Trump sees treason from within
Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN
Updated 0555 GMT (1355 HKT) September 6, 2018
Trump responds to op-ed: 'Gutless'
Historian: We're living on Nixon times ten
Dean: Trump acts 'frighteningly dictatorial'
Trump supporter: Where the hell is Pence?
Kerry: We have an off-the-rails presidency
Phil Mudd TSR panel 9-5-18
Phil Mudd slams GOP leadership
Sen. Lindsey Graham 9-5-18
Graham: Op-ed will matter 'zero'
US President Donald Trump listens to a question as he meets with the Emir of Kuwait Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in the Oval Office of the White House on September 5, 2018 in Washington, DC.
Senior administration official hits Trump in op-ed
Trump responds to op-ed: 'Gutless'
Historian: We're living on Nixon times ten
Dean: Trump acts 'frighteningly dictatorial'
Trump supporter: Where the hell is Pence?
Washington (CNN)It's impossible to know in the moment when a presidency begins to dissolve. But after a devastating 48 hours, it's already clear that Donald Trump's will never be the same.
Whatever your view of Trump, his behavior and his presidency, Washington is watching the opening act of a stunning attempt to topple the elected leader of the nation.
Damaging twin portraits of the President in a New York Times op-ed and Bob Woodward's new book are using the words of current top officials to fracture the mythology of vanity and bombast, conmanship and intimidation of Trump's personality cult.
In an attack from an enemy within, top officials who see Trump up close, including one calling the band of renegades the "resistance," are finally daring to say -- albeit under Washington's invisibility cloak of anonymity -- what outside critics have long believed.
They warn the President of the United States is not only unfit to be the most powerful man in the world, but is a venal mix of ignorance and ego, pettiness, malignancy and recklessness that is putting the republic and the world itself at risk.
Trump slams damning New York Times op-ed as 'gutless'
Trump slams damning New York Times op-ed as 'gutless'
For all his boasts of historic success and self-image as a strongman's strongman, the "adults in the room" want Americans to know: the emperor has no clothes.
"The root of the problem is the President's amorality. Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making," the unnamed official wrote in the staggering essay published by the Times.
The official even revealed there had even been talk among Cabinet officers about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the President. Washington has seen almost everything under Trump, but a palace coup would be something else.
"There is somebody working for the President of the United States at a very senior level who is trying to destroy him," Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign aide told CNN's Anderson Cooper.
It's hard to find a parallel in Western political history for a leader to survive such a knifing since the power and fear need to sustain iron rule can slip away especially quickly in a democracy -- as opposed to an autocratic state.
But Trump has long defied predictions of his own demise and survived the kind of blows that would paralyze other presidents. Yet no other commander in chief has faced the staggering personal disavowals and devastating betrayals that he has endured this week.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
TREASON?
8:15 AM - Sep 6, 2018
Like a wounded king's furious wail, Trump tweeted a single word: "TREASON?"
Woodward was just the start
Woodward book prompts West Wing witch hunt, sources say
Woodward book prompts West Wing witch hunt, sources say
The White House was already groggy Wednesday from the fearful blow of Woodward's new book peeling open the West Wing, "Fear: Trump in the White House."
The legendary muckraker's deeply reported account exposes profound disdain for the President among senior officials who are said to view him as an "idiot" with a fifth-grade education who the world needs protecting against.
It turns out Woodward was just the appetizer.
The thunderclap of the Times piece laid bare an administration in disarray, a President dangerously off the rails and a nation adrift without the stable hand of an effective leader.
"Many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations," the official wrote.
"It may be cold comfort in this chaotic era, but Americans should know that there are adults in the room ... this isn't the work of the so-called deep state. It's the work of the steady state."
The effect of the op-ed was to validate many of the claims of a President dangerously out of his depth that were made by Woodward, crushing White House efforts to fight back.
Washington is already getting consumed with speculation about who wrote the op-ed, the city's biggest literary whodunit since the 1996 novel "Primary Colors," loosely based on the Clintons, was revealed as the work of Joe Klein.
Then there is a quickening debate over the decision of the author to stay in the shadows and whether the person should demonstrate their courage of convictions by resigning and revealing their name.
Unimaginable questions
John Kerry: 'This is a genuine constitutional crisis'
John Kerry: 'This is a genuine constitutional crisis'
But Wednesday's staggering events -- extraordinary even by the convention-blasting standards of Trump, pose questions that would once have been unimaginable.
They include: What will happen if, as it appears, America does not have a stable, functioning President? Will the mutiny among unidentified senior officials build and will they break cover, provoke resignations, or further shred the fabric of the administration?
If talk of the 25th Amendment is renewed, a true constitutional crisis could be looming.
There is of course the perennial question of whether cowed Republicans on Capitol Hill will be moved to even discuss the crisis of competence and temperance raging in the White House. Then there is the issue of whether a crisis-addled and demoralized White House will dampen GOP turnout in midterm elections where a defeat could shatter the bond between Trump and his party.
What must it be like to work in the confines of the West Wing, with a raging President, a cabal of officials working against him and the destabilizing spectacle of a witch hunt to find the moles?
Will the President, seeing betrayal at every turn, launch a purge of officials he suspects may not be loyal to his political crusade, further thinning the ranks of a threadbare White House?
His darkest hour
Play Video
Trump tried to find his way out of his darkest hour to date by trying to wrest control of his own fate.
He appeared in the East Room of the White House in an extraordinary display of defiance soon after The New York Times op-ed appeared.
His appearance was almost noble, though also steeped in pathos, as a wounded leader fought against unseen forces bent on his demise even as he tasted the bile of betrayal that may always have been the inevitable result of his erratic rule.
"The failing New York Times has an anonymous editorial -- can you believe it?" Trump told a gathering of sheriffs.
"Anonymous -- meaning gutless. A gutless editorial," the President said, in an appearance in which he laid claim to a record of staggering political success, a roaring economy and building military might.
Later, his mood had darkened and he delivered a truly sinister tweet.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Does the so-called “Senior Administration Official” really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!
9:40 AM - Sep 6, 2018
"Does the so-called 'Senior Administration Official' really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!" Trump wrote.
The President will step up his counter-attack when he hits the campaign trail in Montana on Thursday night. He is sure of a warm welcome from loyal supporters and the treachery and betrayal of Washington may not resonate so much in Trump country.
As Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "In my world, where I live in South Carolina, most people are very pleased with what the President is doing," adding that Woodward and The New York Times did not cut much ice among his voters.
But make no mistake, in Washington at least, Trump is fighting for his presidency, against forces trying to tear it down from within.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
The White House revolving door: Who's gone? - BBC News
The White House revolving door: Who's gone?
5 July 2018
On Mr Trump's reality TV show, his catchphrase was "You're fired!"
Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt is the latest in a long line of senior officials who have quit, been fired, or eased out by the White House.
Here is a run-down of what they did, and why they left, starting with the most recent.
Scott Pruitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency - 6 July 2018
The lawyer served as the attorney general of Oklahoma from 2011 - 2017.
He had sued the EPA, the agency which he presided over, a number of times in his role as the state's attorney general.
Why did he leave?
Donald Trump announced that Mr Pruitt had resigned due to "unrelenting attacks" on himself and his family.
Since taking office Mr Pruitt has been mired in series of scandals concerning his spending habits and alleged misuse of office, and is the subject of at least a dozen investigations into his conduct.
As the head of the EPA, he angered many liberals and environmentalists by severely curtailing the agency's activities and repealing many measures designed to protect the environment.
The long list of Scott Pruitt controversies
While accepting Mr Pruitt's resignation, Mr Trump tweeted that he had done "an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him".
Time in post?
One year, four months, 19 days
David Shulkin, Veterans Affairs Secretary - 28 March 2018
A doctor, he had served as undersecretary of veterans affairs for health under Barack Obama.
President Trump had hailed him as "fantastic" when appointing him, and the Senate gave him the only 100-0 confirmation of the Trump team.
Why did he leave?
Donald Trump announced that Mr Shulkin was resigning and that the president's personal doctor, Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson, would replace him.
Mr Shulkin had come under fire for alleged improper behaviour by department staff on a trip to Europe in 2017, including his own acceptance of tickets to the Wimbledon tennis tournament. He denied wrongdoing but agreed to reimburse the government for his wife's air fare for the trip.
Mr Shulkin won praise from veterans' groups, but his lack of action on privatising the Veterans Health Administration had angered conservatives.
In parting, he condemned the "toxic, chaotic, disrespectful and subversive" environment in Washington.
