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U.S. NEWS Thursday 29 OcTOber 2020
Former DHS official says he wrote 'Anonymous' Trump critique

By KEVIN FREKING and ZEKE anonymity because his job
MILLER would be jeopardized if
Associated Press his identity was revealed,
WASHINGTON (AP) — A on Wednesday confirmed
former Trump administra- Taylor was the author be-
tion official who penned a cause he has waived his
scathing anti-Trump op-ed right to confidentiality, and
and book under the pen had no other comment.
name "Anonymous" re- The allegations incensed
vealed himself Wednesday the president, bolstering his
as a former chief of staff at allegations about a "deep
the Department of Home- state" operating within his
land Security. government and conspir-
The official, Miles Taylor, ing against him. And it set
said in a tweet six days be- off a Beltway guessing
fore Election Day that Don- game that seeped into the
ald Trump is "a man without White House, with current
character" and "it's time and former staffers trad-
for everyone to step out of ing calls and texts, trying to
the shadows." Taylor has figure out who could have
been an outspoken critic written the piece.
of Trump's in recent months Trump, who had long com-
and had repeatedly de- plained about leaks in the
nied he was the author of This March 27, 2018, provided by the Department of Homeland Security, then-Secretary of White House, also ordered
the column — even to col- Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and then-Department of Homeland Security chief of staff Miles aides to unmask the writer,
leagues at CNN, where Taylor, right, meet with Honduran President Juan Hernandez, not pictured, and security ministers citing "national security"
from the Northern Triangle countries in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
he has a contributor con- Associated Press concerns to justify a possi-
tract. He left the Trump ble Justice Department in-
administration in June and their own agendas at the Times, infuriating the presi- Trump appointees have vestigation. And he issued
endorsed Democrat Joe expense of the People," she dent and setting off a fran- vowed to do what we can an extraordinary demand
Biden for president this sum- later tweeted. "This is the tic White House leak inves- to preserve our democratic that the newspaper reveal
mer. In a statement, White epitome of the swamp!" tigation to try to unmask institutions while thwarting the author.
House press secretary Kay- White House chief of staff the author. In the essay, Mr. Trump's more misguid- Instead, the author pressed
leigh McEnany called Tay- Mark Meadows called Tay- the person, who identified ed impulses until he is out forward, penning a follow-
lor a "low-level, disgruntled lor's revelation "a monu- themselves only as a senior of office." The Times identi- up book published last No-
former staffer" who "is a liar mental embarrassment," administration official, said fied the author as a "senior vember called "A Warning"
and a coward who chose tweeting, "I've seen more they were part of a secret official" in the administra- that continued to paint a
anonymity over action and exciting reveals in Scooby- "resistance" force out to tion and received some disturbing picture of the
leaking over leading." Doo episodes." counter Trump's "misguided criticism online Wednesday president, describing him
"This is everything people Taylor's anonymous essay impulses" and undermine for inflating Taylor's creden- as volatile, incompetent
hate about Washington — was published in Septem- parts of his agenda. tials. The newspaper, which and unfit to be command-
two-faced liars who push ber 2018 by The New York The author wrote, "Many said it had granted Taylor er in chief.q

Judge says Texas mask mandate must extend to polling places

By PAUL J. WEBER early voting, but Pulliam an otherwise burdened
Associated Press said enforcing a mask or- class," Pulliam wrote in his
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A der would not be disrup- order Tuesday.
federal judge ruled that tive. Texas Attorney General
Texas' statewide mask The ruling comes as CO- Ken Paxton immediately
mandate must include VID-19 cases are flaring appealed, and there was
polling places, but elec- again in Texas, which on no indication elections
tion officials Wednesday Tuesday reported more administrators were acting
did not rush to enforce the than 5,500 hospitalized on the order. In Houston,
order that was handed patients with COVID-19 — where more than 1 mil-
down after more than 8 a more than 70% increase lion people alone have al-
million people have al- since the beginning of Oc- ready voted, Harris County
ready voted. tober. Along the U.S. bor- Clerk Chris Hollins said he
U.S. District Judge Jason der with Mexico, a record applauded the court rul-
Pulliam, who was appoint- surge in coronavirus cases ing but expected it would Voters line up and wit to cast a ballot at the American Airlines
ed last year by President is pushing hospitals to the be stayed by an appeals Center during early voting Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, in Dallas.
Donald Trump, said not brink in the twin cities of El court. Associated Press
requiring face coverings Paso, Texas, and Ciudad "Thus, to avoid confu- the polls," Hollins said. Greg Abbott carved out
in Texas polling places cre- Juarez, Mexico. sion, we will continue our The lawsuit was filed by the an exception for polling
ated a discriminatory bur- "Making polling sites sub- policy of accommodat- Texas NAACP and Mi Fa- places. Early voting ends
den on Black and Latino ject to the statewide mask ing all voters, providing milia Vota, a Latino rights Friday in Texas, which is al-
voters who are at higher mandate will not dissuade those who need it with group. ready close to surpassing
risk of death and severe ill- citizens from voting due to protective equipment, Texas has had a state- the nearly 9 million people
ness from the coronavirus. disruption, but will provide and strongly encouraging wide mask mandate since who voted in 2016's gen-
Texas is three weeks into the opportunity to vote to all voters to wear masks at July, but Republican Gov. eral election.q