Here are the officials who deny writing anonymous New York Times op-ed
WASHINGTON – Social media users are out to solve the mystery of who authored the New York Times essay that offered blistering criticism of President Donald Trump.
The anonymous writer, described by the Times as a "senior official in the Trump administration," has ignited fury among Trump and his supporters for describing the president as erratic and amoral. As social media sleuths have speculated over the writer's identity, a slew of officials have issued denials that they wrote the op-ed.
Here are some of the senior officials who have weighed in:
Mike Pence
Social media was quick to pick up on one word used in the essay: "lodestar," which means an inspiration, model or guide.
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The somewhat uncommon word is used once in the piece, but sleuths found that Vice President Mike Pence had used it multiple times over the years in speeches and in general remarks.
Twitter seemed to point to Pence as its primary suspect, even though many had their doubts. Many pointed to a story in Axios that detailed unnamed White House officials changing their verbiage and grammar to disguise their comments when giving quotes to the media.
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Thursday morning, Pence dismissed the speculation through a top aide, releasing a short statement.
"The Vice President puts his name on his Op-Eds," Jarrod Agen, deputy chief of staff for the vice president, wrote on Twitter. "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."
Mike Pompeo
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was fairly quick to rebuke the editorial and distance himself from any speculation.
While traveling overseas in New Delhi, Pompeo told reporters "it's not mine" when asked whether he authored the piece.
He attacked the Times for allowing the editorial on its website and in its newspaper but said it wasn't surprising because, he claims, the Times is a "liberal newspaper that has attacked this administration relentlessly."
Pompeo also took issue with the senior official who authored the piece and called the situation "sad."
"I come from a place where if you're not in a position to execute the commander's intent, you have a singular option, and it's to leave," he said. "This person instead, according to New York Times, chose not only to stay but to undermine what President Trump and this administration is trying to do."
Dan Coats
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said neither he nor his principal deputy, Sue Gordon, wrote the essay.
"Speculation that The New York Times op-ed was written by me or my Principal Deputy is patently false," Coats said in a statement. "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 policymakers with the best intelligence possible."
Coats had become a possible suspect primarily because of MSNBC anchor Lawrence O'Donnell, who offered Coats as his top guess on the identity of the author.
O'Donnell pointed to Coats' comments and reaction surrounding Trump's performance during a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Coats appeared shocked that the president offered to host Putin in the White House, and his reaction led to whispers and anonymously sourced reports that he could be leaving the administration.
Kirstjen Nielsen
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen denied authoring the essay Thursday morning, through a spokesman who said Nielsen was too busy focusing on her job.
"Secretary Nielsen is focused on leading the men and women of DHS and protecting the homeland - not writing anonymous and false opinion pieces for The New York Times," Tyler Houlton, a press secretary for DHS told USA TODAY. "These types of political attacks are beneath the secretary and the department’s mission."
James Mattis
A spokesman for Defense Secretary James Mattis offered only a short comment on the Times essay, simply denying Mattis was connected to the piece.
"I can tell you that Secretary Mattis did not write the OpEd," said Tom Crosson, a deputy director of press operations for the Defense Department.
Steven Mnuchin
A spokesman for Steven Mnuchin, the secretary of the Treasury, called speculation the essay may have been written by Mnuchin "laughable."
Tony Sayegh Jr., an assistant secretary of public affairs for the U.S. Treasury, offered a statement on Twitter that said Mnuchin is "honored" to serve the president.
"He feels it was irresponsible for @nytimes to print this anonymous piece," Sayegh said. "Now, dignified public servants are forced to deny being the source. It is laughable to think this could come from the Secretary."
Rick Perry
Rick Perry rebuked the opinion piece Thursday afternoon and bashed the unnamed author as someone who was unfit to serve in the administration or this nation.
"I am not the author of the New York Times OpEd, nor do I agree with its characterizations," he said in a tweet. "Hiding behind anonymity and smearing the President of the United States does not make you an 'unsung hero', it makes you a coward, unworthy of serving this Nation."
Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, reportedly laughed when asked by reporters Thursday whether she was the person who may have authored the piece in the Times.
"No," she said while entering the UN building, according to CBS News and the BBC.
Sarah Sanders
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders responded to the opinion piece by railing against the media and calling for the author to resign.
"Nearly 62 million people voted for President Donald J. Trump in 2016, earning him 306 Electoral College votes – versus 232 for his opponent. None of them voted for a gutless, anonymous source to the failing New York Times," Sanders said in a statement Wednesday. "We are disappointed, but not surprised, that the paper chose to publish this pathetic, reckless and selfish op-ed."
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Others who have denied it
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Labor Department Secretary Alexander Acosta and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have all denied being the author.
USA TODAY has reached out to other top Trump administration officials. This story will be updated with their responses.