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ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE – President Trump on Friday called on the Justice Department to investigate the anonymous author of an editorial describing a "resistance" within the government and said he was considering bringing a case. legal action against the New York Times for its publication.
The column, published online Wednesday, was written by someone the Times identified only as a top Trump administration official. It depicts a "two-way presidency" in which some staff members constitute a "resistance" force working to thwart the "lost impulses" of the president in the name of protecting the nation.
"We're going to look at what he got, what he gave, what he's talking about, and where he's at right now," Trump told reporters. If the anonymous author has a high-level security clearance, the president added, "and that he is going to a high-level meeting concerning China, Russia, or North Korea, I do not want him at these meetings.
Traveling aboard the Air Force One to Fargo, North Dakota, from Billings, Mount Trump said it was imperative for national security to eliminate the anonymous author he was called "a sick person". He has long criticized publicly in particularly harsh terms – should use the investigative powers of the Department of Justice to determine who is the author of the column.
"I would say that Jeff should investigate the author of this play because I really believe it's national security," Trump said.
[These officials have denied writing the Trump ‘resistance’ op-ed]
When asked if he trusted his staff at the White House, Trump said, "I do it, but now I look around me." I say, "If I do not know anyone. . . "He added," We have a White House that works well and works well. It is a well oiled machine. It works beautifully. "
Trump made his comments in a 25-minute question-and-answer session with reporters traveling with him.
Trump also denied one of the most shocking anecdotes of Bob Woodward's new book, "Fear." Woodward reports that Gary Cohn, then chief economic adviser to the White House, pulled a letter from Trump's office that the president was planning a trade deal between the United States and South Korea. Woodward publishes a picture of the unsigned letter in his book.
Woodward also reports that Cohn took another note on Trump's desk which, if the president had signed it, would have initiated the process of withdrawal of the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement. with Canada and Mexico.
But Trump denied Woodward's reports, calling them "false history".
"Gary Cohn, if he had already taken a memo on my desk, I would have sent it back in two seconds," Trump said. "He would have been fired so quickly. He was fired in the first second that followed. "
[‘A never-ending cycle’: Book, op-ed show how some Trump aides work to curb his instincts]
During the meeting with journalists, Trump also touched on a number of other topics, including Special Adviser Robert S. Mueller III's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.
The president said that he would be willing to submit to an interview with Mueller under certain circumstances, but he considers that it would be a waste of time and fears to be caught committing a perjury.
"I would, but under certain circumstances," said Trump. "It's a big waste of time."
For months, Trump's lawyers have been negotiating terms for a possible interview with Mueller, who is eager to question the president as a witness on various topics. Mueller and his team are investigating a possible collusion between the Russian campaign and Trump's campaign as well as the possible obstruction of justice by the president.
Trump also told the press that he hoped to receive in the coming days a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which would be sent through the intermediary of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Trump expressed his optimism about the state of negotiations on the Kim program's abandonment of the nuclear weapons program, even though Trump canceled Pompeii's trip to North Korea last month because Kim had not made sufficient progress towards denuclearization.
Rucker reported from Washington.
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