I would like to first give a shoutout to Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s unwavering support of Donald Trump. If there was anyone who epitomizes what Tammy Wynette meant when she sang “Stand By Your Man,” Sanders is it. Nothing this president has done is indefensible in her book. She is more “ride or die” than anyone I have ever seen—and to be honest, it’s commendable.
That said, on Thursday, the White House press secretary tweeted a call to action for all the people questioning the identity of the anonymous coward (one thing she and I agree on, perish the thought!) who wrote the op-ed essay in the New York Times two days ago. In her tweet, she suggested that the people wanting to know who wrote the essay should phone the New York Times and ask them—and included a phone number for them to call.
Sanders wrote on the official White House press secretary Twitter account:
For those of you asking for the identity of the anonymous coward:
The media’s wild obsession with the identity of the anonymous coward is recklessly tarnishing the reputation of thousands of great Americans who proudly serve our country and work for President Trump. Stop. If you want to know who this gutless loser is, call the opinion desk of the failing NYT at 212-556-1234, and ask them. They are the only ones complicit in this deceitful act. We stand united together and fully support our President Donald J. Trump.
She said it with her chest, y’all.
Sanders was likely sure that her tweet would cause rabid Trump supporters everywhere to plague the Times with trolling phone calls about the op-ed, but if the tweets of Times staffers are to be believed, her warcry had the exact opposite effect.
There is an entire Twitter moment highlighting calls made by people thanking the Times for publishing the op-ed. So basically it’s Sanders - 0, NYT - 1.
But while we are on the subject, isn’t there some law against Sanders using an official White House account to encourage rabid fans and followers to disrupt the work of the Times?
Ah, yes. The Code of Federal Regulations calls it “Misuse of Position.”
Shame on you, Sarah. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would like to complain directly to the White House about you and your boss.
As a reporter, it is my job to inform you that if you want to leave a message at the White House to voice your concerns about this administration and its staff, the number to do that is 202-456-1111.
Go forth and be great.
You’re welcome.