Time in post?
Fourteen months
HR McMaster, National Security Adviser - 22 March 2018
A lieutenant general with the US Army, Mr McMaster served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he worked on a government anti-corruption drive.
He replaced Lt Gen Michael Flynn, who was fired after just three weeks and three days in the job after he misled Vice-President Pence about his contacts with the Russian ambassador.
Time magazine named him as one of its 100 most influential people in the world in 2014, saying he "might be the 21st Century Army's pre-eminent warrior-thinker".
Why did he leave?
Mr Trump reportedly disliked his "gruff and condescending" manner and staff said the two never "gelled".
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly also had little positive to say about the general.
Time in post?
Thirteen months.
Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State - 13 March 2018
President Trump announced on Twitter that his secretary of state was leaving his position and being replaced with CIA director Mike Pompeo.
The dramatic shake-up came during a delicate time for diplomatic relations, with direct talks agreed in principle with North Korea.
In a statement, Mr Trump thanked him for his service and wished his family well.
Why did he leave?
The news came just after Mr Tillerson cut short a trip through Africa, with a statement saying he returned a day early because of schedule demands in Washington.
Mr Tillerson reportedly disagreed with a number of the president's policies, including his recently announced proposal to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
Mr Trump reportedly believed Mr Tillerson was "too establishment" in his thinking, US media reports.
Time in post?
Fourteen months.
Gary Cohn, Chief Economic Adviser - 6 March 2018
The former president of the Goldman Sachs bank was appointed as head of the National Economic Council as Mr Trump took office, so becoming the president's top economic adviser.
In his time at the White House, he helped push through sweeping reforms on taxes, one of the most significant policy achievements of the administration.
But the two were not reported to be close, and rumours of Mr Cohn's departure continued to swirl.
Why did he leave?
A staunch globalist, Mr Cohn had reportedly vowed to quit if Mr Trump pressed ahead with plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to the US.
According to US media, Mr Cohn initially planned to resign after Mr Trump blamed "both sides" for violence at a deadly far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.
Time in post?
Fourteen months.
Hope Hicks, White House Communications Director - 28 February 2018
Ms Hicks served as Mr Trump's press secretary and handled media requests during his campaign.
She became his fourth director of strategic communications for the Trump White House after Anthony Scaramucci was fired after just 10 days in the job.
The fashion model-turned-spokeswoman previously worked as a publicist for Ivanka Trump's fashion label before entering politics with Mr Trump's bid for the White House.
Who is Trump's media director?
Why did she leave?
Her resignation came a day after she testified to a congressional panel investigating Russian influence on the 2016 election, telling them she had occasionally told "white lies" for her boss.
Her departure came only weeks after another top aide to Mr Trump, Rob Porter - with whom Ms Hicks was reported to have been in a relationship - quit amid allegations by two ex-wives of abuse.
Time in post?
Six years in the Trump Organization, and three years with Mr Trump during his campaign and presidency.
5 July 2018
On Mr Trump's reality TV show, his catchphrase was "You're fired!"
Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt is the latest in a long line of senior officials who have quit, been fired, or eased out by the White House.
Here is a run-down of what they did, and why they left, starting with the most recent.
Scott Pruitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency - 6 July 2018
The lawyer served as the attorney general of Oklahoma from 2011 - 2017.
He had sued the EPA, the agency which he presided over, a number of times in his role as the state's attorney general.
Why did he leave?
Donald Trump announced that Mr Pruitt had resigned due to "unrelenting attacks" on himself and his family.
Since taking office Mr Pruitt has been mired in series of scandals concerning his spending habits and alleged misuse of office, and is the subject of at least a dozen investigations into his conduct.
As the head of the EPA, he angered many liberals and environmentalists by severely curtailing the agency's activities and repealing many measures designed to protect the environment.
The long list of Scott Pruitt controversies
While accepting Mr Pruitt's resignation, Mr Trump tweeted that he had done "an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him".
Time in post?
One year, four months, 19 days
David Shulkin, Veterans Affairs Secretary - 28 March 2018
A doctor, he had served as undersecretary of veterans affairs for health under Barack Obama.
President Trump had hailed him as "fantastic" when appointing him, and the Senate gave him the only 100-0 confirmation of the Trump team.
Why did he leave?
Donald Trump announced that Mr Shulkin was resigning and that the president's personal doctor, Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson, would replace him.
Mr Shulkin had come under fire for alleged improper behaviour by department staff on a trip to Europe in 2017, including his own acceptance of tickets to the Wimbledon tennis tournament. He denied wrongdoing but agreed to reimburse the government for his wife's air fare for the trip.
Mr Shulkin won praise from veterans' groups, but his lack of action on privatising the Veterans Health Administration had angered conservatives.
In parting, he condemned the "toxic, chaotic, disrespectful and subversive" environment in Washington.
Time in post?
Fourteen months
HR McMaster, National Security Adviser - 22 March 2018
A lieutenant general with the US Army, Mr McMaster served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he worked on a government anti-corruption drive.
He replaced Lt Gen Michael Flynn, who was fired after just three weeks and three days in the job after he misled Vice-President Pence about his contacts with the Russian ambassador.
Time magazine named him as one of its 100 most influential people in the world in 2014, saying he "might be the 21st Century Army's pre-eminent warrior-thinker".
Why did he leave?
Mr Trump reportedly disliked his "gruff and condescending" manner and staff said the two never "gelled".
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly also had little positive to say about the general.
Time in post?
Thirteen months.
Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State - 13 March 2018
President Trump announced on Twitter that his secretary of state was leaving his position and being replaced with CIA director Mike Pompeo.
The dramatic shake-up came during a delicate time for diplomatic relations, with direct talks agreed in principle with North Korea.
In a statement, Mr Trump thanked him for his service and wished his family well.
Why did he leave?
The news came just after Mr Tillerson cut short a trip through Africa, with a statement saying he returned a day early because of schedule demands in Washington.
Mr Tillerson reportedly disagreed with a number of the president's policies, including his recently announced proposal to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
Mr Trump reportedly believed Mr Tillerson was "too establishment" in his thinking, US media reports.
Time in post?
Fourteen months.
Gary Cohn, Chief Economic Adviser - 6 March 2018
The former president of the Goldman Sachs bank was appointed as head of the National Economic Council as Mr Trump took office, so becoming the president's top economic adviser.
In his time at the White House, he helped push through sweeping reforms on taxes, one of the most significant policy achievements of the administration.
But the two were not reported to be close, and rumours of Mr Cohn's departure continued to swirl.
Why did he leave?
A staunch globalist, Mr Cohn had reportedly vowed to quit if Mr Trump pressed ahead with plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to the US.
According to US media, Mr Cohn initially planned to resign after Mr Trump blamed "both sides" for violence at a deadly far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.
Time in post?
Fourteen months.
Hope Hicks, White House Communications Director - 28 February 2018
Ms Hicks served as Mr Trump's press secretary and handled media requests during his campaign.
She became his fourth director of strategic communications for the Trump White House after Anthony Scaramucci was fired after just 10 days in the job.
The fashion model-turned-spokeswoman previously worked as a publicist for Ivanka Trump's fashion label before entering politics with Mr Trump's bid for the White House.
Who is Trump's media director?
Why did she leave?
Her resignation came a day after she testified to a congressional panel investigating Russian influence on the 2016 election, telling them she had occasionally told "white lies" for her boss.
Her departure came only weeks after another top aide to Mr Trump, Rob Porter - with whom Ms Hicks was reported to have been in a relationship - quit amid allegations by two ex-wives of abuse.
Time in post?
Six years in the Trump Organization, and three years with Mr Trump during his campaign and presidency.
Amazon Just Became the Second Publicly Traded U.S. Company to Hit $1 Trillion - TIME
Amazon Just Became the Second Publicly Traded U.S. Company to Hit $1 Trillion
Posted: 04 Sep 2018 09:39 AM PDT
Amazon has become the second publicly traded company to be worth $1 trillion, hot on the heels of iPhone maker Apple.
Amazon has revolutionized how people shop online and is the world’s dominant internet retailer. In two decades the company expanded far beyond its bookseller beginnings, combining its world-spanning retail operation with less flashy but very profitable advertising and cloud computing businesses.
The company’s blowout success has made its founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, No. 1 on Forbes’ billionaires list this year.
The Seattle-based company has cemented customer loyalty through its Echo voice devices and the Prime membership program that offers fast, free shipping as well as music and video streaming perks.
