Anonymous' vows to unveil identity as 2020 heats up

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

The anonymous Trump administration official who set Washington ablaze with an op-ed detailing an insider plot to restrain President Donald Trump has vowed to expose their identity as the 2020 election heats up.

“Trump will hear from me, in my own name, before the 2020 election,” the official declared in a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session on Tuesday night. The anonymous official is promoting a new book, “A Warning,” which describes Trump as a threat to the country and dangerously unfit for the Oval Office.

“As far as anonymity is concerned, I will not keep my identity shrouded in secrecy forever,” the official added. “I am not afraid to use my own name to express concern about the current occupant of the Oval Office. Donald Trump has not heard the last of me.”

A potential revelation of the author’s identity would solve one of the more curious mysteries at the heart of this presidency — who wrote the 2018 New York Times op-ed that described administration officials working to undermine the president’s own wishes. The editorial arrived at the height of the dramatic leaks coming out of the White House and sparked a frenzied guessing game within the administration and sent amateur sleuths across the country digging for clues.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/27/anonymous-author-identity-074189

[Tiggeroshii]

1. This has the potential of making some folks a lot of money

Bets anyone?

[jalan48]

2. How would we feel if "anonymous" sources were attacking a Democratic President from the inside?

It's a slippery slope we are starting down IMHO.

[pnwmom]

4. If we had a Democratic President behaving as Trump does, I would be grateful for any insiders

working to stop him.

[rzemanfl]

7. Me 2. n/t

[jalan48]

9. Why would you think a Democratic President had to do anything wrong? It's about anonymous

sources attempting to undermine his/her administration. The Republicans have shown us they have no ethics when it comes to politics.

[DrToast]

12. They aren't anonymous to the NY Times

Why do you think a Democrat working for a Democratic President would just make shit up?

[jalan48]

18. The bureaucracy is huge. Relying on secret sources for information is dangerous. When our

side is in power expect the same thing from Republicans. Are we ready for that?

[reACTIONary]

36. The NYT knows how to vet and to confirm sources..

... anonymous to the public or not. Without anonymity, the ability to understand what is going on behind the scenes would be crippled. That goes for any administration Democratic as well as Republican.

In fact the SCOTUS has held anonymity to be a necessary corollary to the right to free speech.

[pnwmom]

23. Anonymous isn't speaking in a vacuum. He is speaking in a context we can see in front of us

every single day.

Suppose some Anonymous had risen up in the Obama administration. He couldn't have pointed to anything nefarious Obama was doing, because we could a SEE what Obama was doing. We can also see and hear every day what Trump is doing.

[jalan48]

28. We see it. The other side doesn't and those not paying much attention will just see the headlines.

It's not about reality with the Republicans.It's about manipulating public opinion through the use of disinformation. I think accepting the use of anonymous sources will make this easier to spread disinformation. Whistle blowers are different, they can remain anonymous because there is a formal process for their accusations.

[pnwmom]

32. The article is about Anonymous's claim that he will go public. That's when we will

be able to evaluate his credibility.

But for now we have to rely on whistleblowers.

[jalan48]

33. That could be. I oppose the use of anonymous sources but support whistleblowers.

[JonLP24]

46. Journalism relies on anonymous sources a lot

Accuracy depends on sourcing policy & the editor.

[pnwmom]

35. Watergate wouldn't have happened except for an anonymous source to the WA Post.

Decades later we learned it was Mark Felt, the #2 guy at the FBI. Was he wrong to do that?

[Aquaria]

27. So when a civil servant sees wrongdoing from a President

They're simply supposed to bow their heads and keep working and doing nothing about the wrong they see committed?

Yeah. That's always a good thing. Just shut up and follow orders. Worked so well for the Nazis and all, didn't it?

[jalan48]

30. There's an existing process for whistleblowers in the government to come forward.

[reACTIONary]

37. And there is a right to freedom of speech...

.... including ANONYMOUS freedom of speech.

So whats wrong with exercising your freedom of speech?

[pnwmom]

45. And the whistleblower has apparently been outed by Breitbart, and is constantly

the subject of attacks from Trump and his thugs. I can't blame anyone who doesn't trust the Whistleblower protection act anymore.

Meanwhile, Mark Felt was safe in anonymity, protected by the WA Post for decades, until he voluntarily came forward.

[uriel1972]

48. It's called the "Dead-Public-Servent Express"...

These people are dangerous and don't care one whit for the law.

[Thekaspervote]

44. This!

[Judi Lynn]

5. One would hope Democrats wouldn't support any Democratic President who has been destructive

and degrading to the entire world.

Do you believe Trump should be protected in his savage criminality?

