Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao submitted her resignation Thursday to President Trump.
Chao, the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is the first Cabinet member to step down following the chaotic events of Wednesday, when rioters breached the Capitol Hill complex and brought congressional proceedings to a halt, but her resignation follows several other White House staff who resigned Wednesday night and Thursday.
“Today, I am announcing my resignation as U.S. Secretary of Transportation, to take effect on Monday, January 11, 2020. We will help my announced successor Mayor Pete Buttigieg, with taking on the responsibility of running this wonderful department,” Chao wrote. “I am tremendously proud of the many accomplishments we were able to achieve together for our country and I will never forget the commitment you have for this Department of the United States of America.”
It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the U.S. Department of Transportation. pic.twitter.com/rFxPsBoh6t
— Sec. Elaine Chao (@SecElaineChao) January 7, 2021
“Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the President stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed,” Chao wrote. “As I’m sure is the case with many of you, it has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.”
Chao was one of the longest-serving members of Trump’s high-turnover Cabinet — joining the administration in January 2017. She previously was President George W. Bush’s labor secretary from 2001 to 2009.
Her husband, McConnell, also condemned the assault on the Capitol as a “failed insurrection” and criticized Trump for his attempts to overturn the results of the election.
“They tried to disrupt our democracy,” he said. “They failed. They failed.”
Stephanie Grisham, chief of staff for first lady Melania Trump, was the first to announce her resignation Wednesday night and was soon followed by White House social secretary Rickie Niceta and deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews, who cited the chaos that tore through Washington, D.C., and the need for a “peaceful transfer of power” as her reasons for leaving.
The Capitol Hill complex went on lockdown Wednesday after planned “Stop the Steal” protests devolved into a violent breach of the congressional building — smashing windows, breaking into offices, and looting rooms. After the Capitol was breached, Trump called for peace but in a series of tweets appeared to defend the violence of his supporters, saying in a deleted tweet, “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots.”
After news of the resignations broke, Twitter was abuzz with rumors of top-level administration officials who were reportedly considering resigning — including national security adviser Robert O’Brien and deputy chief of staff Chris Liddell.
On Thursday, Tyler Goodspeed, the acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, announced his resignation.
Ryan Tully, the top European and Russian official on the National Security Council, special envoy to Northern Ireland Mick Mulvaney, and deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger have also submitted their resignation.
