Nikki Haley wants you to know she did not write anonymous anti-Trump op-ed
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has gone beyond denying she wrote an anti-Trump column in the New York Times.
The former S.C. governor has written her own op-ed in the Washington Post — with her name attached — denouncing the author of an anonymous op-ed supposedly written by a senior Trump administration official.
Haley writes that the author of the Times op-ed did a disservice “not just to the president but to the country.”
When she or any other staffer has a disagreement with the Republican president, “there is a right way and a wrong way to address it,” Haley wrote.
“He does not shut out his advisers, and he does not demand that everyone agree with him,” she wrote. “If I disagree with something and believe it is important enough to raise with the president, I do it. And he listens. Sometimes he changes course, sometimes he doesn’t. That’s the way the system should work.”
Haley’s op-ed was published Friday, two days after the scathing anonymous opinion piece in the Times declared that a “resistance” exists against Trump among staffers inside the White House. The Times piece set off speculation as to its author, with almost every administration official falling under suspicion for one reason or another — including Haley.
Haley quickly distanced herself from the Times column.
In the Post, she wrote that principled officials owe a higher loyalty when they fundamentally disagree with the president.
“Everyone in government owes a greater loyalty to our country and our Constitution than to any individual officeholder,” she wrote. “But a central part of our democracy requires that those who work directly for the president not secretly try to undermine him or his policies.”
Haley also referred to her time as S.C. governor, saying she finds it “absolutely chilling” that someone on her staff could have tried actively to undermine her agenda.
If “Mr. or Ms. Anonymous” can’t resolve their differences with Trump directly, Haley wrote, he or she should resign.
“Do not stay in your position and secretly undermine the president and the rest of our team. It is cowardly, it is anti-democratic, and it is a disservice to our country.”
This story was originally published September 7, 2018 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Nikki Haley wants you to know she did not write anonymous anti-Trump op-ed."