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WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced her resignation on Thursday (Jan.7), the first Cabinet minister to join a growing roster of Republican President Donald Trump’s departing staff. after the assault on the United States Capitol by his supporters.
Chao, the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said the mob attack “has deeply concerned me in a way that I just can’t put aside.” He said his resignation will take effect on Monday.
Deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, a leading figure in Trump’s China policy development, abruptly resigned Wednesday, said a senior administration official who declined to be named.
Ryan Tully, senior director for European and Russian affairs for the National Security Council, followed, a second senior official said, on condition of anonymity.
READ: ‘It’s an insurrection,’ Biden says, as Trump supporters storm the US Capitol.
Trump’s promise on Thursday that there would be an “orderly transition” to the presidency from Democrat Joe Biden on January 20 was partly intended to prevent further resignations, but the second official told Reuters: “He’s not going to stop it.”
With two weeks remaining in the Trump presidency, many attendees were already heading for the door, but the sudden departures suggested revulsion among some for their encouragement to the crowds of supporters who stormed the Capitol in a ultimately futile attempt to avoid formal certification. of Biden’s electoral victory.
The images filled television screens in the United States and around the world, forever marking the presidency and Trump’s legacy.
Chao, secretary of labor and undersecretary of transportation to past Republican presidents, has led the department for four years.
READ: Donald Trump tells his supporters to ‘go home’ after the assault on the US Capitol.
In an interview with Reuters on December 31, Chao had said that he planned to stay at work until January 20.
On Thursday, he went out of his way to say that “we will help my announced successor, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, take on the responsibility of running this wonderful department.”
LEE: Woman shot dead in riots in the US Capitol.
Among those who felt compelled to resign on Thursday was Mick Mulvaney, a former White House chief of staff who resigned from his post as special envoy to Northern Ireland.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of my friends give up over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours,” he said on CNBC.
Commentary: The Nightmare Ending of Donald Trump’s Presidency
More exits at the NSC are especially likely, one of the officials said. He coordinates US foreign policy among federal agencies and maintains close contacts with foreign governments, so the loss of key personnel could raise questions about national security as the new administration takes over.
