Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

The New York Times Owes the Public an Explanation

The New York Times Owes the Public an Explanation

Anonymous was just a little gremlin all along.
Yesterday afternoon, the “senior administration official” who wrote a prominent anti-Trump New York Times op-ed and book named himself, ripping off his mask to reveal … a face so forgettable, so forgotten, that it was unclear whether the mask had been ripped off at all, or whether he was like the Robert Stack character in Airplane!, dramatically removing his sunglasses to reveal an identical pair of sunglasses underneath.

Anonymous is Miles Taylor, a Republican operative who started as chief of staff of the Department of Homeland Security in February 2019, five months after publishing his op-ed. He left that position in June 2019 and is now campaigning for Joe Biden. At the time of the op-ed’s publication, Taylor was the DHS deputy chief of staff, and his name did not appear on the DHS leadership page at all.

Most people thought the author was more famous, not an unknown appointee but a real grand fromage, perhaps at the level of a Cabinet secretary.In retrospect, it was foolish to expect a Trump-administration official—let alone a “senior” one—to heed the ancient counsel of integrity: “underpromise; overdeliver.” I’m not sure what The New York Times’ excuse is. The op-ed strongly suggested that its author was one of the 15 officials empowered by the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to vote on removing the president due to incapacity.

Taylor’s boss, Kirstjen Nielsen, was one of those officials, but Taylor was probably far too junior to channel the thoughts of the other 14 voters or the vice president. Many candidates fell under suspicion of authorship, and many suspects were discarded, because the leak-hunters assumed that The New York Times would not allow an underling to write with what could reasonably be mistaken for the authority of a boss.

When James Dao, then the deputy op-ed editor, was asked who counted as a senior administration official, he said that Washington types know the term, and that it encompasses the “upper echelon[s]” of the administration. That’s true enough: I’ve received background briefings from “senior” officials more obscure than Taylor.

Although I have never background-quoted such an official myself, I know how the category of “senior” puffs up like a blowfish to impress readers: By using it, the reporter gets an important-sounding background source; the source gets a quote published that sounds like it comes straight from the Oval Office, and not from a cubicle in an adjacent building.

Ordinary readers cannot be expected to know these subtleties—and journalists should be more transparent about who gets “senior” treatment (I would suggest no one below the level of deputies to leaders of departments and major agencies). The op-ed and book hint, misleadingly, at that higher level of authority.

Taylor’s book, A Warning, is (as Mark Twain said of the Book of Mormon) chloroform in print. That is what happens when you write a book while taking care to consign to oblivion all identifying traces of your personality. There were touches of an expensive education—quotes from Cicero and Tocqueville (whom he called “De Tocqueville,” helpfully eliminating certain suspects who consistently, and properly, truncate the De).

But having regained consciousness after a thorough read, I found that my list of suspects was zero names long, because little tics like that had ruled out everyone I could call “senior” in good conscience. I am reassured to know that I was not wrong, only misled along with the rest of the public.

The New York Times should never have run the op-ed in that form, and since it no longer has to protect its source’s identity, it should explain its reasoning for the obfuscation in the first place. If the author were very senior, the granting of anonymity might have been defensible: that would have been the only way to convey to readers that (say) the attorney general was a saboteur.

Instead, Taylor looks like a relatively minor gremlin, for whom the venerable opinion page should have maintained the normal rule: if you have an opinion, you should attach your name and reputation to it like an adult. “Speak in your own name,” my colleague David Frum wrote at the time the op-ed came out. “Previous generations of Americans have sacrificed fortunes, health, and lives to serve the country. You are asked only to tell the truth aloud and with your name attached.”

As for Taylor, he is expiating his misdeeds for Donald Trump by exerting himself for Joe Biden and lining up anti-Trump interviews in the days before the election. He has been a CNN contributor since September.

If I were Biden, I am not sure I would want him on my side. “I am a Republican, and I wanted this President to succeed,” Taylor wrote yesterday. “It’s why I stayed.” Biden can easily find Republicans who were, unlike Taylor, perceptive enough to figure out not to trust Trump without having first worked for him for a year.

Moreover, Taylor is a liar. In August, CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked him directly whether he is Anonymous, and he said, “I wear a mask for two things, Anderson: Halloweens and pandemics. So no.” Cute, but it’s still a lie-and Taylor’s attempts to explain it away sound like more dishonesty. (In the book, he promised that he would “strenuously deny” authorship if asked.)

A journalistic enterprise like CNN should not employ contributors who lie to the camera without a trace of scruple. Many Trump officials, senior and junior, will emerge from the administration seeking ways to launder their reputations. This one should, for now, be sent back to the spin cycle.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×