There has never been a Democratic President remotely like Trump and if one came into office he should not be protected by anyone.

[jalan48]

10. You seem to think a Democrat would have to engage in behavior like Trump's in order to have

anonymous sources report on him or her. Given the current behavior of of Republicans I don't think that would be necessary.

[DrToast]

13. You're confused

Anonymous isn’t just some yahoo writing from their basement. Their identity is known to The NY Times

A Republican couldn’t just pretend to be part of a Democratic Presidents administration and make stuff up to get published.

[jalan48]

19. Good luck-Fox News will have a heyday with "anonymous" sources once it's accepted as the norm.

There seems to be a naive belief that if we've done no wrong it will be Ok. Think Hillary Clinton and the Republicans.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

25. It's NOT an anonymous source.

It is a known source by those who are publishing the information (ie, the New York Times). They wish to remain anonymous to the public.

Deep Throat was also anonymous to the public. But not to Woodward and Bernstein.

This is normal in journalism to protect important sources.

[jalan48]

34. And in the future when an anonymous source is giving their information to Fox News?

[reACTIONary]

42. Fox News DOES use anonymous sources....

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/08/donald-trump-news-tweet-north-korea-fox-and-friends

All news organizations use anonymous sources.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

43. You are really reaching here.

Like Reed Richards reaching.

[reACTIONary]

38. It IS the excepted norm...

.... this is absolutely, positively nothing new. You have heard of Watergate, haven't you?

[PatSeg]

14. That's true

but we've never had a president like Trump, not even close. He has been the exception to almost every rule.

[cstanleytech]

15. A Democrat that behaves like Trump would not have gotten elected in the first place and if they

somehow managed to do so they would have been impeached long ago.

[jalan48]

22. It's not about behavior, it's about the use of anonymous sources to spread disinformation. It

may be right this time but will it be right when the target is a Democratic President and the anonymous information is a lie?

[Aquaria]

29. Oh for crying out fucking loud!

What fricking EVIDENCE do you have that it's disinformation? What evidence do you have that this source is lying about what s/he has seen inside the loony bin that is now the White House?

When a President is doing things that hurt the country, civil servants are SUPPOSED to speak up, in whatever way they can! Just what the hell do you think that oath they all take is about? It's not a fricking shut up and following orders oath. It's to do the right thing for the people, not for one transitory leader.

What is WRONG with you to be sniveling about such a ridiculous thing as someone revealing the scandalous and frightening behavior of an obvious criminal lunatic to the citizens whose lives are very much in that idiot's hands?

[jalan48]

31. I can see you are having a hard time following the argument here. It's OK. Read carefully and

you will get it.

[reACTIONary]

39. I think s/he understands the argument quite well...

... I think s/he is correct. There are ways outside of the naming of the informant to assess if the information is credible.

And as far as preventing the "other side" from abusing anonymity - good luck with that. It ain't going to happen no matter what the NYT does.

[reACTIONary]

40. I might have already said so, but...

Welcome to DU!

[justgamma]

3. My question is

all the BS he's gotten away with, what in the heck have they stopped him from doing? Did someone hide the football? What?

[KSNY]

6. Screw anonymous! This is nothing but a distraction and/or a way to make money

[Judi Lynn]

11. He's going to need protection for a long time after he gets the information out & reveals his name.

Filthy traitorous dirt bags will hunt him to the end of the earth to Epstein him, he will need a lot of people working to keep him alive.

He could find a much easier way to be gratified than by endangering his own life forever.

People willing to put everything on the line and totally change their own lives to strip away the concealment of a born monster are heroes no matter how many racist fascist evil greedy scums they enrage.

[KSNY]

16. Perhaps....or maybe he/she figures that his/her book will sell better once the id is revealed

There are official channels to file complaints. If anonymous has done that, then I agree with you about bravery.
If he/she has not done that then motivations become complex.

[safeinOhio]

8. When will super secret QAnon come out?

Never, he’s not connected to anyone, I’d bet.

[moonscape]

17. This is in my

believe-it-when-I-see-it folder. Unless s/he thinks s/he’s on the verge of being outed anyway.

[maxsolomon]

20. "Hasn't heard the last of me"?

He hasn't heard the 1st of you!

[Dopers_Greed]

21. They'll unveil their indentity

...after they've sufficiently cashed in.

[Yavin4]

24. What if it's Ivanka?

That may give Trump a heart attack.

[JonLP24]

47. It is likely a Republican that loves John McCain

That is about all I narrowed it down to. One of the last straws for them was when Trump wanted to raise the flag from half mast following McCain's death.

[swag]

26. Complying with your subpoena would be a good start, McGahn

[Hotler]

41. John Brennan.....................nt