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A FURIOUS DONALD Trump has called for the unmasking of an anonymous senior official who wrote in the New York Times that top members of his administration were undermining the president to curb his “misguided impulses”.
Trump asked if the unsigned op-ed could be considered treasonous, assailed the newspaper for the “gutless” piece and questioned whether the senior official it was attributed to actually existed.
“TREASON?” Trump posted in response to the article entitled I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration, which claimed the president’s own staff see him as a danger to the nation.
“Does the so-called ‘Senior Administration Official’ really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source?” Trump tweeted.
“If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!”
In the article, the official stressed they were committed to the Republican agenda, and did not side with opposition Democrats.
But, the official wrote: “We believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic.
“Many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.
“I would know. I am one of them.”
The piece was published a day after excerpts from a bombshell book that also claimed that White House staff were constantly battling to rein in the president’s worst impulses.
The Times acknowledged the “rare step” of publishing an anonymous editorial but said the official’s job would be jeopardised if they were identified, and that the paper knew who had written the piece.
“We believe publishing this essay anonymously is the only way to deliver an important perspective to our readers,” the paper said.
‘The president’s amorality’
The official’s piece described a “two-track” presidency in which Trump says one thing and his staff consciously does another, for example with regard to what he called the president’s “preference for autocrats and dictators”.
Staff actively worked to insulate themselves from Trump’s “impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective” leadership style, the writer said.
“The root of the problem is the president’s amorality,” the official said.
That is why many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office.
Trump lashed out at the author and at the “dishonest” Times.
“They don’t like Donald Trump and I don’t like them,” Trump said. “So if the failing New York Times has an anonymous editorial, can you believe it, anonymous — meaning gutless — a gutless editorial — we’re doing a great job.”
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders branded the piece “pathetic, reckless, and selfish” and condemned the Times for publishing it.
“Nearly 62 million people voted for President Donald J Trump in 2016,” Sanders said.
None of them voted for a gutless, anonymous source to the failing New York Times.
The unsigned piece appeared to reinforce the claims made in the new book by investigative journalist Bob Woodward, which describes a virtual cabal of like-minded White House and cabinet officials scheming to prevent Trump from taking decisions damaging to the US economy and national security.
The writer of the Times op-ed suggests that dissent and resistance inside Trump’s White House are even deeper than Woodward described.
The official said that early on in the administration, some officials quietly discussed invoking the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution, which allows the removal of a president judged unable to perform his duties.
“But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until — one way or another — it’s over.”
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I’m from Dublin Bay South. Its going to take more than appearing on a few talk shows or signing a few petitions before she gets my vote
If the GE was tomorrow who would you vote for? Genuine question.
Same woman was a panelist on TV3 the following night, bye bye Social Democrats you almost had my vote but I have had my suspicions about this lady’s agenda since that time.
Well that was easy. hmmm..
What is her agenda?
What’s wrong with having an agenda?
How can you put yourself up for election WITHOUT an agenda?
This government did and broke all of them…
I will vote social Democrats
Any concrete policies to present to the people yet?
free concrete for over 65s
They sink like a stone?
It sounds like she’s very honest so she should have no problem getting elected.
@Seamus Brady
Lol.
and therein lies the paradox in Irish politics Seamus.
In the Irish political scene,it is harder for an honest citizen to get elected to government, than a camel to make his way through the eye of a needle..
“Micheal D is a nice man but what has he contributed or done in office? I can’t think of anything, other than sign in Irish water legislation true to his Labour roots. Open to correction of course.”
Michael D is a brilliant intellectual in the style of Marx, Lenin, Trotsky etc.
He has seen the implementation of much of his socialist philosophy here in ireland.
The state now provides life long welfare for all public sector officials and employees in current and former state owned companies.
Their pensions are linked to current salaries, and every time a general increase in wages is won by the big unions all retired personnel receive an increase in their pensions.
This is a dream socialist world-but a reality in Ireland.
In addition many retirees can cash in their 15% shareholding in their former workplace companies(Aer Lingus, Telecom Eireann, Bord Na Mona, ESB, etc etc.)
