The list of White House officials that could be behind the highly critical opinion piece in The New York Times has been narrowed down to a "few" individuals, CNN reported, citing an anonymous source in the presidential administration.
The source also revealed that Trump is "obsessed" with finding the person responsible for writing the article. At the same time, the president's chief of staff, John Kelly, is reportedly trying to persuade Trump not to look for the the author of the opinion piece, as doing so could draw extra attention to it.
READ MORE: Trump: Anonymous NYT Op-ed From Inside the White House 'Really a Disgrace'
President Donald Trump said in an interview on September 7 that the search for the author of the bombshell op-ed is a matter of national security and has been considering whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions should launch an investigation. He explained that the person responsible for the article could have security clearance and access to classified meetings. White House adviser Kellyanne Conway noted the same day that the president believes the author of the opinion piece may be an official from the national security sector of the US government.
READ MORE: Trump Says Sessions Should Investigate New York Times Op-Ed
The New York Times published an anonymous op-ed on September 5, allegedly written by a current senior Trump administration official who is harshly critical of the president, claiming that a group of people within the White House have dedicated themselves to derailing Trump's initiatives. Following the publication of the article, most of the White House's senior officials have denied writing the opinion piece. The US president labeled the op-ed as "treason" and promised to identify the author.