"I think so. It’s national security. I would say Jeff should be investigating who the author of that piece was because I really believe it’s national security," Trump said, as quoted in a White House press pool report.
Trump also said he was looking into whether action should be taken against the New York Times, though he did not specify what kind of move he might be considering.
On Wednesday, the New York Times published an anonymous op-ed allegedly written by a current senior Trump administration official who harshly criticized the president.
In a note before the article, The New York Times said it took the "rare step" of publishing the anonymous op-ed essay because it was "the only way to deliver an important perspective to our readers."
The publication said the author, a senior Trump administration official, requested anonymity to protect his or her job.