Did Mike Pence Write the Anonymous' NYT' Op-Ed Blasting Trump? This One Word Has People Suspicious

As many speculate over the identity of the anonymous alleged "senior official in the Trump administration" who authored a scathing New York Times op-ed about President Donald Trump, some are focusing on a one-word clue that points to Vice President Mike Pence as the culprit

Photo: CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 20: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stands with Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence and acknowledge the crowd on the third day of the Republican National Convention on July 20, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump received the number of votes needed to secure the party's nomination. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicked off on July 18. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

As many speculate over the identity of the anonymous alleged “senior official in the Trump administration” who authored a scathing New York Times op-ed about President Donald Trump, some are focusing on a one-word clue that points to Vice President Mike Pence as the culprit.

In the essay, the author hails the late Arizona Sen. John McCain as “a lodestar for restoring honor to public life and our national dialogue.”

The archaic word — which Merriam-Webster defines as “a star that leads or guides” or a person who “serves as an inspiration, model, or guide” — happens to be one that Pence has used often, as evidenced by a compilation video making the rounds on Twitter.

Pence’s communications director has taken the surprising step of openly shutting down the wide speculation that the vice president is behind the op-ed.

“The Vice President puts his name on his Op-Eds,” Jarrod Agen tweeted. “The @nytimes should be ashamed and so should the person who wrote the false, illogical, and gutless op-ed. Our office is above such amateur acts.”

But some on Twitter are not convinced.

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The “lodestar” hashtag is trending after audio producer Dan Bloom explained his suspicions about Pence in a Twitter thread.

Others believe the clue could be a red herring — or even a frame job.

Business Insider pointed out that one anonymous White House leaker told Axios earlier this year that “to cover my tracks, I usually pay attention to other staffers’ idioms and use that in my background quotes. That throws the scent off me.”