Washington, September 7 (RHC)-- In the United States, the White House is scrambling to ferret out disloyal members of President Donald Trump's inner circle, after the New York Times published an anonymous op-ed piece it says was written by a senior administration official claiming that a "quiet resistance" is underway seeking to constrain Trump's worst impulses.

In the extraordinary op-ed, the unnamed official writes: "Many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations."  The author goes on to write: "Ours is not the popular 'resistance' of the Left.  We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous.  But we believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic."

The op-ed's author calls Trump impulsive, erratic, ill-informed and reckless, with "half-baked" ideas. The author claims members of Trump's cabinet discussed invoking the Constitution's 25th Amendment, but later decided against it.  The amendment allows for the removal of a president who's unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office.

The op-ed prompted fury from Trump, who blasted what he called the "failing New York Times" and questioned whether the unnamed official existed.   

Critics of the administration seized on the issue as the latest proof that Donald Trump is unfit for office, while others criticized the New York Times for taking the rare step of publishing an anonymous op-ed and said the unnamed official should step forward publicly.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept tweeted: "The irony in the op-ed from the NYT's anonymous WH coward is glaring and massive: s/he accuses Trump of being 'anti-democratic' while boasting of membership in an unelected cabal that covertly imposes their own ideology with zero democratic accountability, mandate or transparency."