Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he supports President Donald Trump holding talks with Iran, but listed conditions for such discussions to move forward.
- Several White House senior officials have denied writing a bombshell anonymous New York Times op-ed penned by a "senior official in the Trump administration."
- There was speculation Vice President Mike Pence was the author due to the use of the word "loadstar", but he denied he wrote it.
- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested the op-ed was written by a "disgruntled deceptive bad actor" and said the author should "leave" the White House.
As speculation swirls over who penned the controversial New York Times op-ed written by an anonymous senior staffer in the Trump administration, a number of White House officials have denied being the author.
The anonymous op-ed published on Wednesday claims there is a "quiet resistance" against President Donald Trump within his own administration.
The piece details an effort to undermine Trump's authority and slams the president on an array of issues.
Since its publication, several senior administration officials have stepped forward to say they're not the authors. Here are their statements.
Vice President Mike Pence
Pence's office released a statement on Thursday morning denying that the vice president was the op-ed's author.
It came after speculation that he was the anonymous author due to the inclusion of the word "lodestar," which Pence has used in a number of speeches.
Pence's communications director, Jarrod Agen, said in a tweet: "The Vice President puts his name on his Op-Eds."
Agen continued: "The @nytimes should be ashamed and so should the person who wrote the false, illogical, and gutless op-ed. Our office is above such amateur acts."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Pompeo, who is currently traveling in India, told reporters at an embassy meet-and-greet that he was not the author.
"I come from a place where if you're not in a position to execute the commander's intent, you have a singular option, that is to leave," Pompeo said.
The secretary of state added that the op-ed was likely written by a "disgruntled deceptive bad actor."
"I have to tell you, I find the media's efforts in this regard to undermine this administration incredibly disturbing," he added, according to The New York Times.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats
Coats released a statement about the op-ed on Wednesday morning:
"Speculation that The New York Times op-ed was written by me or my Principal Deputy is patently false. 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 Policy makers with the best intelligence possible."
Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin
Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs for the US Treasury, Tony Sayegh Jr., said on Twitter that Mnuchin had not written the op-ed.
He wrote: ".@stevenmnuchin1 is honored to serve @POTUS & the American people. He feels it was irresponsible for @nytimes to print this anonymous piece. Now, dignified public servants are forced to deny being the source. It is laughable to think this could come from the Secretary."
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen
Nielsen's press secretary Tyler Houston released a statement denying the Department of Homeland Security secretary was the author of the op-ed, according to The Hill.
The statement said: "Secretary Nielsen is focused on leading the men & women of DHS and protecting the homeland - not writing anonymous & false opinion pieces for the New York Times. These types of political attacks are beneath the Secretary & the Department's mission."
US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis
A Pentagon spokeswoman told Reuters on Thursday that Mattis had denied writing the op-ed.
"It was not his op-ed," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson
A spokesman for Carson told Guardian political reporter Ben Jacobs that the HUD Secretary did not write the op-ed.
Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney
"No, Dir. Mulvaney is not the author," a spokesperson for Mulvaney told NBC News.