Tokyo : Donald Trump’s “erratic” and “amoral” behaviour is “detrimental” to America’s health, an anonymous official has warned in an explosive op-ed in a leading US daily and said many top officials are working diligently to frustrate parts of the President’s agenda and his “worst inclinations”.
The nearly unprecedented attack on the President drew a sharp reaction from Trump who termed the op-ed as “treason” and “gutless”. In The New York Times op-ed “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration”, the official, identified only as “a senior official in the Trump administration”, said President Trump is facing a test to his presidency unlike any faced by a modern US leader.
“Many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of (Trump’s) agenda and his worst inclinations,” claimed the writer, who The Times, in a tweet, identified as a ‘he’.
The daily said it did not disclose the name of the senior official in the Trump administration on the request of the author, whose “identity is known to us and whose job would be jeopardised by its disclosure”. The official said, “To be clear, ours is not the popular ‘resistance’ of the left. We want the administration to succeed and think many policies have already made America safer and more prosperous”.
“But we believe our first duty is to this country, and the President continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic. “That is why many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office,” he said.
FB, Twitter to face new probe
San Francisco: After Wednesday’s congressional hearings, Facebook and Twitter will now face questions from the Justice Dept over allegations of political bias, an issue flagged by President Trump.
In a meeting in September, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, along with state attorneys general, would look into whether Facebook and Twitter are “intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas on their platforms”, CNET reported. The DOJ announced the meet when Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and FB COO Sheryl Sandberg appeared before the US Congress, admitting they were “too slow to act” and “ill-prepared” to tackle foreign interference on their platforms. -Agencies