Graham on anonymous NYT op-ed: It’s not treason, it’s ‘disloyal and cowardly’

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Wednesday said an explosive op-ed published in The New York Times by an anonymous Trump administration official was “not a treasonous act” but called the piece “disloyal and cowardly.”

Graham’s comments came shortly after President Trump and White House officials railed against the op-ed, published earlier that day, by calling the piece “gutless” and calling for the unnamed official’s resignation.

“This is not treason under the Constitution,” Graham said. “This is not a treasonous act against the nation. This is a disloyal and cowardly act against the President.”

“This is not treason under the Constitution. This is not a treasonous act against the nation. This is a disloyal and cowardly act against the President.” Sen. Graham reacts to Trump tweeting “Treason?” after criticizing a NYT op-ed by an unnamed senior administration official pic.twitter.com/i0MDsiQUgy

— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) September 5, 2018

Graham also said Trump president “has every right to be upset” about the editorial.

“The anonymous editorial would piss me off if someone in my office wrote it about me,” he said. “Put yourself in the president’s shoes. Wouldn’t you be upset?”

{mosads}Shortly after speaking out against the op-ed, Trump sent out a tweet with only the word “Treason?” written in all caps.

The op-ed, published Wednesday afternoon, described coordinated efforts among White House staff to push back against Trump. The senior administration official blasted Trump’s “amorality” and wrote that officials “want the administration to succeed” but have had to work against Trump’s “misguided impulses” and parts of his agenda.

Trump on Wednesday called the editorial “gutless” while speaking to reporters inside the White House. 

“When you tell me about some anonymous source within the administration, probably who’s failing and probably here for all the wrong reasons, and The New York Times is failing,” the president said.