Sarah Sanders Grilled By White House Press Corps on Anonymous Op-Ed: ‘I’m Not an Attorney’

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders made a rare appearance in the briefing room on Monday, facing reporters for the first time in three weeks.

She was grilled — if only for a brief 18 minutes — on the anonymous op-ed written in the New York Times by a Trump official that warned the president was dangerously unhinged.

“In regard to the anonymous op-ed, the president said on Friday that he thought it would be a good idea for Jeff Sessions to look into this,” Fox News reporter John Roberts said, kicking off the questioning. “Is there anything about what was published by the New York Times that would warrant an investigation by the Department of Justice?”

Sanders replied:

Certainly if there is an individual, whether or not, since we don’t know who they are, if that individual is in meetings where national security is being discussed or other important topics and they are attempting to undermine the executive branch, that would certainly be problematic and something the Department of Justice should look into.

She didn’t offer further clarification. Roberts followed up by asking whether the White House is actively trying to seek out the author of the op-ed.

“We’re certainly focused on things that actually matter,” Sanders replied.

She then echoed Trump’s attacks on the anonymous official inside his administration: “It’s frankly, I think, sad and pathetic that a gutless, anonymous source could receive so much attention from the media, and I think that the American people would be much better served if we actually spent some time talking about some of the really important things that are facing our country and the things that this administration is doing to help fix them.”

Later, Sanders was asked if the president thinks the New York Times op-ed is protected by the First Amendment.

ABC News’ Jonathan Karl asked: “Does he really think that the federal government should contemplate action against a newspaper for publishing an article?”

Sanders countered that Trump is more concerned with the anonymous official who wrote the piece.

Daily Mail reporter David Martosko asked about polls that found most Americans believe the op-ed writer is right and Trump is dishonest, and John Decker of Fox News Radio again pressed Sanders on what laws were broken by the op-ed.

“I’m a little curious as to what it is that the president believes may have been violated in the law as it relates to the publication of this op-ed?” Decker asked.

Sanders replied that the actions of the op-ed author are “inappropriate,” adding the Justice Department should “take a look at it.”

“That’s not a violation of the law,” Decker noted.

“I’m not an attorney, it’s the Department of Justice to make that determination,” Sanders replied.

Watch above, via MSNBC.

[image via screengrab]