Trump Calls To Prosecute Ex-DHS Official Miles Taylor Over Anonymous Op-Ed

Topline

President Donald Trump reacted furiously to the announcement by former Department of Homeland Security Chief of Staff Miles Taylor that he was the author of an anonymous New York Times op-ed about an internal “resistance” to Trump within the administration, with the president calling for him to be prosecuted and disparaging details of his career despite claiming minutes earlier to have “never heard of” him.

Key Facts

Key Background

Taylor is far from the only political opponent Trump has called to prosecute in recent months. Trump has long called for Justice Department and Senate probes into his enemies, including former FBI Director Jim Comey, former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden, his Democratic opponent in the presidential election. Trump has also taken a hard line on leakers, calling them “traitors and cowards” and launching numerous internal probes into various leaks.

Chief Critic

“Earlier this year he said he knew who Anonymous was. This summer blasted me personally for speaking out against him. An hour ago said he didn’t know me. But now knows me again,” Taylor tweeted. “Time for a head check-up for [Donald Trump].”

Crucial Quote

“Many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations,” Taylor wrote in the op-ed in 2018, declaring “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.”