a former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security.

The official, Miles Taylor, said on Twitter six days before election day that President Trump is “a man without character” and “it’s time for everyone to step out of the shadows.”

Taylor has been an outspoken critic of Trump in recent months and had repeatedly denied he was the author of the column — even to colleagues at CNN, where he has a contributor contract. He left the Trump administration in June and endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president this summer.

In a statement, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany called Taylor a “low- level, disgruntled former staffer” who “is a liar and a coward who chose anonymity over action and leaking over leading.”

Taylor’s anonymous essay was published in September 2018 by the New York Times, infuriating the president and setting off a frantic White House leak investigation to try to unmask the author.

In the essay, the author, who identified himself only as a senior administration official, said he was part of a secret “resistance” force out to counter Trump’s “misguided impulses” and undermine parts of his agenda.

The author wrote, “Many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office.”

Taylor’s behavior also leaves questions for CNN. He was asked directly by the network’s Anderson Cooper in August whether he was “Anonymous” and answered: “I wear a mask for two things, Anderson, Halloween and pandemics. So, no.”

CNN said Taylor would remain a contributor.