Amazon’s stock rose 1.7 percent in morning trading, putting its market value at just over $1 trillion, although the stock dropped back slightly after that. Apple topped the $1 trillion mark in early August.
Amazon has also formed partnerships with many old-line retailers, selling the Kenmore washing machines traditionally found at Sears and opening stations inside Kohl’s stores where people can bring returns and look at Amazon devices.
Wall Street has grown very enthusiastic about Amazon’s other businesses. Amazon Web Services provides cloud computing services to companies and government, and Amazon’s advertising division makes billions by selling ads to companies that want their products to show up when shoppers search on the site.
Those very profitable businesses have helped offset the high costs associated with running its online store. Amazon saw its quarterly profit soar past $2 billion for the first time earlier this year as the online shopping, cloud computing and advertising businesses all kept growing.
Posted: 04 Sep 2018 09:39 AM PDT
Amazon has become the second publicly traded company to be worth $1 trillion, hot on the heels of iPhone maker Apple.
Amazon has revolutionized how people shop online and is the world’s dominant internet retailer. In two decades the company expanded far beyond its bookseller beginnings, combining its world-spanning retail operation with less flashy but very profitable advertising and cloud computing businesses.
The company’s blowout success has made its founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, No. 1 on Forbes’ billionaires list this year.
The Seattle-based company has cemented customer loyalty through its Echo voice devices and the Prime membership program that offers fast, free shipping as well as music and video streaming perks.
Amazon’s stock rose 1.7 percent in morning trading, putting its market value at just over $1 trillion, although the stock dropped back slightly after that. Apple topped the $1 trillion mark in early August.
Amazon has also formed partnerships with many old-line retailers, selling the Kenmore washing machines traditionally found at Sears and opening stations inside Kohl’s stores where people can bring returns and look at Amazon devices.
Wall Street has grown very enthusiastic about Amazon’s other businesses. Amazon Web Services provides cloud computing services to companies and government, and Amazon’s advertising division makes billions by selling ads to companies that want their products to show up when shoppers search on the site.
Those very profitable businesses have helped offset the high costs associated with running its online store. Amazon saw its quarterly profit soar past $2 billion for the first time earlier this year as the online shopping, cloud computing and advertising businesses all kept growing.
Mueller subpoenas Jerome Corsi, birther and ex-Alex Jones associate - MSNBC News
Mueller subpoenas Jerome Corsi, birther and ex-Alex Jones associate
A lawyer for the conspiracy theorist says he believes Corsi will be asked about his contacts with former Trump aide Roger Stone.
by Tom Winter / Sep.06.2018 / 4:47 AM ET
Jerome Corsi, a conspiracy theorist with links to both ex-Trump aide Roger Stone and Infowars host Alex Jones, has been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., Friday as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, his attorney says.
Corsi, who has written such books as "Where’s the Birth Certificate?" and "Killing the Deep State: The Fight to Save President Trump" will fully comply with the Mueller team’s subpoena, according to attorney David Gray.
The subpoena was first reported by the New York Times.
Gray told NBC News he expects his client will be questioned about his contacts and communications with Stone.
Questions have long swirled about Stone's possible interactions with WikiLeaks and hacker Guccifer 2.0 during the 2016 campaign, when both entities were releasing Democratic emails that had been hacked by Russian intelligence agents.
Stone has denied any wrongdoing, and says he had no advance knowledge of hacked emails.
Gray also says Corsi will bring his computer and cell phone to Washington as part of his effort to cooperate with the special counsel.
Corsi’s name first came up in the probe in March. As first reported by NBC News, Trump ally and Corsi associate Ted Malloch was detained at Boston’s Logan Airport and questioned by the FBI.
Ahead of midterms, Democrats lead in cash, candidates and voters
Malloch said federal agents questioned him about Stone, Corsi and WikiLeaks. Malloch said he told them he met Stone a total of three times and always with groups of people, and that Corsi had helped edit one of his books years ago.
A spokesperson for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.
Corsi became the D.C. bureau chief for Infowars in 2017, but no longer works there. Prior to the 2016 presidential election he was a source for Trump's incorrect claims that Barack Obama was not born in the U.S.
WH official pens anonymous NY Times op-ed calling Trump 'anti-democratic,' 'petty and ineffective' - Fox News
Sept. 6, 2018.
WH official pens anonymous NY Times op-ed calling Trump 'anti-democratic,' 'petty and ineffective'
Samuel Chamberlain By Samuel Chamberlain | Fox News
Trump slams 'resistance' op-ed in New York Times
President Trump calls The New York Times 'gutless' for publishing an anonymous op-ed reportedly from a senior administration official who claims individuals inside the White House are working to thwart the president; chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports.
The New York Times on Wednesday published an explosive opinion piece written by an anonymous senior White House official who described a "two-track presidency" in which top officials are "working diligently from within to frustrate parts of [President Trump's] agenda and his worst inclinations."
The piece quickly triggered anger from inside the White House, as President Trump called it "gutless," and Press Secretary Sarah Sanders demanded the unnamed author "resign."
In the piece, entitled "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration," the author wrote that the alleged actions by White House officials were not part of "the popular 'resistance' of the left."
The New York Times
✔
@nytimes
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://nyti.ms/2Q6wEiP
5:51 AM - Sep 6, 2018
The Times' Twitter account indicated that the author was a man. However, a Times spokesperson told Fox News that the tweet in question "was drafted by someone who is not aware of the author's identity, including the gender, so the use of 'he' was an error."
Trump responded at a White House meeting with sheriffs from across America.
"If I weren't here, I believe the New York Times probably wouldn't exist," the president said to laughter and applause from the assembled sheriffs. "And someday when I'm not president, which hopefully will be in about six-and-a-half years from now, The New York Times and CNN and all of these phony media outlets will be out of business ... because there'll be nothing to write."
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
I’m draining the Swamp, and the Swamp is trying to fight back. Don’t worry, we will win!
1:22 PM - Sep 6, 2018
Trump tweeted late Wednesday night, promising to drain the swamp, vowing, "We will win."
In a statement, Sanders said the author of the piece was "a gutless, anonymous source to the failing New York Times."
President Trump blasts the 'gutless' editorial in the 'failing' New York Times, reportedly written by an anonymous senior White House official.
"We are disappointed, but not surprised, that the paper chose to publish this pathetic, reckless, and selfish op-ed. This is a new low for the so-called 'paper of record,' and it should issue an apology," said Sanders, adding: "The individual behind this piece has chosen to deceive, rather than support, the duly elected President of the United States. He is not putting country first, but putting himself and his ego ahead of the will of the American people. This coward should do the right thing and resign."
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Does the so-called “Senior Administration Official” really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!
9:40 AM - Sep 6, 2018
Trump tweeted earlier: "Does the so-called 'Senior Administration Official' really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!"
"We are incredibly proud to have published this piece, which adds significant value to the public's understanding of what is going on in the Trump administration from someone who is in a position to know," a Times spokesperson said in response to the White House statements.
The op-ed's author wrote that the officials "want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous ... But these successes have come despite — not because of — the president’s leadership style, which is impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective."
TRUMP BATTLES BOB WOODWARD BOOK, BUT AGREES ON ONE POINT: 'I'M TOUGH AS HELL ON PEOPLE'
The op-ed was published one day after The Washington Post published excerpts from a forthcoming book by longtime reporter Bob Woodward in which the Trump administration was depicted as filled with second-guessing staffers and Cabinet members filching papers from the president's desk before he could sign them.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump decried Woodward's book as "total fiction" and "untrue."
"From the White House to executive branch departments and agencies, senior officials will privately admit their daily disbelief at the commander in chief’s comments and actions," the official wrote.
"Meetings with him veer off topic and off the rails, he engages in repetitive rants, and his impulsiveness results in half-baked, ill-informed and occasionally reckless decisions that have to be walked back."
The author specifically noted Trump's reluctance to take action against the Russian government after a former Russian spy-turned-double agent and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent earlier this year in the U.K.
"He complained for weeks about senior staff members letting him get boxed into further confrontation with Russia, and he expressed frustration that the United States continued to impose sanctions on the country for its malign behavior," the official writes. "But his national security team knew better — such actions had to be taken, to hold Moscow accountable."
The official said the like-minded colleagues were not carrying out the work of favorite Trump bogey "the so-called deep state," but rather were working for "the steady state." The writer also alleged that "there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment" to remove Trump from office because of the president's "instability ... But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. "
"So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction," the author wrote, "until — one way or another — it's over."
