Guy Snodgrass on claims he wrote 'Anonymous' book on Trump administration
An article in The New Republic claims Guy Snodgrass, retired naval commander and Defense Secretary James Mattis' communications director and chief speechwriter, may have written the 'Anonymous' tell-all book.
Former Pentagon aide Guy Snodgrass suddenly claims he isn’t the anonymous administration official who wrote "A Warning" after initially declining to confirm or deny speculation during an evasive appearance on Fox News.
“I’m not the writer,” Snodgrass said Tuesday on CNN. “I went on to a different television show yesterday, they asked me that question, I kind of batted it away. To put it to rest, no, I’m not the author of ‘A Warning."
Snodgrass appeared on Fox News on Monday following widespread speculation that he penned the controversial anti-Trump book. He dodged the question when grilled by Trace Gallagher.
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“If I was gonna make an announcement like that, I’d do it right, I’d come into the studio with you,” Snodgrass, who was appearing via satellite, told Gallagher Monday on “Fox News Reporting.”
Gallagher then asked if he was denying writing “A Warning” or simply declining to make the announcement, and Snodgrass – who sent a cryptic message “the swirl continues” earlier in the day – continued to sidestep the question.
Gallagher asked, “Why not just deny it outright?"
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Snodgrass offered a vague response that it was “the latest in a long series of D.C. parlor games,” saying that similar things have been going on for decades.
“I, like many of your viewers, read the anonymous op-ed from last year… it’s interesting,” Snodgrass said.
David Kusnet, once President Bill Clinton’s chief speechwriter, penned a piece for The New Republic titled, “Could This Be the Guy Who Wrote Anonymous’s ‘Warning?’” Kusnet argues that both “A Warning” and the author’s infamous 2018 New York Times op-ed “bear a striking resemblance” to Snodgrass’ own writings.
Kusnet was among the first people to correctly identify the anonymous author of “Primary Colors,” a book about Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and felt he might have done it again.
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“Having closely read ‘A Warning’ and the original op-ed, as well as ‘Holding the Line,’ Snodgrass’s recent memoir of two years with Mattis, I find that my instincts tell me that the same person wrote both books,” Kusnet wrote. “Why did I suspect Snodgrass enough to buy his book? First, ‘A Warning’ and the original op-ed both read like they were written by a speechwriter.”
Kusnet said both books “feature short sentences and one-line paragraphs,” the “frequent use of alliteration” and “reversible raincoat” constructions such as noting Lincoln had a “team of rivals,” while Trump has “rival teams.” Kusnet feels that both books also “repeat the same words or phrases but in different contexts,” which is apparently a common tip for speechwriters. Kusnet also thinks the book “centers on what Snodgrass would know best, national security and foreign policy issues, while frequently praising Mattis” and offers other clues only “linguistics mavens with a penchant for forensic analysis” would notice. Kusnet even noted that Snodgrass and Anonymous share a literary agency and his memoir has many similarities to “A Warning.”
Meanwhile, Gallagher pointed out during the Fox News interview with Snodgrass that Klein denied writing “Primary Colors” before eventually confessing.
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