Dana Perino called out the unnamed White House official Wednesday on The Five who penned a New York Times opinion piece blasting President Trump.
The piece, titled "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration," is written by an anonymous senior official who said other top White House officials are "working diligently from within to frustrate parts of [President Trump's] agenda and his worst inclinations."
In Opinion
In an anonymous Op-Ed, a senior Trump administration official says he and others are working to frustrate the president’s “misguided impulses.” https://t.co/qW1IoM3AYY pic.twitter.com/rCHnQfcRjG
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 5, 2018
Perino, who served as White House press secretary under President George W. Bush, called the author of the op-ed "extremely self-indulgent."
"You should not be lapping up the benefits of being a senior administration official, no doubt while scouting for lucrative opportunities for when you leave your post."
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President Trump addressed the piece during a meeting with sheriffs from across the country at the White House, calling it "gutless."
"If I weren't here, I believe the New York Times probably wouldn't exist," he said.
.@POTUS fired back Wednesday, calling an anonymous op-ed by a senior @WhiteHouse official "gutless" after the piece, critical of the president, was published by @nytimes. https://t.co/HLYo5DOPnI pic.twitter.com/1DFFz1tTJy
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 5, 2018
Perino said that something about the release of the op-ed is suspicious, given that it was published just a day after excerpts of veteran journalist Bob Woodward's book on Trump's White House were published by The Washington Post.
"If you are this person, you really should resign tonight," she said.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted a statement regarding the story Wednesday evening, agreeing with Perino's sentiment.
Response to anonymous @nytimes op-ed. pic.twitter.com/RIOaXhyg1N
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) September 5, 2018
"This coward should do the right thing and resign," Sanders wrote.
The Post published excerpts from Woodward's "Fear: Trump in the White House" on Tuesday by The Washington Post, and the book portrayed a chaotic White House under President Trump in which he is bad-mouthed by members of his staff.
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