White House team deny ‘treason’
A STREAM of Donald Trump’s most senior cabinet members denied responsibility yesterday for an explosive account of how his own team was trying to frustrate the president’s wishes.
Mike Pence, the vice-president, and Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, were among those to issue denials as Mr Trump railed against the “deep state” and as supporters spoke of an “administrative coup”.
It followed publication of a New York Times opinion piece – written by what the newspaper said was a “senior administration official” – claiming cabinet members discussed removing the president from power and were working to protect the country from his “worst inclinations”.
Meanwhile, Washington was consumed by a high-stakes guessing game as armchair analysts parsed the text for clues to the author’s identity.
Amid reports that Mr Trump cut an increasingly paranoid figure, the result was the extraordinary spectacle of high-ranking officials being forced to distance themselves from the article.
Mr Pence denied any involvement after online sleuths said the use of the word “lodestar” was consistent with several of his speeches. “The New York Times should be ashamed and so should the person who wrote the false, illogical, and gutless op-ed,” said his spokesman.
Mr Pompeo said: “It’s not mine,” during a visit to India. Other heavyweights, including Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence; Steve Mnuchin, the treasury secretary; and Ben Carson, the housing secretary, all followed suit.
Mr Trump was said to be monitoring the denials closely. An official told CNN their statements were being printed out and handed to the president for scrutiny.
White House aides have begun an investigation to root out the author. They were reported to have sent each other text messages with the phrase “the sleeper cells have awoken”, according to The Washington Post. For his part, the president blamed the actions on his enemies among the liberal elite. “I’m draining the Swamp, and the Swamp is trying to fight back,” he said. “Don’t worry, we will win!”
He also blamed the “deep state” and the Left, after earlier demanding that The New York Times reveal the author’s identity to the government, and followed up with a one word tweet: “Treason?”. His wife Melania spoke out in his support. She denounced the use of unnamed sources by the media.
The rolling storm began with publication of an op-ed piece a day earlier. It claimed that cabinet members had discussed using the 25th Amendment – designed to deal with incapacitated presidents – to remove Mr Trump from power. They decided not to do so, said the anonymous author, for fear of triggering a constitutional crisis.
“It may be cold comfort in this chaotic era, but Americans should know that there are adults in the room,” continues the author. “We fully recognise what is happening. And we are trying to do what’s right even when Donald Trump won’t.”