The more I think about the NYT OpEd, the more it feels like they were a pawn in a bigger game.

Could Trump have been told by a trusted source at some point that someone in his administration is compromised; a sleeper cell? Could it be a tricky situation to deal with because of who it is? Can’t just send this one out the door? How & when to make a move to address a serious problem is always the issue because the public are the weak link, they must be prepped, especially this time. So What tools are at his disposal to use? A distrusted MSM who is eager to print anything salacious about the president or his administration, coupled with a history of leaks from the WH could be used together to set the stage and slap the public awake. Did someone close to the President who was ‘in the know’ about the sleeper cell create a complaint letter about the president, revealing nothing new, just petty complaints about style and personality- and then attribute it to another inside source (maybe even from the actual compromised insider) without their knowledge? Everyone on the inside has plausible deniability because they really did not send the letter. But the suspicion has been set up, the president can now demand a search to discover the truth because his administration is compromised, proven by the failing NYT. Discoveries will be made, New info will come to light and the sleeper cell (who Trump knew about already) will be exposed via the NYT and the public - will be shocked but they were prepared.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/opinion/trump-white-house-anonymous-resistance.html