White House ousts trade official over ties to ‘Anonymous’ author

The White House ousted a top customs official earlier this week primarily because of his connections to the author of a 2018 opinion piece critical of President Donald Trump, according to an administration official and two other people familiar with the matter.

George E. Bogden, who was appointed executive director of the Office of Trade Relations at Customs and Border Protection this year, was asked to step down, surprising fellow administration officials.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the administration connected Bogden to Miles Taylor, who had been an appointee at the Department of Homeland Security when he wrote an anonymous opinion piece in the New York Times describing internal resistance to Trump during his first term.

Bogden attended Taylor’s 2019 wedding, according to a Facebook photo recently circulated among Trump officials. Taylor was married in Jamaica in 2019 – a year before he publicly revealed himself as the author of the anonymous op-ed. The two people familiar with Bogden’s dismissal said that few Trump allies, including Bogden, were aware of Taylor’s role in writing the piece at the time it was published or by the time of the wedding. Bogden was also a guest at Taylor’s second wedding, in 2023, according to an attendee. The administration official confirmed Bogden was asked to resign over his ties to Taylor.

All three people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

Trump has remained fixated on the op-ed, and this month he directed the Justice Department to investigate Taylor as well as former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director Christopher Krebs. Trump also revoked the security clearances of Bogden and Taylor and of “individuals at entities associated with Taylor.”

Bogden’s apparent ousting over his past connection to Taylor highlights the extent to which the White House has sought to target anyone with links to those perceived as enemies of the administration. He appears to be the first Trump administration official terminated over ties to Taylor or Krebs.

Bogden posted on LinkedIn Friday that he remained “proud” of his work for the Trump administration.

“I continue to support President Trump and I remain fully behind the policies that are delivering real results for the American people,” he said.

As a political appointee at CBP, Bogden was at the center of implementing the president’s sprawling tariff agenda. Before being told to resign, Bogden had been working closely with a range of private shipping firms and government officials on sorting out the new import duties.

“In this appointment, I will serve in the Office of the Commissioner as a point of contact to the international trade community, helping coordinate the development and implementation of trade policies for the United States,” Bogden said in a LinkedIn post about his appointment. “I am deeply grateful for my time in private practice, which proved integral in preparing me for this public service.”

Bogden has been a vocal supporter internally of Trump’s tariffs and had recently argued internally for the concept of “revenue dominance” to advance the president’s agenda.

In internal memos and meetings over the last several weeks, Bogden pitched the idea that the administration should more clearly define the purpose of the tariffs, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump has justified his tariffs by saying they are necessary to bring more revenue into federal coffers but also by saying they’re critical for bringing foreign production back to U.S. shores. Bogden advised other administration officials that these rationales could be reconciled in one unified message, which might help address the concerns of private businesses and shippers who had expressed confusion about the purpose of the trade duties, they said.

One Trump trade ally, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of White House retribution, said Bogden’s departure is a blow to the president’s tariff team as the administration moves to implement a raft of complicated new policies.

“He is incredibly sharp and has a deep knowledge of the intricacies of customs law. You need someone who understands all this wildly complex stuff, and he could do that,” this person said. “I’m not sure where they’re going to go from here.”

The White House and Bogden declined to comment. Taylor declined to comment.

Taylor’s original 2018 op-ed was titled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” and he released a 2019 book about Trump’s first term. In 2020, he revealed his authorship of both and campaigned against Trump’s reelection.

The administration has made clear that Trump aides won’t forgive him.

“Taylor stoked dissension by manufacturing sensationalist reports on the existence of a supposed ‘resistance’ within the Federal Government that ‘vowed’ to undermine and render ineffective a sitting President,” the White House said in a statement this month revoking his security clearance. ” … Taylor abandoned his sacred oath and commitment to public service by disclosing sensitive information obtained through unauthorized methods and betrayed the confidence of those with whom he served.”