Thread by @danbl00m

The @nytimes just published an anonymous op-ed from a "senior administration official." I'd like to posit a guess as to who wrote it. Getting my @ashleyfeinberg on began with a single word that jumped out at me...

https://twitter.com/nytopinion/status/1037423440167354368

The word is "LODESTAR." Note that it comes in the same paragraph praising John McCain. That would rule out flame-throwers like Stephen Miller and Dan Scavino and suggest someone with Senate ties. This reveal is not going to take long.

"Lodestar" just seems like an unusual word to use in general, not to mention in an op-ed that's going to be widely read. It has this whiff of sanctimony. So I search for John Kelly and James Mattis ever having used the word "lodestar." Nothing. But then...

...an example pops up of Vice President Mike Pence using the word "lodestar" in a speech at the UN in September 2017. blogs.state.gov/stories/2017/0…

Two months later, Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Jack Kemp Leadership Award Dinner. He drops "lodestar" again.
whitehouse.gov/briefings-stat…

Two more months later (like clockwork,) February 2018. Vice President Mike Pence speaking in Tokyo, alongside Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. Place your bets... another "lodestar." whitehouse.gov/briefings-stat…

Lest you believe Pence's "lodestar" proclivities began with his Vice Presidency, enjoy this little ditty from 2011. heritage.org/budget-and-spe…

And lo, as I have shown in my previous tweets, peaches and nectarines are absolutely delicious, and Vice President Mike Pence really likes using the word "lodestar" in his writing. In fact, one might call it his...

A few questions that folks have raised: 1) What about Pence's speechwriter? Stephen Ford has been with Pence since 2017. The earliest Pence usage of #lodestar we have so far is 2001, found by @prufrock451 along with a bunch of other instances:

https://twitter.com/prufrock451/status/1037447702454448128

2) The Times piece begins with a disclaimer that describes the author as: "a senior official in the Trump administration whose identity is known to us and whose job would be jeopardized by its disclosure." Pence is basically the only WH employee that cannot be fired, but...

as i read it, the language "job would be jeopardized" is rather broad. Even if Vice President Mike Pence can't be fired, if this were to go public, Pence's influence and effectiveness would certainly be jeopardized.

3) This is important: I could be totally wrong. This is a speculative, unconfirmed theory (based on words that came out of Vice President Mike Pence's mouth,) but keep your skepticism & critical thinking in tact. As @yosoysterling9 & @guypbenson point out: axios.com/trump-white-ho…

BTW, the definitive Trump #podcast is @Slate's @realTrumpcast. It's useful, compelling journalism that makes sense of this chaotic age: slate.com/articles/podca…
Big up @page88 @jbouie @jacobwe & @jdeleon1291.

Heard from a speechwriter that works in politics at a high level. He said: "seeing buzz from speechwriter twitter noting that it’s likely a speechwriter had a hand in it." He explains further...

My speechwriter contact: "It’s possible Pence’s speechwriter authored it. But if so, i don’t think the speechwriter was speaking as him or herself. More likely, written on behalf of or with Pence." more...

"Just too well written for a principal who likely has a hell of a lot more work on their plate than would allow for this to be produced within 24 hours of the Woodward news." That said, he raised a nuanced point that I hadn't previously considered...

"The fact that Pence has been using the word a ton going back to his radio show suggests it’s him. If the speechwriter is putting that into his speeches it’s only because he (or she) has picked up on the fact that Pence loves the word."

"...plus the way the op ed is written suggests it’s by someone with actual influence. A speechwriter to the VP ain’t that person." Smart analysis from my speechwriter contact who has real insight into this world. #lodestar