Paul Nakasone and Cindy McCain are USC alumni.

What if the story was planted in the NYT to make everyone search for a anonymous person?

What if Cindy McCain wrote that specifically to get back at trump or was even written by no name and uploaded my Cindy as a final jab at trump?

Just thinking out loud. If text matches 100%to a paper handed in at USC there is probably a connection or familiarity with the system and they is how the delivered it to the NYT anonymously.