WH official pens anonymous NY Times op-ed calling Trump 'anti-democratic,' 'petty and ineffective'
Samuel Chamberlain By Samuel Chamberlain | Fox News
Trump slams 'resistance' op-ed in New York Times
President Trump calls The New York Times 'gutless' for publishing an anonymous op-ed reportedly from a senior administration official who claims individuals inside the White House are working to thwart the president; chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports.
The New York Times on Wednesday published an explosive opinion piece written by an anonymous senior White House official who described a "two-track presidency" in which top officials are "working diligently from within to frustrate parts of [President Trump's] agenda and his worst inclinations."
The piece quickly triggered anger from inside the White House, as President Trump called it "gutless," and Press Secretary Sarah Sanders demanded the unnamed author "resign."
In the piece, entitled "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration," the author wrote that the alleged actions by White House officials were not part of "the popular 'resistance' of the left."
The New York Times
✔
@nytimes
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://nyti.ms/2Q6wEiP
5:51 AM - Sep 6, 2018
The Times' Twitter account indicated that the author was a man. However, a Times spokesperson told Fox News that the tweet in question "was drafted by someone who is not aware of the author's identity, including the gender, so the use of 'he' was an error."
Trump responded at a White House meeting with sheriffs from across America.
"If I weren't here, I believe the New York Times probably wouldn't exist," the president said to laughter and applause from the assembled sheriffs. "And someday when I'm not president, which hopefully will be in about six-and-a-half years from now, The New York Times and CNN and all of these phony media outlets will be out of business ... because there'll be nothing to write."
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
I’m draining the Swamp, and the Swamp is trying to fight back. Don’t worry, we will win!
1:22 PM - Sep 6, 2018
Trump tweeted late Wednesday night, promising to drain the swamp, vowing, "We will win."
In a statement, Sanders said the author of the piece was "a gutless, anonymous source to the failing New York Times."
President Trump blasts the 'gutless' editorial in the 'failing' New York Times, reportedly written by an anonymous senior White House official.
"We are disappointed, but not surprised, that the paper chose to publish this pathetic, reckless, and selfish op-ed. This is a new low for the so-called 'paper of record,' and it should issue an apology," said Sanders, adding: "The individual behind this piece has chosen to deceive, rather than support, the duly elected President of the United States. He is not putting country first, but putting himself and his ego ahead of the will of the American people. This coward should do the right thing and resign."
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Does the so-called “Senior Administration Official” really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!
9:40 AM - Sep 6, 2018
Trump tweeted earlier: "Does the so-called 'Senior Administration Official' really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!"
"We are incredibly proud to have published this piece, which adds significant value to the public's understanding of what is going on in the Trump administration from someone who is in a position to know," a Times spokesperson said in response to the White House statements.
The op-ed's author wrote that the officials "want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous ... But these successes have come despite — not because of — the president’s leadership style, which is impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective."
TRUMP BATTLES BOB WOODWARD BOOK, BUT AGREES ON ONE POINT: 'I'M TOUGH AS HELL ON PEOPLE'
The op-ed was published one day after The Washington Post published excerpts from a forthcoming book by longtime reporter Bob Woodward in which the Trump administration was depicted as filled with second-guessing staffers and Cabinet members filching papers from the president's desk before he could sign them.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump decried Woodward's book as "total fiction" and "untrue."
"From the White House to executive branch departments and agencies, senior officials will privately admit their daily disbelief at the commander in chief’s comments and actions," the official wrote.
"Meetings with him veer off topic and off the rails, he engages in repetitive rants, and his impulsiveness results in half-baked, ill-informed and occasionally reckless decisions that have to be walked back."
The author specifically noted Trump's reluctance to take action against the Russian government after a former Russian spy-turned-double agent and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent earlier this year in the U.K.
"He complained for weeks about senior staff members letting him get boxed into further confrontation with Russia, and he expressed frustration that the United States continued to impose sanctions on the country for its malign behavior," the official writes. "But his national security team knew better — such actions had to be taken, to hold Moscow accountable."
The official said the like-minded colleagues were not carrying out the work of favorite Trump bogey "the so-called deep state," but rather were working for "the steady state." The writer also alleged that "there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment" to remove Trump from office because of the president's "instability ... But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. "
"So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction," the author wrote, "until — one way or another — it's over."
Bob Woodward's book on Trump: The most explosive quotes - BBC News
Bob Woodward's book on Trump: The most explosive quotes
Anthony Zurcher
North America reporter
@awzurcher on Twitter
4 September 2018
A Bob Woodward expose book has been a rite of passage for presidential administrations since the storied investigative reporter first made a name for himself by breaking Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal. Now it's Donald Trump's turn under the microscope.
The picture revealed - of an administration having a "nervous breakdown of executive power" - is unflattering in the extreme.
Donald Trump's supporters will say, not without cause, that Woodward epitomises the Washington establishment their man is fighting against.
It's also true, however, that the reporter has unrivalled access to the corridors of power, and the general Washington consensus is that it's better to talk to him than not, since your colleagues - and enemies - are certainly giving him their side of the story.
While the accounts in Fear: Trump in the White House are provided on "deep background" - i.e. without attribution - the episodes Woodward recounts and the quotes he uses come from those in the room - and often, in fact, from the people who were doing the speaking.
The White House, and the president himself, have since responded to the book, calling it "fabricated stories" by "former disgruntled employees".
"It's just another bad book," Mr Trump told the Daily Caller during an interview, adding that Woodward "has a a lot of credibility problems".
Here's a look at some of the blockbuster revelations that have emerged so far from early excerpts of Woodward's book.
'I can stop this. I'll just take the paper off his desk' - Gary Cohn
Woodward describes several instances where Trump administration officials - chief economic adviser Gary Cohn and White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, in particular - removed documents from the president's desk to keep Mr Trump from signing them.
It was all part of a larger effort to insulate the administration, and the nation, from what they saw as Mr Trump's more dangerous impulses. Documents that would have allowed the president to withdraw the nation from the North American Free Trade Agreement and a trade deal with South Korea were hidden - and the US has since committed to renegotiating the pacts.
Woodward describes these acts as "no less than an administrative coup d'etat".
'Don't testify. It's either that or an orange jumpsuit' - John Dowd
On 27 January, according to Woodward, the president's personal attorney John Dowd staged a mock interview session with the president to demonstrate what he feared would be the disastrous results if Mr Trump were to sit down with Robert Mueller's special counsel team investigating possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
It didn't go well, as the president grew increasingly frustrated with the intensity of the questioning, at one point angrily calling the investigation "a goddamn hoax".
Dowd would go on to meet Mr Mueller and reportedly tell him that he couldn't agree to the interview because he didn't want to let the president "look like an idiot" and embarrass the nation on the world stage.
When it later appeared that the president had changed his mind and was going to testify after all, Mr Dowd resigned.
'Let's [expletive] kill him. Let's go in' - Donald Trump
One of the sources of considerable consternation for the president's staff, per Woodward, was what they viewed as his dangerous impulses on foreign policy.
After the US believed the Syrian government had launched another chemical attack in April 2017, Mr Trump told Defence Secretary James Mattis to assassinate President Bashar Assad.
"Let's kill the [expletive] lot of them," the president reportedly said.
Mr Mattis acknowledged Mr Trump's request then, after the conversation, told an aide he wouldn't do "any of that".
Woodward says administration officials were also concerned when the president asked for plans for a pre-emptive military strike on North Korea during the height of his feud with Kim Jong-un. The president also dressed down top generals over their handling of the war in Afghanistan, saying that soldiers "on the ground" could do a better job.
"How many more deaths?" he asked. "How many more lost limbs? How much longer are we going to be there?"
'We're in Crazytown. I don't even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I've ever had' - John Kelly
Woodward paints a picture of a White House staff constantly beaten down and belittled by a temperamental president.
When White House economic adviser Cohn tried to resign after the president offered sympathetic comments about white nationalists who engaged in a violent August 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Mr Trump accused him of "treason". Cohn, according to Woodward, views the president as a "professional liar".
Mr Trump also told Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross he didn't trust him. "I don't want you doing any more negotiations," the president reportedly said. "You're past your prime."
He compared his first chief of staff, Reince Priebus, to a rat. "He just scurries around."
As for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who the president has publicly berated, privately he was even more disparaging.
"This guy is mentally retarded," Mr Trump reportedly told staff secretary Porter. "He's this dumb Southerner. He couldn't even be a one-person country lawyer down in Alabama".
