New York Times Beefs Up Security Amid Anonymous Op-Ed Controversy

The New York Times has beefed up its security in light of the controversial op-ed it published this week penned by an unnamed senior Trump administration official.

In an internal email on Friday, the Times told employees that the company would be modifying security measures due to the backlash from the op-ed. The email was first reported by CNN on Friday.

“Given the heightened nature of the attention we are receiving right now, we’ve modified the level of our security,” the paper’s management told employees.

New York Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha confirmed to HuffPost that the mention of increased security was “among various notes” in a company-wide email sent Friday.

Citing company policy, Ha refused to comment on whether the Times received any substantial threats to its office or employees.

A person identified only as a senior official in the Trump administration published a scathing op-ed in the Times on Wednesday, claiming that there is a network of senior officials working to “frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations” from the inside.

In the op-ed, headlined “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” the author describes a chaotic administration under a petty and reckless leader. It also assures Americans that “there are adults in the room” who are “trying to do what’s right even when Donald Trump won’t.”

Enraged, Trump called the anonymous writer “gutless” and suggested it was an act of treason. Earlier Friday, Trump called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate the author, who he says is a threat to “national security.”

Since publishing the op-ed, The New York Times has received an influx of calls from readers either thanking or viciously denouncing the editors for publishing the piece.

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted The New York Times’ phone number and encouraged people to call the newspaper.