Vice-President Mike Pence says he鈥檚 鈥�100 per cent confident鈥� that no one on his staff was involved with the anonymous New York Times column criticizing President Donald Trump鈥檚 leadership.

鈥淚 know them. I know their character,鈥� Pence said in a taped interview aired Sunday by CBS鈥� 鈥淔ace the Nation.鈥�

Some pundits had speculated that Pence could be the 鈥渟enior administration official鈥� who wrote the opinion piece because it included language Pence has been known to use, like the unusual word 鈥渓odestar.鈥� The op-ed writer claimed to be part of a 鈥渞esistance鈥� movement within the Trump administration that was working quietly behind the scenes to thwart the president鈥檚 most dangerous impulses.

More than two dozen high-ranking administration officials have denied writing the column. Pence said his staff had nothing to do with it,

鈥淟et me be very clear. I鈥檓 100 per cent confident that no one on the vice-president鈥檚 staff was involved in this anonymous editorial. I know my people,鈥� Pence said on 鈥淔ace the Nation.鈥� 鈥漈hey get up every day and are dedicated, just as much as I am, to advancing the president鈥檚 agenda and supporting everything 鈥� President Trump is doing for the people of this country.鈥�

Asked whether he had asked his staff about the op-ed, Pence said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to ask them because I know them. I know their character. I know their dedication and I am absolutely confident that no one on the vice-president鈥檚 staff had anything to do with this.鈥�

He restated that he thinks the essay writer should do the 鈥渉onourable thing and resign.鈥�

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Publication of the op-ed followed the release of stunning details from an upcoming book by Watergate reporter Bob Woodward in which current and former aides referred to Trump as an 鈥渋diot鈥� and 鈥渓iar鈥� and depicted him as prone to rash policy decisions that some aides either work to stall or derail entirely.

Both releases are said to have infuriated Trump, who unleashed a string of attacks on Woodward鈥檚 credibility and dismissed the celebrated author鈥檚 book as a 鈥渨ork of fiction.鈥� Some of the officials featured in the book鈥檚 anecdotes about the president, including Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and White House chief of staff John Kelly, issued statements denying the comments attributed to them by Woodward.

Woodward has said he stands by his reporting. The book, 鈥淔ear: Trump in the White House,鈥� is scheduled to be formally released Tuesday, all but ensuring that the debate over Trump鈥檚 leadership ability and style will extend into a second straight week.

Trump, meanwhile, has denounced the Times opinion piece as 鈥済utless鈥� and its publication as a 鈥渄isgrace鈥� bordering on treason.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a Trump ally, has said the president would be justified in using lie detectors to ferret out the anonymous writer. The president has yet to say whether he鈥檇 go that far, but Pence says he鈥檇 be willing to submit to such an examination.

鈥淚 would agree to take it in a heartbeat and would submit to any review the administration wanted to do,鈥� he said in a taped 鈥淔ox 亚洲天堂 Sunday鈥� interview.

Both Pence and Kellyanne Conway, a counsellor to Trump, pushed back during separate television appearances Sunday on the portrayals of Trump as anything but a thoughtful leader. Both also said they had no idea who wrote the piece; Trump has said he can name up to five people who could have written it.

鈥淲hat I see is a tough leader, a demanding leader, someone who gets all the options on the table,鈥� Pence said on Fox 亚洲天堂. 鈥淏ut he makes the decisions, and that鈥檚 why we鈥檝e made the progress we鈥檝e made.鈥�

Trump has said the Justice Department should investigate and unmask the anonymous author. He cited national security concerns as grounds for what would amount to an extraordinary criminal probe should Attorney General Jeff Sessions decide to pursue one.

Neither Pence nor Conway answered directly when asked if Sessions should treat Trump鈥檚 comments as an order. The Justice Department is supposed to make investigative decisions free of political pressure from the White House and the president.

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, disagreed that the opinion piece amounted to a national security threat and attributed Trump鈥檚 musing about a Justice Department investigation 鈥渢o a president who鈥檚 lashing out.鈥�

On an unrelated matter, Pence said on CBS that he has not been called for an interview by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible co-ordination between Russia and Trump鈥檚 Republican presidential campaign as well as Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

Pence said he鈥檚 willing to sit down with Mueller if he is asked and added that he so far has co-operated with all requests for information from the special counsel and will continue to do so.

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Darlene Superville, The Associated Press

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