Anonymous anti-Trump author revealed to be junior ex-staffer Miles Taylor, a CNN contributor
The New York Times had called the anonymous author a high-ranking Trump administration official, but it turns out that he wasn’t.
Loading the front page…
The New York Times had called the anonymous author a high-ranking Trump administration official, but it turns out that he wasn’t.
An anonymous book author who reported to be from Donald Trump's inner circle and had penned a scathing op ed against the man, as well as the book A Warning, revealed his true identity as Miles Taylor.
The New York Times had called the anonymous author a high-ranking Trump administration official, but it turns out that he wasn't.
Donald Trump is a man without character. It’s why I wrote “A Warning”...and it’s why me & my colleagues have spoken out against him (in our own names) for months. It’s time for everyone to step out of the shadows. My statement: https://t.co/yuhTgZ4bkq
— Miles Taylor (@MilesTaylorUSA)
Taylor released a statement explaining why he was coming out as his actual identity. His missive, titled "Why I'm no longer 'Anonymous,'" states that the reason he had written anonymously was so that the president would be forced to answer to what he said, and could not dwell on who said it.
President Trump responded by saying "Who is Miles Taylor? Said he was “anonymous”, but I don’t know him - never even heard of him. Just another @nytimes SCAM"
Who is Miles Taylor? Said he was “anonymous”, but I don’t know him - never even heard of him. Just another @nytimes SCAM - he worked in conjunction with them. Also worked for Big Tech’s @Google. Now works for Fake News @CNN. They should fire, shame, and punish everybody....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
This is who Anonymous was pic.twitter.com/g9oYqrktY3
— Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec)
In his op ed, written two years ago, Taylor levelled his anonymous critique at the president, and claimed that he was not the only person within the administration to hold his anti-Trump views.
Taylor wrote: "Issuing my critiques without attribution forced the President to answer them directly on their merits or not at all, rather than creating distractions through petty insults and name-calling. I wanted the attention to be on the arguments themselves. At the time I asked, 'What will he do when there is no person to attack, only an idea?' We got the answer. He became unhinged. And the ideas stood on their own two feet"
Now that Taylor has revealed his true identity, however, no one really cares, either about what he said then, or in his book, or who he is now.
Miles Taylor is* the first author in history to BENEFIT from being anonymous when writing a book
If anyone knew who he was they wouldn't have given a shit
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar)
Taylor detailed his involvement with the Trump administration, saying that he "came into the Administration with John Kelly," and "stayed on as Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security." He said that during his two plus years with the administration, he "witnessed Trump’s inability to do his job over the course of two-and-a-half years. Everyone saw it, though most were hesitant to speak up for fear of reprisals."
That fear of reprisals has not stopped anyone in the press from attacking, alleging, reporting, and lying about the president since prior to his winning the presidency in 2016, through to the present. The president wields a big tweet, but he has no power over the press, or the voice of the people. Nothing could be more clear from opening the pages of every major daily every single day.
Taylor's revelation, however, has Washington Post political columnist Karen Tumulty asking whether The New York Times should even have run his op ed without disclosing his identity.
The revelation of the identity of “Anonymous” calls into question whether the NYT had ample grounds to allow him to write without identifying him. I figured it had to be someone at cabinet level, at least.
— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty)
He was identified as a high ranking official in the Trump administration, but, as it turns out, he wasn't. He was chief of staff to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Jim Dao, of The New York Times, provided his response, saying "I understand readers' frustration that we didn't provide a more precise description of the official. But we felt strongly that a broader characterization was necessary to protect the author from reprisal, and that concern has been borne out by the president's reaction to the essay." To date, those who write in opposition to Donald Trump, in the US, are fine, and no harm has come to them due to their activism against the sitting president.
Don't forget that the oped said "That is why many Trump appointees have vowed to do what *we* can..." DHS Chief of Staff is not one of the five presidentially appointed positions at DHS. How did that get through NYT?
— Tim Chandler (@TimLChandler)
Taylor wasn't high-ranking in the administration, though he was touted as such. Yet CNN spent nearly a quarter of an hour elaborating on the alleged bombshell of who Taylor is. He is a colleague of the pundits on CNN. He has been part of the never-Trump contingent of the Republican party for longer than he was with the administration.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
CNN spent the last 13 minutes and 39 seconds uninterrupted talking about their colleague Miles Taylor revealing himself to have been Anonymous.
13:39 or 819 seconds.
That's 13:39 (or 819 seconds) more than they've given #Tucker's interview last night with Tony Bobulinski.
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck)
In 2012, during the Obama administration, Taylor argued against the concept of peace in the Middle East, and was looking for a regime change in Syria, even if that had to be achieved through violent means. Trump, for his part, has been working diligently to attain a peaceful coexistence between Israel and her neighbours, and has been successful to the point of receiving Nobel Peace Prize nominations for his work.
Here is Anonymous author Miles Taylor arguing for a regime change war in Syria during the Obama administration. pic.twitter.com/7Bb7ETd2PX
— Vote Early Cernovich (@Cernovich)
Taylor has revealed who he is, but in fact, it is no surprise. He was opposed to the president when he worked in his administration, and has remained that way.
