CONNECTED THIS CLOSELY TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
SO LOTS TO GET TO TONIGHT.
THESE ARE CRAZY TIMES.
BUT THINGS HAVE BEEN CRAZY FOR A
WHILE NOW AS YOU KNOW.
AND THAT BRINGS US TO THIS SCOOP
THAT WE’VE GOT TONIGHT.
IT WAS MORE THAN A YEAR AGO NOW,
SEPTEMBER 5th OF LAST YEAR WHEN
AN OP-ED WAS PUBLISHED IN "THE
NEW YORK TIMES."
THE HEADLINE WAS I AM PART OF
THE RESISTANCE, INSIDE THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. I WORKED FOR THE PRESIDENT BUT
LIKE MINDED COLLEAGUES AND I
HAVE VOWED TO THWART PARTS OF
HIS AGENDA AND HIS WORST
INCLINATIONS.
INCLINATIONS. THAT OP-ED PUBLISHED IN "THE NEW
YORK TIMES" LAST SEPTEMBER, THE
AUTHOR ANONYMOUS.
AUTHOR ANONYMOUS. BEFORE YOU GOT TO THE ACTUAL
OP-ED THERE WAS THIS PARAGRAPH
OF EXPLANATION FROM "THE NEW
YORK TIMES" EXEXPLAINING WHY THE
PAPER WAS TAKING THIS, QUOTE,
RARE STEP OF PUBLISHING AN
ANONYMOUS OP-ED.
ANONYMOUS OP-ED. "THE TIMES" SAID IT HAD DONE SO,
QUOTE, AT THE REQUEST OF THE
AUTHOR, A SENIOR OFFICIAL IN THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WHOSE
IDENTITY IS KNOWN TO US AND
WHOSE JOB WOULD BE JEOPARDIZED
BY ITS DISCLOSURE.
BUT THEN BELOW THAT EXPLANATORY
INTRO FROM "THE TIMES" THE
MYSTERIOUS AUTHOR JUST JUMPED
RIGHT IN, AND IT WAS AS DRAMATIC
AS YOU’D THINK IT MIGHT BE.
QUOTE, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS FACING
A TEST TO HIS PRESIDENCY UNLIKE
ANY FACED BY A MODERN AMERICAN
LEADER.
LEADER. MANY OF THE SENIOR OFFICIALS IN
HIS OWN ADMINISTRATION ARE
WORKING DILLIGENTLY FROM WITHIN
TO FRUSTRATE PARTS OF HIS AGENDA
AND HIS WORST INCLINATIONS.
I WOULD KNOW, I AM ONE OF THEM.
QUOTE, WE BELIEVE OUR FIRST DUTY
IS TO THIS COUNTRY AND THE
PRESIDENT CONTINUES TO ACT IN A
MANNER DETRIMENTAL TO THE HEALTH
OF OUR REPUBLIC.
THAT IS WHY TRUMP APPOINTEES
HAVE VOWED TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO
PRESERVE OUR DEMOCRATIC
INSTITUTIONS WHILE THWARTING MR.
TRUMP’S IMPULSES UNTIL HE’S OUT
OF OFFICE.
OF OFFICE. AMERICANS SHOULD KNOW THAT THERE
ARE ADULTS IN THE ROOM.
WE FULLY RECOGNIZE WHAT IS
HAPPENING, AND WE ARE TRYING TO
DO WHAT’S RIGHT EV WHEN DONALD
TRUMP WON’T.
TRUMP WON’T. WOW, RIGHT?
WOW, RIGHT? THAT’S SEPTEMBER 5th OF LAST
YEAR.
YEAR. THE AUTHOR GOT SPECIFIC IN TERMS
OF OUTLINING CONCERNS AMONG
THOSE CLOSEST TO THE PRESIDENT,
GOT VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT THAT IN
ONE PARTICULARLY UNNERVING WAY
THAT WENT ONTO DOMINATE THE NEWS
FOR QUITE A FEW DAYS AFTERWARDS.
THE AUTHOR ASSERTING THERE WERE,
QUOTE, EARLY WHISPERS WITHIN THE
CABINET OF THE 25th AMEM AS A
MEANS OF REMOVING TRUMP FROM
OFFICE FROM WITHIN.
JUST GOB SMACKING STUFF.
AND OF COURSE IT WOULD BE HARD
TO OVERSTATE THE GRAVITY DENYING
LEVEL OF INTRIGUE THAT ANONYMOUS
OP-ED GENERATED.
