Ann Coulter has a sharp mind and acid tongue, but I don’t think she gets it quite right on this one.
It’s been nearly two weeks since an anonymous “senior official” within the Trump administration penned a scathing op-ed in the New York Times, lambasting the President’s governing style and admitting he/she and others actively work to thwart the chief executive’s main priorities. (RELATED: Here’s What We Know About the Anonymous Anti-Trump Op-Ed Writer.)
Incredibly, the op-ed author has not yet been discovered. With a major hurricane barreling toward the east coast, and the attention span of Washington journalists being comparable to that of a gnat, the parlor game that was guessing at the identity of the rogue author has quieted somewhat. Earlier this week, our own Matt Palumbo pointed out that many are betting that the author is actually Trump foreign policy advisor Fiona Hill, whose anti-Russia, hawkish views aren’t exactly in line with the President’s. You can check out the evidence he gathers here and judge for yourself if Hill might be behind the article: Trump Official Fiona Hill Has Ties to George Soros – Is She the NYT Source?
I think Hill is as good of a guess as any. But Ann Coulter has an alternative idea of who wrote the op-ed. And if it’s true, it means the Trump family tree may be in need of some pruning.
In an interview with the Daily Beast, Coulter actually suspects the author is none other than Jared Kushner, husband of Ivanka Trump and the President’s son-in-law. Here’s what she said:
Kushner is Coulter’s top candidate as the anonymous author of last week’s New York Times op-ed by “a senior administration official” claiming to be a secret member of the insider resistance protecting the country against Trump’s worst excesses.
“Because he and Ivanka are going to have to go back to the Upper East Side and go to the Hamptons,” Coulter explains. “They’re probably worried that Trump will be removed within the next few years. They had just gone to the McCain funeral, and [the op-ed] was right after Labor Day, so they were probably feeling wistful for the Hamptons. And the only way they can get back in is if they can say, ‘Don’t worry, we’re the ones who stopped the wall.’”
Coulter thinks Kushner wrote the #NYTimesOpEd and that he and Ivanka are anticipating a return to a liberal enclave after the Trump administration expires https://t.co/I6nW0z5NJP
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) September 14, 2018
As Queen Gertrude said, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” Ann can’t possibly think that Kushner would risk it all, including filial obligation to his father-in-law, just to score points with the liberal establishment.
Yes, Jared and Ivanka damaged their reputation with the Manhattan socialite crowd by working for President Trump. But to openly trash him in the pages of the New York Times is a step too far.
Here’s another reason I highly doubt Kushner wrote the piece: Many have pointed out that the op-ed is written in the style of a college Republican writing a term paper. The author’s use of the term “lodestar” had many wondering if the author is Vice President Pence, a charge he firmly denies. (RELATED: Breaking: Pence Denies Writing NYT ‘Resistance’ Op-Ed.)
Other language used in the op-ed also indicate the author is well-read on classical conservative tomes. Phrases like “health of our republic,” “free minds, free markets and free people,” and “first principles” sound like the author is your typical political science major just barely out of college. Liberal businessmen don’t write like this, which is exactly what Coulter insists Kushner is.
Before his time in the White House, Kushner was a Manhattan real-estate investor. He was not a Ronald Reagan-quoting conservative. Thus, I think it’s silly to accuse Kushner of writing the op-ed. Additionally, I think Kushner is canny enough to realize there is no going back after working with Trump. Why’s that? Because his progressive pals in New York City will never forgive him.
If Ms. Coulter would like to defend her claim with The Political Insider, we’d be happy to set up an interview.
I think you’re wrong, Ann. Please reach out and correct me on the record!
