The editor of the New York Times denounced on Thursday the accusations of "betrayal" made by Donald Trump against that American newspaper, saying that "they cross a dangerous line in the president's campaign against the free and independent press." "There is no more serious accusation that a commander in chief can make against an independent press organization," wrote Arthur Sulzberger, speaking in the Wall Street Journal and not in his own newspaper. Trump "has gone from giving an erroneous view of our business, to assaulting our integrity, to demonizing our journalists," the NYT director wrote. "Now, the president has taken his attacks even further, accusing the Times of a crime so serious that it is punished even with death." Sulzberger responded to comments made on Twitter by Trump last Saturday, in which he said the Times had committed a "virtual act of treason" to the country, after reporting that the country is increasing the digital incursions into Russia. Trump denied on Twitter that the accusations were true, called the media "corrupt", and repeated that journalists are "enemies of the people." Sulzberger explained that the newspaper contacted the White House before making the publication and collaborators of Trump assured him that the article did not represent problems for national security. The New York Times regularly publishes research pieces unfavorable to Trump. And it is a frequent object of the President's anger against the press, which, according to Sulzberger, favors a climate marked by the retreat of confidence in the media and an increase in violence against journalists. The editor also warned of "an aggressive legal campaign against journalists" by the White House
Arthur Gregg Sulzberger, known as A.G., took the reins of the most prestigious newspaper in the United States last year and has since responded to several Trump attacks in defense of press freedom. In 2018, the Times shared with the Washington Post a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. "Trump's campaign against journalists should worry every American," Sulzberger wrote on Thursday. "A free, fair and independent press is essential for the strength and vitality of our country, and for each of the freedoms that make it great."