Trump on anonymous NYT op-ed: 'We are going to find out who it is'
US President Donald Trump on Friday said his administration will "find out" the source of a New York Times opinion piece written by an anonymous administration official that raised questions about Trump's fitness for office.
Trump on Friday called on the US Justice Department to investigate the New York Times after the news outlet published a column this week by an anonymous administration official questioning his fitness for office.
Trump on Friday also called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate the Times after the news outlet published the column this week, saying the column should be investigated as a national security matter and that he was weighing taking action against the Times.
Trump also said he was considering taking action against the Times, whose shares moved briefly lower after his comments were made public.
"We’re going to see. I’m looking at that right now," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
The Times issued a statement saying it was confident the Justice Department "would not participate in such a blatant abuse of government power."
"The President's threats both underscore why we must safeguard the identity of the writer of this op-ed and serve as a reminder of the importance of a free and independent press to American democracy."
Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday confirmed that he was not the author of an anonymous 'Quiet Resistance' op-ed published in the New York Times, calling it "sad."
The column in the NY Times is authored by a senior Trump administration official who described efforts to thwart parts of President Donald Trump's agenda.