Trump attacks Sessions over prosecutions
'This was no longer a presidency. This is no longer a White House. This is a man being who he is' - Rob Porter
If the president was abusive toward his staff, it appears they have got some measure of revenge in the Woodward book, which is chock full of caustic quotes about the president attributed to the aides and advisers who serve him.
Chief of Staff Kelly repeatedly calls Mr Trump an "idiot" and said that "it's pointless to try to convince him of anything". Defence Secretary Mattis told an aide that the president has the foreign policy understanding of a "fifth- or sixth-grader" (an 11 or 12-year-old).
Mr Kelly's predecessor, Reince Priebus, describes the presidential bedroom suite as "the devil's workshop", where Mr Trump fires off intemperate tweets early in the morning and on weekends.
Mr Trump's relationship with Rex Tillerson reportedly never recovered after news accounts that the former secretary of state once called the president "a [expletive] moron". If that's the case, Woodward's book could cause serious damage within the White House in the coming days.
'Nobody told me about it, and I would've loved to have spoken to you. You know I'm very open to you. I think you've always been fair' - Donald Trump
In a pre-emptive strike against what is sure to be a furious White House pushback against the book, the Washington Post released an audio recording and transcript of a call the president made to Woodward in early August. In it, the president claims he was never contacted for an interview or informed of Woodward's soon-to-be-published work - an assertion the reporter successfully rebuts.
Mr Trump makes several attempts to steer conversation toward his foreign policy achievements and economic record as president.
"Nobody's ever done a better job than I'm doing as president," he says. "That I can tell you."
Woodward says through his interviews he "gained a lot of insight and documentation" - and that his book would be a "tough look at the world and your administration and you."
"I assume that means it's going to be a negative book," the president replies.
Woodward concludes the call by saying "I believe in our country, and because you're our president, I wish you good luck".
If his book is any indication, Woodward probably thinks Mr Trump will need all the luck he can get.
Anthony Zurcher
North America reporter
@awzurcher on Twitter
4 September 2018
A Bob Woodward expose book has been a rite of passage for presidential administrations since the storied investigative reporter first made a name for himself by breaking Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal. Now it's Donald Trump's turn under the microscope.
The picture revealed - of an administration having a "nervous breakdown of executive power" - is unflattering in the extreme.
Donald Trump's supporters will say, not without cause, that Woodward epitomises the Washington establishment their man is fighting against.
It's also true, however, that the reporter has unrivalled access to the corridors of power, and the general Washington consensus is that it's better to talk to him than not, since your colleagues - and enemies - are certainly giving him their side of the story.
While the accounts in Fear: Trump in the White House are provided on "deep background" - i.e. without attribution - the episodes Woodward recounts and the quotes he uses come from those in the room - and often, in fact, from the people who were doing the speaking.
The White House, and the president himself, have since responded to the book, calling it "fabricated stories" by "former disgruntled employees".
"It's just another bad book," Mr Trump told the Daily Caller during an interview, adding that Woodward "has a a lot of credibility problems".
Here's a look at some of the blockbuster revelations that have emerged so far from early excerpts of Woodward's book.
'I can stop this. I'll just take the paper off his desk' - Gary Cohn
Woodward describes several instances where Trump administration officials - chief economic adviser Gary Cohn and White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, in particular - removed documents from the president's desk to keep Mr Trump from signing them.
It was all part of a larger effort to insulate the administration, and the nation, from what they saw as Mr Trump's more dangerous impulses. Documents that would have allowed the president to withdraw the nation from the North American Free Trade Agreement and a trade deal with South Korea were hidden - and the US has since committed to renegotiating the pacts.
Woodward describes these acts as "no less than an administrative coup d'etat".
'Don't testify. It's either that or an orange jumpsuit' - John Dowd
On 27 January, according to Woodward, the president's personal attorney John Dowd staged a mock interview session with the president to demonstrate what he feared would be the disastrous results if Mr Trump were to sit down with Robert Mueller's special counsel team investigating possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
It didn't go well, as the president grew increasingly frustrated with the intensity of the questioning, at one point angrily calling the investigation "a goddamn hoax".
Dowd would go on to meet Mr Mueller and reportedly tell him that he couldn't agree to the interview because he didn't want to let the president "look like an idiot" and embarrass the nation on the world stage.
When it later appeared that the president had changed his mind and was going to testify after all, Mr Dowd resigned.
'Let's [expletive] kill him. Let's go in' - Donald Trump
One of the sources of considerable consternation for the president's staff, per Woodward, was what they viewed as his dangerous impulses on foreign policy.
After the US believed the Syrian government had launched another chemical attack in April 2017, Mr Trump told Defence Secretary James Mattis to assassinate President Bashar Assad.
"Let's kill the [expletive] lot of them," the president reportedly said.
Mr Mattis acknowledged Mr Trump's request then, after the conversation, told an aide he wouldn't do "any of that".
Woodward says administration officials were also concerned when the president asked for plans for a pre-emptive military strike on North Korea during the height of his feud with Kim Jong-un. The president also dressed down top generals over their handling of the war in Afghanistan, saying that soldiers "on the ground" could do a better job.
"How many more deaths?" he asked. "How many more lost limbs? How much longer are we going to be there?"
'We're in Crazytown. I don't even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I've ever had' - John Kelly
Woodward paints a picture of a White House staff constantly beaten down and belittled by a temperamental president.
When White House economic adviser Cohn tried to resign after the president offered sympathetic comments about white nationalists who engaged in a violent August 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Mr Trump accused him of "treason". Cohn, according to Woodward, views the president as a "professional liar".
Mr Trump also told Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross he didn't trust him. "I don't want you doing any more negotiations," the president reportedly said. "You're past your prime."
He compared his first chief of staff, Reince Priebus, to a rat. "He just scurries around."
As for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who the president has publicly berated, privately he was even more disparaging.
"This guy is mentally retarded," Mr Trump reportedly told staff secretary Porter. "He's this dumb Southerner. He couldn't even be a one-person country lawyer down in Alabama".
Trump attacks Sessions over prosecutions
'This was no longer a presidency. This is no longer a White House. This is a man being who he is' - Rob Porter
If the president was abusive toward his staff, it appears they have got some measure of revenge in the Woodward book, which is chock full of caustic quotes about the president attributed to the aides and advisers who serve him.
Chief of Staff Kelly repeatedly calls Mr Trump an "idiot" and said that "it's pointless to try to convince him of anything". Defence Secretary Mattis told an aide that the president has the foreign policy understanding of a "fifth- or sixth-grader" (an 11 or 12-year-old).
Mr Kelly's predecessor, Reince Priebus, describes the presidential bedroom suite as "the devil's workshop", where Mr Trump fires off intemperate tweets early in the morning and on weekends.
Mr Trump's relationship with Rex Tillerson reportedly never recovered after news accounts that the former secretary of state once called the president "a [expletive] moron". If that's the case, Woodward's book could cause serious damage within the White House in the coming days.
'Nobody told me about it, and I would've loved to have spoken to you. You know I'm very open to you. I think you've always been fair' - Donald Trump
In a pre-emptive strike against what is sure to be a furious White House pushback against the book, the Washington Post released an audio recording and transcript of a call the president made to Woodward in early August. In it, the president claims he was never contacted for an interview or informed of Woodward's soon-to-be-published work - an assertion the reporter successfully rebuts.
Mr Trump makes several attempts to steer conversation toward his foreign policy achievements and economic record as president.
"Nobody's ever done a better job than I'm doing as president," he says. "That I can tell you."
Woodward says through his interviews he "gained a lot of insight and documentation" - and that his book would be a "tough look at the world and your administration and you."
"I assume that means it's going to be a negative book," the president replies.
Woodward concludes the call by saying "I believe in our country, and because you're our president, I wish you good luck".
If his book is any indication, Woodward probably thinks Mr Trump will need all the luck he can get.
Why the Woodward effect damages Trump - BBC News
Why the Woodward effect damages Trump
Nick Bryant
New York correspondent
@NickBryantNY on Twitter
5 September 2018
The publication of Fear: Trump in the White House pits America's commander in chief against Washington's chronicler in chief. The credibility contest is key.
I wonder how many journalists have arrived in Washington over the years dreaming of becoming the next Bob Woodward. Hoping that they'll be invited to descend into some subterranean car park, where a high-ranking contact, another "Deep Throat", mutters cryptic, and not-so cryptic instructions: "follow the money". Perhaps they've imagined being played in a movie by a Robert Redford or his female equivalent. Perhaps they have fantasised about bringing down a president.
