The Guardian
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos resigns, blaming Trump for “rhetoric” for the violence
* Transport Secretary Elaine Chao stepped down earlier * US policy live – follow the latest news * Who are the main players in US election certification? Education Secretary Betsy DeVos became the second person in the Trump cabinet to step down after the attack on the Capitol on Wednesday by pro-Trump rioters who were encouraged by the president. His resignation on Thursday night came after transport secretary Elaine Chao withdrew earlier in the day. In a letter to Trump, DeVos said the attack on the Capitol was unfair and blamed Trump’s “rhetoric” for the “mess caused by violent protesters who invaded the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to undermine people’s business.” “There is no mistaking the impact his rhetoric has had on the situation, and it is the tipping point for me,” she wrote, adding that her resignation would take effect on Friday. DeVos was one of the oldest and most controversial cabinet members She was a strong ally of charter schools, rescinded anti-discrimination protections for trans children and threatened to withdraw funding from schools that allowed trans athletes to join teams that matched their gender. In a farewell letter to Congress earlier this week, she asked lawmakers to reject Joe Biden-backed policies.The American Teachers’ Federation issued a vigorous two-word statement about her departure: “Bon voyage.” Chao, the transportation secretary, is married to the Senate majority leader and Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell, who postponed recognition of Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the November election. There were a number of other resignations on Wednesday it’s Thursday. Trump’s deputy national security adviser, Matt Pottinger, former chief of staff and current Northern Ireland special envoy, Mick Mulvaney, and Ryan Tully, the White House’s top adviser to Russia, also resigned. Two other senior White House officials – national security adviser Robert O’Brien and deputy chief of staff Chris Liddell – are considering resigning after a crowd of Donald Trump supporters broke into the U.S. Capitol building. The Pottinger and Mulvaney matches take place amid intense speculation about other high-profile matches after the U.S. president urged and praised the rioters as he continued to express unfounded complaints about his loss of the presidency. [secretary of state] Mike Pompeo last night to warn you that I was forgoing this. I can not do this. I can’t stay, “Mulvaney told CNBC on Thursday morning.” Those who choose to stay, and I talked to some of them, are choosing to stay because they are concerned that the president might put someone worse. “Thursday afternoon he posted a message on Twitter.> It was the honor of a lifetime to serve the United States Department of Transportation. Pic.twitter.com/rFxPsBoh6t >> – Sec. Elaine Chao (@SecElaineChao) January 7 So far, eight officials associated with Trump and his inner circle have said they are resigning, including members of Melania Trump’s team, after the deadly violence that surrounded the vote in Congress to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the November presidential election. Trump’s promise on Thursday morning of an “orderly transition” to Joe Biden on January 20 was partly intended to prevent further layoffs, but it was unlikely to prevent some exits, especially from the national security team, a senior said. unnamed official with Reuters news agency, senior Republican figures also indicated divisions of the president. -president, Mike Pence, who resisted pressure from Trump to overturn electoral certification without mentioning Trump. “I just spoke to Vice President Pence. He’s a genuinely good and decent man, ”he tweeted. “He showed courage today as he did at the Capitol on September 11 as a congressman. I am proud to serve with him. “In other consequences that underscored the fracture of the Trump administration’s internal circles, Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff, told reporters that he had been banned from the White House by Trump after the president” blamed “for advice he gave Pence on Trump’s demands, he overturned the election result. According to US media reports, some senior officials have also started talking informally about invoking the 25th amendment to remove the president before his term expires on January 20, while requests are also growing for a second impeachment to ensure that Trump cannot run for public office again. In harsh language that underlined the toxic and turbulent sentiment of the crisis, the Washington Post quoted a government official who described Trump’s behavior on Wednesday as “a monster”, while another said the situation was “insane” and “beyond the limits ”. Two of the first lady’s top advisers resigned on Wednesday night, including Steph anie Grisham, a former loyal to Trump who once served as White House press secretary. Anna Cristina Niceta, social secretary of the White House, also resigned. White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews also announced her resignation, saying she was “deeply disturbed” by the Capitol invasion. “I was honored to serve on the Trump Administration and proud of the policies we passed. As someone who worked in the halls of Congress, I was deeply disturbed by what I saw today, ”said Matthews in a statement. “I will be leaving my position, with immediate effect. Our nation needs a peaceful transfer of power. ”The feeling of anger within a Republican party at war with itself was increasingly visible. “[Trump] screwed his supporters, screwed the country and now he’s screwing himself, ”an official from the 2016 Trump campaign told Politico. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie – who said he tried several times to call Trump during the crisis – also blamed Trump’s directly “The president caused this protest,” Christie told ABC News. “He’s the only one who can make it stop.”