A potential revelation of the author’s identity would solve one of the more curious mysteries at the heart of this presidency — who wrote the 2018 New York Times op-ed that described administration officials working to undermine the president’s own wishes. The editorial arrived at the height of the dramatic leaks coming out of the White House and sparked a frenzied guessing game within the administration and sent amateur sleuths across the country digging for clues.

To the left, the official was a minor hero, someone who mitigated Trump’s mercurial behavior on behalf of the country. To the right, the writer was more evidence of an overzealous media and the deep-state bureaucracy that would never accept Trump. And even to some of Trump’s conservative critics, the writer’s coyness only caused further panic.

“He or she has enflamed the paranoia of the president and empowered the president’s willfulness,” wrote The Atlantic’s David Frum at the time, warning that the op-ed would only dissuade Trump further from listening to his career staffers.

To the Reddit community on Tuesday night, the official was received with a heaping of derision amid demands that the official reveal his or her identity.

Most of the top-voted AMA responses mocked the author’s refusal to out themselves. One user called the justifications for staying anonymous “self-serving rationalizations.” Another razed the writer for seemingly doing nothing. “If you believe that Trump is a threat, why opt to write this book instead of testifying under oath during impeachment hearings?” wrote user Kiwi 4279, a comment that received over 1,200 upvotes and remained unanswered.

But the official predicted that they wouldn’t be the only person coming out from behind the veil of anonymity in the coming months.

“There are more potential whistleblowers; they just haven't made the decision to come forward yet. I assure you many people have witnessed the President's corruption,” the anonymous official said. “They are hesitant to speak up because they see what he does to his critics. The anonymous intelligence community whistleblower, and the brave public servants testifying before Congress, will hopefully convince them to be on the right side of history.”