Working alongside Carl Bernstein - who came to be played, of course, by Dustin Hoffman in All the President's Men - Bob Woodward set the journalistic bar that high. His shoe leather reporting following the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex in June 1972 was a principal reason for the fall of Richard Nixon.
Carl Bernstein went on to become a celebrity journalist: a black-tie regular on the New York cocktail circuit, a summer fixture in the Hamptons, an object of fascination for the Big Apple tabloid gossip columns.
But one of the reasons why Bob Woodward has achieved such stature in the forty years since Nixon flashed that bizarre victory salute from the South Lawn of the White House as he exited the presidency is that he never sought to become Robert Redford, but remained avowedly Bob Woodward.
Five explosive quotes from Fear
Trump condemns Woodward book as 'con'
White House revolving door - who's gone?
Though his books are often sensational, he is the opposite of sensationalist. He's diligent, rigorous, fastidious about the facts, and studiously ethical. There's something almost monastic about his method. Indeed, a criticism of his books is that the prose can be flat and lifeless, a reflection of his steady state emotion.
The topics of Woodward's presidential studies can also sometimes be dry. His book on Bill Clinton focused not on the drama of Monica Lewinsky or impeachment but rather discussions on the budget deficit, welfare reform and healthcare. With Obama, it wasn't the romance of America's Black Camelot, but the handling of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the quest for fiscal rectitude. One of the reasons he's taken so seriously is that he covers the serious work of government.
Nor has his focus solely been the West Wing. After All the President's Men and The Final Days, his Nixonian bestsellers, came The Brethren, which studied the Supreme Court. Veil, published in 1987, looked at the secret wars of the CIA. The Commanders focused on the Pentagon during the first Gulf War. Maestro, his biography of Alan Greenspan, probed the recondite world of The Federal Reserve.
Robert Redford alongside the reporter he portrayed in the film All The President's Men
Though Woodward is a consummate Washington insider, there's also a sense of detachment about his work. He rarely troubles himself with the day-to-day. He doesn't become consumed by the controversy of the hour. His Twitter account registers just 93 tweets since he joined the social media platform in 2013. He tries assiduously to remain above the fray. And at a time when commentary has become so overblown, when the language of Washington debate has become so hysterical and extreme, this seventy-five year old has remained the straight man.
The most vivid passages of his books usually come from the quotes of his high-level sources. That's certainly true of Fear. It's John Kelly the chief of staff, who describes the Trump White House as "Crazytown". It's James Mattis who apparently mocks the president as a 5th or 6th grader - a ten year old. Mattis has denied saying those things. Kelly says he didn't call the president an "idiot". But try winning a credibility contest against Bob Woodward, one of America's most trusted journalists.
So detailed are his studies - and so well-sourced - that they've become part of the historical record. His trilogy of books on George W Bush - Bush at War, Plan of Attack and State of Denial - have not yet been bettered. The Commanders remains a classic.
Long before the presidential libraries undertake their own oral history projects, chronicling the reflections, grudges and grievances of former administration officials, the key players have usually shared their thoughts with Bob Woodward. Christopher Hitchens once derided him as "the stenographer of the rich and the powerful" but it's his access that explains why the Woodward effect is so impactful; why the publication of his books become news events in their own right.
The fact that newsrooms in Washington are populated by so many would-be Woodwards has a downside. The desire to topple presidents can lead to journalistic over-reach. B- and c-grade scandals are elevated and exaggerated. Whitewater during the Clinton years is a prime example of that. The "gate" suffix has become a dreary cliché, overused and under-thought. Since Watergate, a lot of political coverage has been predicated on the strong suspicion that presidents have surely committed illegal acts or are abusing their power. It's become a recurring line of attack in successive presidencies, and Washington has become more toxic and mistrustful as a result.
But Woodward himself has not gone down that path. When it comes to bringing down a president, he's been there, done that and even been portrayed in the movie. This history-making journalist has become the Beltway's resident journalist/historian. Bob Woodward has become an institution. He's Washington's chronicler in chief.
Nick Bryant
New York correspondent
@NickBryantNY on Twitter
5 September 2018
The publication of Fear: Trump in the White House pits America's commander in chief against Washington's chronicler in chief. The credibility contest is key.
I wonder how many journalists have arrived in Washington over the years dreaming of becoming the next Bob Woodward. Hoping that they'll be invited to descend into some subterranean car park, where a high-ranking contact, another "Deep Throat", mutters cryptic, and not-so cryptic instructions: "follow the money". Perhaps they've imagined being played in a movie by a Robert Redford or his female equivalent. Perhaps they have fantasised about bringing down a president.
Working alongside Carl Bernstein - who came to be played, of course, by Dustin Hoffman in All the President's Men - Bob Woodward set the journalistic bar that high. His shoe leather reporting following the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex in June 1972 was a principal reason for the fall of Richard Nixon.
Carl Bernstein went on to become a celebrity journalist: a black-tie regular on the New York cocktail circuit, a summer fixture in the Hamptons, an object of fascination for the Big Apple tabloid gossip columns.
But one of the reasons why Bob Woodward has achieved such stature in the forty years since Nixon flashed that bizarre victory salute from the South Lawn of the White House as he exited the presidency is that he never sought to become Robert Redford, but remained avowedly Bob Woodward.
Five explosive quotes from Fear
Trump condemns Woodward book as 'con'
White House revolving door - who's gone?
Though his books are often sensational, he is the opposite of sensationalist. He's diligent, rigorous, fastidious about the facts, and studiously ethical. There's something almost monastic about his method. Indeed, a criticism of his books is that the prose can be flat and lifeless, a reflection of his steady state emotion.
The topics of Woodward's presidential studies can also sometimes be dry. His book on Bill Clinton focused not on the drama of Monica Lewinsky or impeachment but rather discussions on the budget deficit, welfare reform and healthcare. With Obama, it wasn't the romance of America's Black Camelot, but the handling of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the quest for fiscal rectitude. One of the reasons he's taken so seriously is that he covers the serious work of government.
Nor has his focus solely been the West Wing. After All the President's Men and The Final Days, his Nixonian bestsellers, came The Brethren, which studied the Supreme Court. Veil, published in 1987, looked at the secret wars of the CIA. The Commanders focused on the Pentagon during the first Gulf War. Maestro, his biography of Alan Greenspan, probed the recondite world of The Federal Reserve.
Robert Redford alongside the reporter he portrayed in the film All The President's Men
Though Woodward is a consummate Washington insider, there's also a sense of detachment about his work. He rarely troubles himself with the day-to-day. He doesn't become consumed by the controversy of the hour. His Twitter account registers just 93 tweets since he joined the social media platform in 2013. He tries assiduously to remain above the fray. And at a time when commentary has become so overblown, when the language of Washington debate has become so hysterical and extreme, this seventy-five year old has remained the straight man.
The most vivid passages of his books usually come from the quotes of his high-level sources. That's certainly true of Fear. It's John Kelly the chief of staff, who describes the Trump White House as "Crazytown". It's James Mattis who apparently mocks the president as a 5th or 6th grader - a ten year old. Mattis has denied saying those things. Kelly says he didn't call the president an "idiot". But try winning a credibility contest against Bob Woodward, one of America's most trusted journalists.
So detailed are his studies - and so well-sourced - that they've become part of the historical record. His trilogy of books on George W Bush - Bush at War, Plan of Attack and State of Denial - have not yet been bettered. The Commanders remains a classic.
Long before the presidential libraries undertake their own oral history projects, chronicling the reflections, grudges and grievances of former administration officials, the key players have usually shared their thoughts with Bob Woodward. Christopher Hitchens once derided him as "the stenographer of the rich and the powerful" but it's his access that explains why the Woodward effect is so impactful; why the publication of his books become news events in their own right.
The fact that newsrooms in Washington are populated by so many would-be Woodwards has a downside. The desire to topple presidents can lead to journalistic over-reach. B- and c-grade scandals are elevated and exaggerated. Whitewater during the Clinton years is a prime example of that. The "gate" suffix has become a dreary cliché, overused and under-thought. Since Watergate, a lot of political coverage has been predicated on the strong suspicion that presidents have surely committed illegal acts or are abusing their power. It's become a recurring line of attack in successive presidencies, and Washington has become more toxic and mistrustful as a result.
