It was extremely well written and quite entertaining, but that is all I will give the anonymous New York Times op-ed, written by a senior official from within the Trump administration that outlines the discord in the President’s office. I believe that it was extremely damaging and pointless to post the opinion piece.

At first, the announcement of the New York Times op-ed seemed like another media sensationalization. The turmoil and strife from within this president’s administration is no secret, and it seems that the op-ed was just another blip in the news cycle.

However, it was the fine print that was the most surprising about the article published on Sept. 5, stating that the writing was from a senior White House official.

Even more unexpectedly, the article admits there are even more staffers who share the same sentiment, working together to “thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.”

Again, illuminating and interesting? Yes. Productive? No.

Ever since he announced that he was running for the presidency in the Republican primaries, then-candidate Donald Trump waged war with the media at every opportunity he could find.

These accusations of “fake news” and extreme bias have only escalated since he was sworn into office, with stories including the Mueller investigation, his cabinet members’ scandals and his “unpresidential” facade looming over his presidency.

With these stories, it might not be so much that they are fake, but are extremely not in his favor.

The fact that it is anonymous with no one to vouch for its validity or accuracy except for the anonymous senior official makes it even harder for The New York Times to make its case. Had the writer been transparent about his/her identity, it would be much easier to understand the context in which the piece was written. However, due to the anonymity of the author of the op-ed, it’s also hard to discern the credibility of the author and the position that he/she holds.

This op-ed has held the media’s attention for close to two weeks now. Even in the wake of a hurricane that has devastated the southeast coastline, major news networks have obsessed over this not-so-groundbreaking editorial story that can only be affirmed by this unnamed witness.

I personally am not a fan of President Trump. However, I don’t think that this op-ed accomplished anything other than giving him reason to believe that he is being unfairly treated by people he hired himself.

If anything, it confirms that those within the administration who disagree with President Trump are too cowardly to stand up for their morals and beliefs openly.