Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Thursday night became the latest Trump administration official to step down after the attack on the United States Capitol on Wednesday. She said in her resignation letter to President Trump that “there is no doubt about the impact that her rhetoric has had on the situation, and it is the tipping point for me”.
DeVos insisted in his letter that “history will show that we were correct in our repeated insistence and support for schools to reopen this year and for all students in America to learn again.” But, she said, “impressionable children” watched the riots on the Capitol and “each of us has a moral obligation to exercise good judgment and model the behavior we expect them to emulate.”
His resignation came hours after Transport Secretary Elaine Chao, wife of Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, announced her resignation, saying it would take effect on Monday. Chao and DeVos are members of Mr. Trump’s Cabinet, and President-elect Joe Biden has already announced his choices to replace them.
“Yesterday our nation experienced a traumatic and totally preventable act when supporters of the president stormed the Capitol building after a demonstration he addressed,” Chao said in a letter to his colleagues posted on Twitter. “As I am sure that is the case for many of you, it has deeply disturbed me in a way that I cannot leave out.”
Both Chao and DeVos have been in the Trump administration since the beginning.
Her resignation came when Trump expressed his frustration with McConnell, who acted against his request for $ 2,000 stimulus checks and refused to object to the results of the Electoral College.
The following Trump administration officials also resigned:
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Stephanie Grisham, Chief of Staff to the First Lady
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Sarah Matthews, deputy press secretary
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Rickie Niceta, White House social secretary
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Matthew Pottinger, deputy national security advisor
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Mick Mulvaney, special envoy to Northern Ireland
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John Costello, Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce for Intelligence and Security
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Tyler Goodspeed, Acting President of CEA
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Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, assistant secretary for mental health and substance use
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Anthony Ruggiero, Senior Director of Counterproliferation and Biodefense at the NSC
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Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use
Five senior FAA officials, all named politicians from the Trump administration, also resigned after the Capitol violence. Arjun Garg, Chief Advisor and Current FAA Acting Deputy Administrator, Brianna Manzelli, Deputy Communications Administrator, Kirk Shaffer, Deputy Airport Administrator, Bailey Edwards, Deputy Administrator for Policy, International Affairs and Environment and Andrew Giacini, Acting Administrator for legislative matters, all resigned.
The layoffs come with less than two weeks to go before the Trump administration.
Mulvaney, who was a former White House acting chief of staff, said on Thursday that he called Mike Pompeo on Wednesday night to inform him of his resignation. “I can’t do this. I can’t stay,” he told CNBC.
Mulvaney, a former South Carolina deputy, also said he expected more resignations in the next 24 to 48 hours.
“Those who chose to stay, and I talked to some of them, are choosing to stay because they are concerned that the president might put someone in to replace them who could make things worse,” he said. “So, I am not condemning those who choose not to resign, I understand that, but I cannot stay here. Not after yesterday. You can’t look at it yesterday and think ‘I want to be a part of it’ in any way, shape or form. “
Mulvaney held several positions in the Trump administration. He was director of the Office of Management and Budget and acting chief of staff for the White House, a position he held for almost 15 months. Mr. Trump selected Mulvaney as his special envoy to Northern Ireland in March 2020.
John Costello, a Commerce Department official, said in a statement later on Thursday, he “has no choice” but to resign after “an unprecedented attack on the very core of our democracy – prompted by an incumbent president”.
“The president has long disrespected and lowered the rule of law and the constitution,” said Costello, deputy assistant secretary of commerce for intelligence and security. “Yesterday, this culminated in a violent rebellion against the United States Congress in order to overturn a legally recognized and valid election.”
Kris Van Cleave and Kristin Brown contributed to this report.