But Woodward himself has not gone down that path. When it comes to bringing down a president, he's been there, done that and even been portrayed in the movie. This history-making journalist has become the Beltway's resident journalist/historian. Bob Woodward has become an institution. He's Washington's chronicler in chief.
Trump senior official: 'I am part of the resistance' - BBC News
Sept. 6, 2018.
Trump senior official: 'I am part of the resistance'
Anthony Zurcher
North America reporter
@awzurcher on Twitter
President Donald Trump called the senior White House official's anonymous editorial "gutless"
An unnamed senior Trump official has said members of the administration are working to frustrate parts of the president's agenda to protect the country from his "worst inclinations".
In a New York Times editorial, the author said President Trump's "amorality" and "impulsiveness" had led to ill-informed and reckless decisions.
Mr Trump labelled the anonymous writer "gutless" and the newspaper as "phony".
His press secretary said the mystery writer was a "coward" who should quit.
The Times defended the editorial in a statement, saying: "We are incredibly proud to have published this piece, which adds significant value to the public's understanding of what is going on in the Trump administration."
The opinion piece comes a day after excerpts of Bob Woodward's book on the Trump White House suggested that his top officials have been engaged in an "administrative coup d'etat" to protect the nation from the president, including removing key documents from his desk before he has a chance to sign them.
Why the Woodward effect damages Trump
Woodward on Trump - the explosive quotes
This, then, presents itself as first-hand acknowledgement that the coup is real.
The author says that he/she isn't a liberal operative and agrees with many of the policy goals the administration is pursuing, but that those goals are being achieved in spite of - and not because of - the president.
What does the senior official say about Trump?
The laundry list of criticisms should be familiar to the president's opponents on the left and the right, however. Disorganised meetings, an impetuous and petty demeanour, an inability to stick to decisions, antipathy to a free press and "anti-democratic" instincts.
"Many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations," the author writes.
"I would know. I am one of them."
"To be clear, ours is not the popular 'resistance' of the left. We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous."
He/she describes a "two-track presidency", where the president's actions - such as his conciliatory attitude toward "autocrats and dictators", including Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin - are constrained and redirected by "adults in the room".
"This isn't the work of the so-called deep state," the author writes. "It's the work of the steady state."
Does 'lodestar' guide us to Trump author?
Trump denies discussing assassination of Assad
What's more, the author says that some in the administration have whispered about invoking the 25th Amendment, a constitutional provision that allows the vice-president and a majority of the Cabinet secretaries to vote to remove a president who is "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office".
Media captionThe 25th Amendment: Could it be used to unseat Trump?
Such a manoeuvre has been, up until now, largely consigned to the fringes of American political discourse and the fever dreams of Mr Trump's angriest opponents.
"No-one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis," he/she writes. "So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until - one way or another - it's over."
How has the White House responded?
There has already been talk of an aggressive push within the White House to find out the identity of the sources Woodward relied on for his book, Fear: Trump in the White House. The Times essay is throwing fuel on an already raging fire.
Mr Trump took to Twitter with a simple word: "TREASON?"
He followed it up with a tweet questioning whether the official actually existed or had been made up by the Times. He added: "If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!"
He added another tweet later, saying: "I'm draining the Swamp, and the Swamp is trying to fight back. Don't worry, we will win!"
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sent out a sharply worded official response.
"The individual behind this piece has chosen to deceive, rather than support, the duly elected president of the United States," she writes. "He is not putting country first, but putting himself and his ego ahead of the will of the American people."
Mr Trump added that "all these phony media outlets will be out of business" once he leaves the presidency, as they will have nothing left to write about.
Guessing game - who is the anonymous source?
Outside of the administration, the essay will set off one of Washington's favourite games - guessing the identity of an unknown author. Not since "Anonymous" wrote the novel Primary Colors, a thinly disguised fictional account of the 1992 Bill Clinton presidential campaign, has there been a mystery like this. Primary Colors was later revealed to have been written by journalist Joe Klein.
Given that much of the focus of the piece is on conduct in international affairs, the spotlight will probably shine the brightest on the president's foreign policy team - in the Department of State, National Security Council and Department of Defense.
There will also surely be calls for this administration official to reveal him/herself.
"The crisis of our time is that people in positions of power see a president who shows 'a preference for autocrats and dictators' and 'anti-democratic impulses', but do not publicly stand against them, and so allow it to continue," tweets Congressman Don Beyer of Virginia.
An anonymous confession that only confirms the fears of Mr Trump's critics is hardly a profile in courage. Following so quickly on the heels of the Woodward book, however, the New York Times essay will make for a one-two punch that will be difficult to shake off.
Trump senior official: 'I am part of the resistance'
Anthony Zurcher
North America reporter
@awzurcher on Twitter
President Donald Trump called the senior White House official's anonymous editorial "gutless"
An unnamed senior Trump official has said members of the administration are working to frustrate parts of the president's agenda to protect the country from his "worst inclinations".
In a New York Times editorial, the author said President Trump's "amorality" and "impulsiveness" had led to ill-informed and reckless decisions.
Mr Trump labelled the anonymous writer "gutless" and the newspaper as "phony".
His press secretary said the mystery writer was a "coward" who should quit.
The Times defended the editorial in a statement, saying: "We are incredibly proud to have published this piece, which adds significant value to the public's understanding of what is going on in the Trump administration."
The opinion piece comes a day after excerpts of Bob Woodward's book on the Trump White House suggested that his top officials have been engaged in an "administrative coup d'etat" to protect the nation from the president, including removing key documents from his desk before he has a chance to sign them.
Why the Woodward effect damages Trump
Woodward on Trump - the explosive quotes
This, then, presents itself as first-hand acknowledgement that the coup is real.
The author says that he/she isn't a liberal operative and agrees with many of the policy goals the administration is pursuing, but that those goals are being achieved in spite of - and not because of - the president.
What does the senior official say about Trump?
The laundry list of criticisms should be familiar to the president's opponents on the left and the right, however. Disorganised meetings, an impetuous and petty demeanour, an inability to stick to decisions, antipathy to a free press and "anti-democratic" instincts.
"Many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations," the author writes.
"I would know. I am one of them."
"To be clear, ours is not the popular 'resistance' of the left. We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous."
He/she describes a "two-track presidency", where the president's actions - such as his conciliatory attitude toward "autocrats and dictators", including Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin - are constrained and redirected by "adults in the room".
"This isn't the work of the so-called deep state," the author writes. "It's the work of the steady state."
Does 'lodestar' guide us to Trump author?
Trump denies discussing assassination of Assad
What's more, the author says that some in the administration have whispered about invoking the 25th Amendment, a constitutional provision that allows the vice-president and a majority of the Cabinet secretaries to vote to remove a president who is "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office".
Media captionThe 25th Amendment: Could it be used to unseat Trump?
Such a manoeuvre has been, up until now, largely consigned to the fringes of American political discourse and the fever dreams of Mr Trump's angriest opponents.
"No-one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis," he/she writes. "So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until - one way or another - it's over."
How has the White House responded?
There has already been talk of an aggressive push within the White House to find out the identity of the sources Woodward relied on for his book, Fear: Trump in the White House. The Times essay is throwing fuel on an already raging fire.
Mr Trump took to Twitter with a simple word: "TREASON?"
He followed it up with a tweet questioning whether the official actually existed or had been made up by the Times. He added: "If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!"
He added another tweet later, saying: "I'm draining the Swamp, and the Swamp is trying to fight back. Don't worry, we will win!"
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sent out a sharply worded official response.
"The individual behind this piece has chosen to deceive, rather than support, the duly elected president of the United States," she writes. "He is not putting country first, but putting himself and his ego ahead of the will of the American people."
Mr Trump added that "all these phony media outlets will be out of business" once he leaves the presidency, as they will have nothing left to write about.
Guessing game - who is the anonymous source?
Outside of the administration, the essay will set off one of Washington's favourite games - guessing the identity of an unknown author. Not since "Anonymous" wrote the novel Primary Colors, a thinly disguised fictional account of the 1992 Bill Clinton presidential campaign, has there been a mystery like this. Primary Colors was later revealed to have been written by journalist Joe Klein.
Given that much of the focus of the piece is on conduct in international affairs, the spotlight will probably shine the brightest on the president's foreign policy team - in the Department of State, National Security Council and Department of Defense.
There will also surely be calls for this administration official to reveal him/herself.
"The crisis of our time is that people in positions of power see a president who shows 'a preference for autocrats and dictators' and 'anti-democratic impulses', but do not publicly stand against them, and so allow it to continue," tweets Congressman Don Beyer of Virginia.