OP-ED GENERATED. BOTH ABOUT WHAT THIS WAS SAYING
ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING INSIDE
THE WHITE HOUSE, BUT THERE WAS
ALSO THIS FURIOUS EXPLOSION OF
SPECULATION AS TO WHO ANONYMOUS
WAS, WHO HAD WRITTEN THIS THING.
A PARADE OF SENIOR
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS CAME
OUT AND DENIED THEMSELVES BEING
THE AUTHOR.
THE AUTHOR. YOU MIGHT REMEMBER THE USE OF
THE WORD LODESTAR IN THE OP-ED
MADE A LOT OF PEOPLE QUESTION
WHETHER THE AUTHOR COULD
POTENTIALLY BE VICE PRESIDENT
MIKE PENCE.
MIKE PENCE. COULD IT BE?
I DON’T KNOW.
THE WORD LODESTAR HAS BEEN ONE
OF HIS FAVORITES IN RECENT
SPEECHES.
SPEECHES. COULD IT BE IT?
AFTER SPECULATION FELL ON HIM IN
THAT WAY VICE PRESIDENT MIKE
PENCE NOT ONLY EMPHATICALLY
DENIED BEING THE REAL AUTHOR BUT
SAID WHOEVER WAS THE REAL AUTHOR
MUST RESIGN IMMEDIATELY.
THE U.N. AMBASSADOR AT THE TIME
NIKKI HALEY PERHAPS
INADVERTENTLY BROUGHT SUSPICION
ON HERSELF TOO WHEN SHE
UNPROMPTED PROMISED THIS DENIAL
IN "THE WASHINGTON POST."
QUOTE, WHEN I CHALLENGE THE
PRESIDENT I DO IT DIRECTLY.
MY ANONYMOUS COLLEAGUE SHOULD
HAVE TOO.
HAVE TOO. SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO,
DAN COATS, DEFENSE SECRETARY JIM
MATTIS ALL OF THEM CAME OUT AND
SAID NOT IT, NOT IT, IT ISN’T
ME.
ME. MEANWHILE THE PRESIDENT’S OWN
RESPONSE WAS TO TWEET A SINGLE
WORD WITH QUESTION MARK,
TREASON?
TREASON? HE FOLLOWED THAT UP WITH ANOTHER
CALLING UPON "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" TO, QUOTE, TURN HIM OR
HER OVER TO THE GOVERNMENT AT
ONCE.
ONCE. NEEDLESS TO SAY "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" IS NOT GOING TO DO THAT.
BUT THERE WAS EVERY EXPECTATION
THAT THE AUTHOR WOULD BE OUTED,
WOULD BE FOUND OUT SOMEHOW SOON,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? BUT YET NOW WELL OVER A YEAR
LATER SINCE THAT OP-ED WAS
PUBLISHED, THE YOILT OFIDENTITY
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL
REMAINS ANONYMOUS.
REMAINS ANONYMOUS. WE STILL DON’T KNOW WHOEVER THAT
WAS WARNING OF A DANGEROUS
PRESIDENT ONLY BEING HELD BACK
FROM A TRUE DISASTER FROM HIS
OWN APPOINTEES WORKING
DILIGENTLY FROM WITHIN TO
FRUSTRATE PARTS OF HIS AGENDA
AND HIS WORST INCLINATIONS.
WHOEVER THAT WAS MORE THAN A
YEAR LATER, THAT PERSON IS STILL
ANONYMOUS.
ANONYMOUS. AND NOW IT’S COME TO THIS.
WITHIN THE LAST TWO WEEKS WE GOT
NEWS THIS STILL ANONYMOUS AUTHOR
HAS WRITTEN A BOOK.
AND IT’S CALLED,, "A WARNING."
THE BOOK IS DONE AND DUE TO BE
PUBLISHED THIS MONTH.
THE NEWS THAT ANONYMOUS OP-ED
AUTHOR HAS WRITTEN A BOOK ALONG
THE SAME LINES THAT HAS SETOFF A
WHOLE NEW ROUND OF GUESSING
GAMES AS TO WHO IT MIGHT BE.
IT REMAINS UNCLEAR WHO IT IS,
AND INTERESTINGLY IT REMAINS
UNCLEAR WHETHER THE AUTHOR IS
STILL A MEMBER OF THE
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. ANONYMOUS IS STILL BEING BILLED
AS A SENIOR TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL.
OFFICIAL. AT THE TIMES OF THE "THE NEW
YORK TIMES" OP-ED IN SEPTEMBER,
THOUGH, "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY TO
DESCRIBE THEM AS A CURRENT
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL.
