In light of an op-ed published by an anonymous Trump official this week alleging that senior staff are working to thwart the president's agenda, U.S. Sen. Bob Corker says allegations are no surprise.

“I am not a fan of anonymous op-eds, but I don’t think those of us who have worked closely with people in the White House are surprised by the content," Corker, a Republican who shares long-running beef with Trump, said in a statement Thursday.

Later that afternoon, amid the search within the White House for the anonymous op-ed author, Corker told CNN he believed any number of staffers could have written it.

"I think the biggest issue they’re going to have is figuring out who wouldn’t have written a letter like that," Corker said.

In the piece, titled "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration," the anonymous author wrote that many of Trump's senior officials are "working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations" on issues ranging from free trade to military policy.

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Corker's statement this week echoed similar comments he made in the last year, such as when he said Trump's threats toward other countries could set the U.S. “on the path to World War III," or called the White House an "adult day care center."

In October, while noting that he believed Trump was "devolving" as president, Corker said Trump officials had reached out to him asking that he stand up to Trump.

"I’ve had multiple occasions where the staff has asked me to intervene, (Trump) was getting ready to do something that was really off the tracks," Corker said at the time.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, also released a statement Thursday criticizing the president and calling on Congress to intervene.

"The behavior of which the President stands accused is serious," Cohen said. "Congress should be holding hearings to learn more and to ascertain what action would be appropriate."

In November, Cohen introduced articles of impeachment against Trump, though the Republican-controlled House did not move forward with passing the articles.

U.S. Rep Jim Cooper, D-Nashville, co-sponsor of the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act protecting Robert Mueller, who is overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, said the allegations about Trump's behavior were not a surprise.

He did, however, call for Trump critics to be willing to attach their names.

“The latest print reports confirm what I have heard from everyone who has met privately with the President, regardless of party or position," Cooper said. "I just wish more elected officials in Congress had the courage to say it publicly, and to identify themselves. Anonymous attacks are a coward’s solution.”

Other Tennessee Republicans respond attacking op-ed writer

In contrast to Corker and Cohen, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, did not respond with criticism about Trump, instead calling into question the decision-making of the op-ed author.

“If you work for someone you disagree with on principle, you should resign and state your principles, not make an anonymous statement," Alexander said in a statement Thursday.

U.S. Rep. John Duncan Jr., R-Knoxville, described the author as a "gutless coward."

"The Times should be ashamed for printing such an anonymous opinion piece," he said in a statement.

The New York Times, which knows the identity of the author, described its decision to publish the anonymous op-ed as a "rare step" and "the only way to deliver an important perspective to our readers."

Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.