Joe Scarborough knocks anonymous official's claims about Trump: 'Who cares?'

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Anonymous writer who claims to be senior Trump official writing book, will give interview

A writer claiming to be a senior Trump official who penned an op-ed on resistance in the White House says they will give at least one interview on their new book.

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough downplayed the importance of criticisms lobbed by the anonymous senior Trump administration official who wrote the forthcoming book "A Warning" as well as a now-famous New York Times op-ed assailing the president's conduct in office.

"Seriously, who cares?" Scarborough asked on Friday's "Morning Joe."

"First of all, we know that he's been acting like a crazy man inside the White House and the question is: When are you going to affix your name to those charges and what are you going to do about it?" he asked.

Scarborough's comments came roughly a week before the book's release on Nov. 19. The book reportedly contains critical descriptions of the president and claims that senior officials thought Vice President Mike Pence would support invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. Pence has denied the claim.

The author previously came under fire when he penned the Times op-ed attacking the president. Titled "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration," the op-ed --which was published Sept. 5, 2018--revealed that the author and others in the administration wanted to undermine Trump's agenda. While the author distanced themselves from the popular "resistance" movement, they also asserted that thwarting Trump was vital to the health of the nation.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT DEMANDS INFORMATION ON ANONYMOUS AUTHOR OF 'A WARNING'

Literary agent Matt Latimer, who is working with the author, defended keeping the identity a secret.

“The author feels their identity is almost irrelevant because there is scarcely a sentiment expressed in this book that is not shared by numerous others who have served and continue to serve this administration at its highest levels," Latimer said, according to The Washington Post. Latimer also relayed that his client saw publishing the book as "an act of conscience and of duty."

The Justice Department has responded by requesting that the publisher release information on the author. "If the author is, in fact, a current or former 'senior official' in the Trump administration, publication of the book may violate that official's legal obligations under one or more nondisclosure agreements," a letter from the DOJ read.

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The author has faced criticism from other media figures as well. During Friday's episode of "The View," both co-hosts Meghan McCain and Abby Huntsman derided the book. "It feels very icky to me," Huntsman said. McCain, for her part, said the publisher should release the author's name.

Co-host Joy Behar speculated that the author could be the "Deep Throat" of the Trump administration -- a reference to the secret informant in the Watergate scandal.