Unhappily those pensioners outside the circle of socialist fraternity have seen their basic old age pension allowances-such as telephone, fuel,- reduced or eliminated in recent years.
They must also work until they are 68 in order to receive a contributory pension.
Many of today’s workers will never qualify for the basic old age pension because the new restrictions require that they must have continuity of employment and contribution stamps for a longer number of years than heretofore.
The miserable cuts in fuel allowances etc do apply to all ALL pensioners regardless of their total pension income so their is an element of socialism in this regard..
Michael is undoubtedly proud of the achievements of his beloved Labour Party in it’s securing of sufficient power in recent elections to ensure that Ireland continues to be a workers paradise for state and semi state employees.
His colleague Brendan Howlin has now negotiated a reversal of the bothersome austerity cuts imposed on state employees in recent years.
Michael makes lovely speeches and dreams of a socialist Utopia.
The fact that the crumbs which make up this Utopian cake are being picked up off the floor, where the rest of society are patiently waiting to eat; does not seem to bother him at all.
Maybe the socialist kingdom in which he lives (and dreams )is-as Jesus Christ himself pointed out- “not of this world”?
She has been on Vincent Browne a few times always thought she was more Sein Fein than any other party Thought she was part of SF plot against Gallagher in presidential debate
Sean Gallagher was a loss to the country in not making President. I think he was a genuine person who had his character deftly and spuriously as disbarred. Micheal D is a nice man but what has he contributed or done in office? I can’t think of anything, other than sign in Irish water legislation true to his Labour roots. Open to correction of course.
“Sean Gallagher was a loss to the country in not making President.”
You need to take a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror. The man was a complete spoofer!
I was wondering, where his supporters were or hiding and shame on you for considering a man like him could be President.
Michael D was the only viable candidate, I never considered anyone else. He’s as clean as a whistle and can make a speech and he seems like a genuinely nice person. He had no choice regarding IW. The president is a figure head, like the Queen he has no real power. Sean was a chancer looking for a cushie number.
“The man was a complete spoofer” and Micheal D isn’t ?. Even with the FF brand Sean Gallagher was sailing ahead before the whole front line debate and it was the popularity of labour rather then a personal vote that got Micheal D over the line. If the presidental election was tommorrow he’d be down in Norris territory
Michael D was clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the candidates for the job………..
The usual Irish fear towards a person of ambition and character. It was always much safer to elect Michael D, a man aligned with the current government and would use it as a retirement position.
Best thing to do would be to scrap the Presidency. Glorified ambassador is all it is and a complete waste of money. President is just a lap dog of the Government signing everything in to law. It is just another job and pension for the Political elite. Pure scam.
I thought the 2 Marys redefined the role of the president in a hugely positive way. Michael D Baggins is a bluster merchant and a thoroughbred champagne socialist.
David Norris would have been wonderful, Ireland wasn’t ready for a gay president
Yeah maybe Norris but sometimes he came off a bit nuts, but I still like him.
We dodged a bullet, or at least a bullet-shaped object, when he was knocked out of the race. Maybe the whole thing was a conspiracy against him, but it was the way he handled it did for him. Not president material.
Absolutely dodged a bullet, remember this is the chap that was going round charging GAA clubs for development plans and an executive member of Fianna Fail… Bullet missed for sure.
That Sean Gallagher was some chancer when he ran for president I wonder where he is now.
He’s an entrepreneur don’t you know!
Great news this. Fine Gael and their Labour buddies will be hard put to find anyone as honest and articulate as Glenna.
Fascinating how Social Democrats just announce candidates – no selection process, no selection conventions. Not very democratic or maybe the reality is that they don’t have any members?
That’s because they’re not very democratic. The Dail brought in legislation for water charges but the three TDs have decided not to pay them. Now if they get into government, what taxes and laws that they introduce should we choose to ignore?
Just what the National Parliament needs; an interior designer. Clearly well qualified to draft legislation for the people of Ireland
That debate was not on Prime Time. It was on The Frontline
Another of Vincent Browne’s recruits. Stephen Donnelly and Peter Matthews made it, some didn’t. Who knows with Glenna
Labour & Fine Gael have much to fear from the #SocDem party.
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