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL. IS THE PERSON STILL A CURRENT
OFFICIAL INSIDE THE
ADMINISTRATION?
ADMINISTRATION? WE DON’T ACTUALLY KNOW AS THE
BOOK IS COMING TO PRESS.
ONLY THE BOOK’S PUBLISHER AND
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" EDITORIAL
PAGE DEPARTMENT KNOW WHO IT IS
AND WHETHER OR NOT THAT’S STILL
THE CASE.
THE CASE. THEY’RE NOT SAYING.
BUT I’LL TELL YOU TONIGHT WE
HAVE OBTAINED EXCERPTS FROM THIS
BOOK, LENGTHY EXCERPTS FROM THIS
BOOK.
BOOK. AND I’M GOING TO SHARE A COUPLE
WITH YOU TONIGHT.
BOTTOM LINE, AND I HAVEN’T SEEN
THE ENTIRE BOOK.
I’VE SEEN THE EXCERPTS.
BOTTOM LINE THE MAIN POINT OF
THAT OP-ED WAS THAT REASSURANCE,
RIGHT, IT MAY BE COLD COMFORT IN
THIS CHAOTIC ERA BUT AMERICANS
SHOULD KNOW THERE ARE ADULTS IN
THE ROOM.
THE ROOM. WE’RE TRYING TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT
EVEN WHEN DONALD TRUMP WON’T.
IT WAS AN ALARM, BUT THE
ANONYMOUS AUTHOR WAS SAYING
THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE MAKING
SURE THINGS DON’T GO SO BADLY
OFF THE RAILS, THE COUNTRY IS
NOT GOING TO BE AT RISK IN THE
WAY YOU MIGHT BE WORRIED ABOUT
BECAUSE WE’RE HERE -- SINCE THAT
OP-ED WAS PUBLISHED THIS AUTHOR
IS NOW SOUNDING A DIFFERENT
TONE.
TONE. THIS AUTHOR IS NOW ESSENTIALLY
SAYING THAT IF YOU WERE
COMFORTED AT ALL BY THE FACT
THERE WERE OFFICIALS INSIDE THIS
ADMINISTRATION WHO WERE KEEPING
THINGS ON TRACK AND THWARTING
THE PRESIDENT’S WORST AND MOST
MISGUIDED IMPULSES, YOU MAYBE
SHOULDN’T BE CONFORMMFORTED BY T
ANYMORE BECAUSE THAT MAY NO
LONGER BE THE CASE.
AND EVEN IF IT IS THE CASE THERE
ARE PEOPLE TRYING, IT MAY NOT BE
ENOUGH.
ENOUGH. SO AS I SAY, MY IMPRESSION HERE
OVERALL IS THAT IT IS DARK, BUT
WE’VE GOT THESE NEW EXCERPTS.
AND I’M GOING TO SHARE THEM WITH
YOU NOW.
YOU NOW. SO THIS FIRST ONE IS FROM THE
INTRODUCTION.
INTRODUCTION. THIS, AGAIN, IS FROM A WARNING
BY ANONYMOUS, A SENIOR TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL.
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL. QUOTE, THE DONALD J. TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION WILL BE
REMEMBERED AS AMONG THE MOST
TUMULTUOUS IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
FUTURE HISTORIANS WILL RECORD
THE VOLATILITY OF THE
PRESIDENT’S DECISION MAKING AS
WELL AS THE INTERNAL STRUGGLES
OF A GOVERNMENT FORCED TO
GRAPPLE WITH IT.
THEY WILL WRITE THAT HIS
ADVISERS CAME TO FIND HIM UNFIT
FOR THE JOB.
HE COULDN’T FOCUS ON GOVERNING
AND HE WAS PRONE TO ABUSES OF
POWER FROM ILL CONCEIVED SCHEMES
TO PUNISH HIS POLITICAL RIVALS
TO PROPENSITY FOR UNDERMINING
VITAL AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS.
THE PRESIDENT STILL LACKS THE
GUIDING PRINCIPLES NEEDED TO
GOVERN OUR NATION AND FAILS TO
DISPLAY THE RUDIMENTARY
QUALITIES OF LEADERSHIP WE
SHOULD EXPECT OF ANY COMMANDER
IN CHIEF.
IN CHIEF. IN "THE TIMES" OP-ED I WROTE OF
A QUIET RESISTANCE OF TRUMP
APPOINTEES AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS
TRYING TO MANAGE HIS RASH
IMPULSES.
