Senior administration official admits to working against Trump in op-ed
Anonymous senior administration official admits to working against Trump in New York Times op-ed
By Kate Sullivan, CNN
Updated 4:38 PM ET, Wed September 5, 2018
US President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with the Emir of Kuwait Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah during an expanded bilateral meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on September 5, 2018 in Washington, DC.
Washington (CNN)An anonymous senior administration official claimed to be part of a resistance inside President Donald Trump's White House, thwarting parts of the President's agenda, in a New York Times op-ed Wednesday.
"The dilemma -- which (Trump) does not fully grasp -- is that 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 Times piece reads.
"I would know. I am one of them."
The Times said disclosing the name of the official, who is known to the publication, would jeopardize the official's job, and said publishing the piece anonymously was the only way to deliver an important perspective to readers.
The author writes the resistance inside the White House is not the same "resistance" of the left against Trump, and wrote, "we want the administration to succeed. ... 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."
"That is why many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump's more misguided impulses until he is out of office."
The author writes, "The root of the problem is the president's amorality. Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making."
Trump was elected as a Republican, but "the president shows little affinity for ideals long espoused by conservatives," the official wrote. "President Trump's impulses are generally anti-trade and anti-democratic."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the op-ed.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
CORRECTION: This story has been corrected to reflect the author of the piece is a senior administration official.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/05/polit...-ed/index.html
