CNN keeps 'anonymous' author as a contributor despite lying to host Anderson Cooper
CNN
- Miles Taylor, the author of the bombshell opinion column published in the New York Times two years ago, will remain as a CNN contributor despite lying to one of the network's hosts about being the op-ed's creator.
- Taylor, the former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff, told CNN's Anderson Cooper: "I wear a mask for two things ... Halloweens and pandemics."
- Taylor was criticized for choosing to remain anonymous until six days before Election Day.
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Miles Taylor, the author of the bombshell opinion column published in The New York Times two years ago and the 2019 book "A Warning," will remain as a CNN contributor despite lying to one of the network's hosts about being the op-ed's creator, Business Insider has learned.
Taylor, the former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff, appeared on CNN in August to criticize the Trump administration after leaving it due to policy differences. At the time, Taylor denied he was the author of a controversial column to CNN host Anderson Cooper during an interview.
"Are you aware of who that is," Cooper asked Taylor, referring to the anonymous author.
"I'm not," Taylor replied. "Look, that was a parlor game that happened in Washington, DC, of a lot of folks trying to think of who might that be. I've got my own thoughts about who that might be."
"You're not 'anonymous,'" Cooper asked again.
"I wear a mask for two things, Anderson," Taylor said. "Halloweens and pandemics. So, no."
In 2018, the op-ed titled "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration" was published in The Times. The author, who was only cited as a senior administration official, prompted mass speculation on their identity due to some of the claims. According to the then-anonymous author's assertions, other administration officials were also working to undermine some of the directives coming from their government superiors.
A CNN spokesperson confirmed that Taylor, despite lying to Cooper, would remain with the network to provide analysis. He is scheduled to appear on the network Wednesday evening.
Walter Shaub, the former director of the Office of Government Ethics, said he was shocked after the revelation.
"When I was a contributor to [CNN], I felt I was brought in to tell the truth — not to lie to CNN's audience," Shaub tweeted. "Taylor not only lied to [Anderson Cooper], he elaborated on the lie in this clip. That is, frankly, shocking."
Taylor was also criticized for choosing to remain anonymous until six days before Election Day. After it published, the op-ed prompted the White House to uncover who its author was, leading some senior officials to believe longtime national security aide Victoria Coates was involved. Coates was eventually reassigned to the Department of Energy and the White House publicly denied the move was due to speculation.
Taylor said on Twitter that he owed Coates an apology.
Taylor, who identifies himself as a Republican, endorsed Democratic nominee Joe Biden for president. Following the unmasking, he published a blog explaining his decision to go public.
"Trump sees personal criticism as subversive," Taylor wrote. "I take a different view."
"Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or anyone else," Taylor added. "But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about anyone else. We do not owe the President our silence. We owe him and the American people the truth."
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and his staff threw cold water on Taylor's credentials and criticized CNN for keeping him on the network.
"They should fire, shame, and punish everybody associated with this FRAUD on the American people," Trump exclaimed on Twitter.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany described Taylor as a "low-level, disgruntled former staffer" and "a liar and a coward who chose anonymity over action and leaking over leading."
"He was ineffective and incompetent during his time as DHS Chief of Staff," McEnany added.
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