An anonymous confession that only confirms the fears of Mr Trump's critics is hardly a profile in courage. Following so quickly on the heels of the Woodward book, however, the New York Times essay will make for a one-two punch that will be difficult to shake off.
North Korea's Kim Jong-un says faith in Trump 'unchanged' - BBC News
Sept. 6, 2018.
North Korea's Kim Jong-un says faith in Trump 'unchanged'
Mr Kim says he wants the region to be a 'cradle of peace'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's faith in Donald Trump remains "unchanged" and he wants to denuclearise the Korean peninsula during the US president's first term, South officials say.
Mr Kim made his comments to envoys from Seoul who were in the North to arrange a new leaders' summit later this month.
Relations between the North and the US have soured since the historic Trump-Kim summit in Singapore in June.
Most observers warn the North has taken no meaningful steps to denuclearise.
The summit being planned will be the first time in more than a decade that a South Korean leader has visited the North Korean capital.
The BBC's Laura Bicker in Seoul said it was hoped that President Moon Jae-in could act as an intermediary and rekindle the stalled talks between the United States and North Korea.
The vague Singapore agreement said the two sides would work towards denuclearisation but did not include any timeline, details or mechanisms to verify the process.
Observers doubt North Korea's sincerity to scale down its military might
Mr Moon will visit the North from 18 to 20 September to discuss "practical measures to denuclearise" the Korean peninsula, officials from South Korea said after meeting Mr Kim in Pyongyang.
At a press conference, the envoys said Mr Kim told them it was his firm will to work with South Korea to achieve a lasting peace settlement.
"Chairman Kim... expressed frustration over the doubt shown by some parts of the international society about his will," national security adviser Chung Eui-yong said.
"North Korea has been pre-emptively carrying out measures needed for denuclearisation, and Kim said he would appreciate that such good faith is accepted with good faith."
North Korean state media carried similar remarks from Mr Kim.
"The North and the South should further their efforts to realise the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula," state news agency KCNA quoted him as saying.
Korean reunions: Families divided by war meet in North
Why North Korea is in no hurry to please the US
The historic June summit still has to translate into concrete results
Despite the strains since the Trump-Kim summit, high-level talks and visits have continued and there have been some gestures from the North like sending back the remains of some of the US troops killed during the Korean War in the 1950s.
But last month a trip by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was abruptly called off at the last minute, with Mr Trump citing a lack of progress as the reason.
Both sides have blamed each other for the faltering negotiations, while Mr Trump has also blamed China.
Talks between North and South Korea, however, have continued ever since the first Kim-Moon meeting in April.
The latest example of the cross-border thaw has been a unified dragon boating team winning a gold medal in the Asian Games in Indonesia.
North Korea's Kim Jong-un says faith in Trump 'unchanged'
Mr Kim says he wants the region to be a 'cradle of peace'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's faith in Donald Trump remains "unchanged" and he wants to denuclearise the Korean peninsula during the US president's first term, South officials say.
Mr Kim made his comments to envoys from Seoul who were in the North to arrange a new leaders' summit later this month.
Relations between the North and the US have soured since the historic Trump-Kim summit in Singapore in June.
Most observers warn the North has taken no meaningful steps to denuclearise.
The summit being planned will be the first time in more than a decade that a South Korean leader has visited the North Korean capital.
The BBC's Laura Bicker in Seoul said it was hoped that President Moon Jae-in could act as an intermediary and rekindle the stalled talks between the United States and North Korea.
The vague Singapore agreement said the two sides would work towards denuclearisation but did not include any timeline, details or mechanisms to verify the process.
Observers doubt North Korea's sincerity to scale down its military might
Mr Moon will visit the North from 18 to 20 September to discuss "practical measures to denuclearise" the Korean peninsula, officials from South Korea said after meeting Mr Kim in Pyongyang.
At a press conference, the envoys said Mr Kim told them it was his firm will to work with South Korea to achieve a lasting peace settlement.
"Chairman Kim... expressed frustration over the doubt shown by some parts of the international society about his will," national security adviser Chung Eui-yong said.
"North Korea has been pre-emptively carrying out measures needed for denuclearisation, and Kim said he would appreciate that such good faith is accepted with good faith."
North Korean state media carried similar remarks from Mr Kim.
"The North and the South should further their efforts to realise the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula," state news agency KCNA quoted him as saying.
Korean reunions: Families divided by war meet in North
Why North Korea is in no hurry to please the US
The historic June summit still has to translate into concrete results
Despite the strains since the Trump-Kim summit, high-level talks and visits have continued and there have been some gestures from the North like sending back the remains of some of the US troops killed during the Korean War in the 1950s.
But last month a trip by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was abruptly called off at the last minute, with Mr Trump citing a lack of progress as the reason.
Both sides have blamed each other for the faltering negotiations, while Mr Trump has also blamed China.
Talks between North and South Korea, however, have continued ever since the first Kim-Moon meeting in April.
The latest example of the cross-border thaw has been a unified dragon boating team winning a gold medal in the Asian Games in Indonesia.
Julie Bishop: Australia MP says parliament behaviour 'appalling' - BBC News
Sept. 6, 2018.
Julie Bishop: Australia MP says parliament behaviour 'appalling'
Julie Bishop was deputy leader of Australia's Liberal Party for 11 years
Australia's former foreign minister, Julie Bishop, has accused her parliamentary colleagues of "appalling behaviour" that would not be acceptable "in any other workplace".
Australia's parliament has been hit by allegations of bullying and intimidation of women in recent weeks.
The debate escalated amid a party coup which toppled Malcolm Turnbull as PM.
Ms Bishop, who ran unsuccessfully to be his successor, said political parties had "a problem" with keeping women MPs.
Ms Bishop was the most senior woman in the government until her resignation as foreign minister last week.
"I have seen and witnessed and experienced some appalling behaviour in parliament," she said in a speech late on Wednesday.
"It is evident that there is an acceptance of a level of behaviour in Canberra that would not be tolerated in any other workplace across Australia."
She did not detail examples. However, her comments come amid allegations that female government MPs were intimidated by male colleagues during the leadership turmoil.
Last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had "laid down the law" to his ministers that intimidation was unacceptable.
Turnbull 'felled by revolts and revenge'
Six moments that defined Turnbull as PM
Who is Scott Morrison?
Government lawmakers Julia Banks and Lucy Gichuhi have also raised allegations of bullying within the government.
Ms Banks has revealed her intention to quit parliament, while Ms Gichuhi has threatened to use parliamentary privilege to name alleged offenders.
Ms Bishop said: "If a feisty amazing woman like [Julia Banks] says this is not the right environment for me, people should not be saying 'toughen up princess' - but rather 'enough is enough'."
She said it was unacceptable that less than a quarter of MPs in her party were women.
Julie Bishop: Australia MP says parliament behaviour 'appalling'
Julie Bishop was deputy leader of Australia's Liberal Party for 11 years
Australia's former foreign minister, Julie Bishop, has accused her parliamentary colleagues of "appalling behaviour" that would not be acceptable "in any other workplace".
Australia's parliament has been hit by allegations of bullying and intimidation of women in recent weeks.
The debate escalated amid a party coup which toppled Malcolm Turnbull as PM.
Ms Bishop, who ran unsuccessfully to be his successor, said political parties had "a problem" with keeping women MPs.
Ms Bishop was the most senior woman in the government until her resignation as foreign minister last week.
"I have seen and witnessed and experienced some appalling behaviour in parliament," she said in a speech late on Wednesday.
"It is evident that there is an acceptance of a level of behaviour in Canberra that would not be tolerated in any other workplace across Australia."
She did not detail examples. However, her comments come amid allegations that female government MPs were intimidated by male colleagues during the leadership turmoil.
Last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had "laid down the law" to his ministers that intimidation was unacceptable.
Turnbull 'felled by revolts and revenge'
Six moments that defined Turnbull as PM
Who is Scott Morrison?
Government lawmakers Julia Banks and Lucy Gichuhi have also raised allegations of bullying within the government.
Ms Banks has revealed her intention to quit parliament, while Ms Gichuhi has threatened to use parliamentary privilege to name alleged offenders.
Ms Bishop said: "If a feisty amazing woman like [Julia Banks] says this is not the right environment for me, people should not be saying 'toughen up princess' - but rather 'enough is enough'."
She said it was unacceptable that less than a quarter of MPs in her party were women.
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