IMPULSES. WE WANTED THE ADMINISTRATION TO
SUCCEED AND SUPPORTED
SIGNIFICANT COMPONENTS OF THE
PRESIDENT’S AGENDA.
PRESIDENT’S AGENDA. BUT WE WERE ALARMED BY HIS
UNSTABLE BEHAVIOR IN PUBLIC AND
IN PRIVATE.
IN PRIVATE. THOSE WHO TRIED TO STEER HIM
AWAY FROM SELF-DESTRUCTIVE
IMPULSES WERE NOT THE SO-CALLED
DEEP STATE, I WROTE, BUT THE
STEADY STATE.
STEADY STATE. THIS IDEA WAS ASSAILED BY THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. BUT THE NOTION HIS TEAM IS
WORKING TO PROTECT HIM FROM
HIMSELF HAS SINCE BECOME ONE OF
THE DEFINING NARRATIVES OF THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. INDEED IT WAS A HALLMARK TAKE
AWAY OF THE REPORT OF THE
INVESTIGATION INTO RUSSIAN
INTERFERENCE IN THE 2016
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. THE PRESIDENT’S EFFORTS TO
INFLUENCE THE INVESTIGATION WERE
MOSTLY UNSUCCESSFUL, MUELLER
WROTE, BUT THAT IS LARGELY
BECAUSE THE PERSONS SURROUNDING
THE PRESIDENT DECLINED TO CARRY
OUT ORDERS OR RECEDE TO HIS
REQUESTS.
REQUESTS. THIS INCLUDED WHITE HOUSE
COUNSEL DON McGAHN FIRED THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL, A REQUEST
McGAHN REBUFFED.
McGAHN REBUFFED. IT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SHOULD NOT BE
SHOCKED THAT WARY AIDES AND
CABINET MEMBERS SAVED HIS
PRESIDENCY.
PRESIDENCY. MY COLLEAGUES HAVE DONE SO MANY
TIMES.
TIMES. HE SHOULD BE WORRIED, WE ALL
SHOULD BE WORRIED THAT THESE
REASONABLE PROFESSIONALS ARE
VANISHING.
VANISHING. THE PRESIDENT IS SHAFCHAFED BY T
WHO DARED TO CHALLENGE HIM.
HE’S TARGETED AND REMOVED MANY
OF THESE OFFICIALS.
OTHERS HAVE GROWN TIRED OF THE
CHARADE AND LEFT OF THEIR OWN
ACCORD.
ACCORD. WITH EVERY DEPARTURE OF EVERY
SENIOR LEADER THE RISKS TO THE
COUNTRY GROW AND THE PRESIDENT
IS VALIDATED BY A SHRINKING
CADRE OF ADVISOR.
WE ARE ALREADY SEEING THE
CONSEQUENCES.
CONSEQUENCES. THROUGH A TOXICATION OF
AMORALITY OR INDIFFERENCE THE
PRESIDENT HAS FAILED TO RISE TO
THE OCCASION IN FULFILLING HIS
DUTIES.
DUTIES. IN THESE PAGES I WILL UNDERSCORE
WHAT AMERICANS SHOULD ACTUALLY
BE CONCERNED ABOUT WHEN IT COMES
TO TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION.
SO THAT IS THE FIRST EXCERPT WE
HAVE OBTAINED FROM THE BOOK "A
WARNING" BY THE ANONYMOUS AUTHOR
WHO PUBLISHED THAT EXPLOSIVE
OP-ED IN "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
LAST FALL CLAIMING BOTH THE
PRESIDENT WAS DANGEROUSLY UNFIT
AND THAT HE WAS ONLY BEING HELD
BACK FROM DISASTER BY SOME OF
HIS OWN ADVISERS WHO WERE
WORKING TO FRUSTRATE HIS OWN
INTENTIONS.
INTENTIONS. I’M GOING TO TAKE A BREAK HERE
FOR A SECOND, BUT I WILL TO TELL
YOU THERE’S MORE.
THAT WHOLE IDEA LAID OUT AT THE
END OF THAT FIRST EXCERPT HERE
OF WHAT AMERICANS SHOULD
ACTUALLY BE CONCERNED ABOUT WHEN
IT COMES TO TRUMP AND HIS
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. WE’VE GOT A LOT MORE SPECIFICITY
FROM THIS ANONYMOUS AUTHOR IN
TERMS OF WHAT ANONYMOUS MEANS BY
THAT.
THAT. WHAT EXACTLY WE SHOULD BE
CONCERNED ABOUT.
CONCERNED ABOUT. SO I’VE GOT ANOTHER EXCERPT FOR