Education Secretary Betsy DeVos resigned on Thursday, citing the United States Capitol riots the day before, Fox News confirmed.
“There is no doubt about the impact that her rhetoric had on the situation, it is the tipping point for me,” she told President Trump in a letter sent on Thursday.
DeVos was just the last of many government officials to resign after protesters stormed the United States Capitol, smashing windows, robbing and confronting police officers. In his letter, DeVos praised the government’s achievements, but noted that Trump’s term was ending on a bitter note.
“We must highlight and celebrate the many accomplishments of your government on behalf of the American people,” she said. “Instead, we are left to clean up the mess caused by violent protesters who invaded the US Capitol in an attempt to undermine people’s businesses.”
CAPITOL RIOTING FORCES TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY ELAINE CHAO RESIGN
She added: “Impressive children are watching all of this and learning from us. I believe that each of us has a moral obligation to exercise common sense and model the behavior we expect them to emulate. They should know for us that America is greater than what happened yesterday. To that end, today I resign from my position, starting on Friday, January 8, in support of the oath I made to our Constitution, our people and our freedoms ”.
With only a few weeks to go, Trump lost at least two cabinet secretaries – DeVos and transport secretary Elaine Chao – along with several top advisers, including Mick Mulvaney, who told CNBC “I can’t stay”. A few hours after the demonstrators invaded the Capitol, Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary and chief of staff to the first lady, resigned.
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Like Grisham, Chao and DeVos have been with the government since the early days. DeVos’ mandate covered almost the entire administration and drew attention for his defense of charter schools and for his department’s decisions around Title IX.
On Thursday, both Trump and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany issued statements denouncing the violence. “Those who have violently besieged our capital are the opposite of everything this government stands for,” McEnany said at a news conference, where he did not answer questions from reporters.