Former Secretary of State John Kerry John Forbes KerryThe Memo: Warning signs flash for Trump on debates Divided country, divided church TV ads favored Biden 2-1 in past month MORE said late Wednesday that the U.S. is in the midst of a "genuine constitutional crisis" in the wake of a new book and op-ed that have detailed chaos within the White House.

"We have a presidency which is off the rails," Kerry said on CNN. "We have a president who is not capable of doing the job, who clearly has these temper tantrums, doesn't know enough to be making many of the decisions he makes."

Kerry added that the "crisis" is deepened because Republican lawmakers aren't standing up for the country, but instead are "defending party and the president, who simply doesn't know what he's doing."

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Kerry pointed to reporting in veteran journalist Bob Woodward's forthcoming book that describes top aides snatching documents off of President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE's desk in order to keep him from signing off on decisions that they believed would endanger the economy or national security.

Woodward's book also includes senior officials bad-mouthing the president and questioning his understanding of key issues. Trump and multiple top officials have pushed back against the book's claims.

The publication of the book's first excerpts was followed on Wednesday by an anonymous op-ed in The New York Times written by a senior administration official.

The individual, whose identity is known by top opinion editors at the Times, rips Trump's "amorality" and praises the work of "unsung heroes" who steer the country against the president's "worst inclinations."

"We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous," the official wrote. "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 author wrote that there were "early whispers" among Cabinet officials about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the president, but the idea was quickly shut down because "no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis."

Trump and the White House have ripped the Times for publishing the piece, calling it "gutless." The president called on the newspaper late Wednesday to turn the author over to the government for "national security purposes."

Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Michael (Mike) Richard PompeoOvernight Defense: Pentagon redirects pandemic funding to defense contractors | US planning for full Afghanistan withdrawal by May | Anti-Trump GOP group puts ads in military papers Overnight Defense: House Democrats unveil stopgap spending measure to GOP opposition | Bill includes .6B for new subs | Trump issues Iran sanctions after world shrugs at US action at UN Navalny calls on Russia to return clothes he was wearing when he fell ill MORE have denied they were behind the op-ed.