Islamabad:US President Donald Trump has urged the justice department to investigate an anonymous New York Times article by an official in his administration.
He said Attorney General Jeff Sessions “should be investigating who the author of that piece was because I really believe it’s national security”.
Mr Trump also said he was considering taking action against the newspaper, causing its share price to dip.
But it is unclear what legal grounds any prosecutor could act on.
The Department of Justice said in response: “The department does not confirm, deny or otherwise acknowledge the existence or non-existence of investigations.”
Mr Trump was asked by reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday whether he was was considering taking action over the New York Times op-ed.
“We’re going to see,” said Mr Trump, who was on his way to a rally in North Dakota. “I’m looking at that right now.”
Members of his administration and inner circle from the vice-president downwards have been lining up to condemn the column and deny authorship.
