英语访谈节目:痛批特朗普的文章是谁写的

JUDY WOODRUFF: The hunt is on in a whodunit at the White House. A slew of top-ranking Trump administration officials, including the vice president, say they didn't write the explosive essay in The New York Times that has rattled Washington. John Yang will get a view from inside the administration and from a former White House chief of staff. But, first, yes, Yamiche Alcindor updates today's fallout.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: An anonymous column and a president still fuming. At the White House today, President Trump refused to comment about the firestorm falling yesterday's anonymous op-ed in The New York Times.

QUESTION: Mr. President, are you going to find out who wrote the op-ed?

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: But, on Twitter, he didn't hold back. Early this morning, the president went off, writing: The deep state and the left and their vehicle, the fake news media, are going crazy. All of this directed at yesterday's scathing in The New York Times written by an unnamed senior official in the Trump administration. In it, the official described the president style as impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective, adding: 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. The author said some Cabinet officials have even considered invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office.
Throughout the day, senior officials rushed to deny writing the column, including Vice President Mike Pence.

MIKE PENCE, Vice President of the United States: Well, I think it's a disgrace. The anonymous editorial published in The New York Times represents a new low in American journalism. And I think The New York Times should be ashamed. And I think whoever wrote this anonymous editorial should also be ashamed as well.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Paul Ryan also criticized he author.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), Speaker of the House: It's a person who obviously is living in dishonesty. It doesn't help the president. So if you're not interested in helping the president, you shouldn't work for the president, as far as I'm concerned.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: But at least one Republican, Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, says no one should be surprised.

SEN. BOB CORKER (R), Tennessee: Anyone who's had any dealings over there knows that this is the reality that we're living in. And so I don't know. I think a lot has been made out of nothing. I think the biggest issue they're going to have is figuring out who wouldn't have written a letter that.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: The Times op-ed follow the news of a new book from veteran Washington reporter Bob Woodward. The book says White House advisers work to curtail the president's actions. President Trump must now deal with the idea that people close to him, both inside and outside of the White House, may be working against him. Recently, a number of former Trump allies outside the White House have signaled their willingness to work with federal prosecutors investigating Mr. Trump and his company. Tensions remain very high at the White House. One former Trump administration official told me he worried this could have a big impact internally and on policy issues. That person also says that this could lead White House staffers to simply not trust each other. Meanwhile, tonight, the president heading to Montana to hold a rally for supporters. We will see if he says more, John.

JOHN YANG: Thanks, Yamiche.