Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats issued an unqualified denial Thursday that he was the anonymous author of a New York Times opinion piece that spoke of secret "resistance" within the Trump administration.

In a brief statement, Coats said that neither he nor his principal deputy, Sue Gordon, were the unnamed senior Trump administration official who penned the piece.

"Speculation that the New York Times op-ed was written by me or my principal deputy is patently false. We did not. From the beginning our tenure, we have insisted that the entire [intelligence community] remain focused on our mission to provide the president and policymakers with the best intelligence possible," Coats said.

After the release of the anonymous op-ed, a rare move for any outlet, journalists and politicos on Twitter began feverishly speculating who the author might be, Coats included.

Already other top members of the Trump administration have denied being the author, including Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

[List: Here are the Trump officials denying they wrote anonymous New York Times op-ed]