By: Fern Sidman
Resignations of Trump administration officials and cabinet members continued on Thursday, when it was reported that Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos expressed their wish to no longer remain in their respective posts.
In her resignation letter that was submitted to President Trump on Thursday, the New York Times reported that DeVos said she would step down on Friday.
In the letter, Ms. DeVos described the protestors who disrupted a Congressional session as it was certifying the election results on Wednesday as “unconscionable for our country.”
Moreover, she told the president in her letter that “there is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me.”
Prior to Ms. DeVos’ resignation, it was announced on Twitter on Thursday that Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, (who happens to be married to Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell), was also tendering her resignation. “Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the president stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed. 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 wrote.
For his part, McConnell on Wednesday condemned the Capitol riots as a “failed insurrection.”
On Wednesday night, it was reported that Mick Mulvaney, President Trump’s former acting chief of staff, resigned as special envoy to Northern Ireland saying in his resignation letter that he “can’t stay” after watching the president encourage the mob that overtook the Capitol complex, as was reported in the New York Times.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mulvaney (who was named acting chief of staff in 2018) wrote on Twitter that “the President’s tweet is not enough. He can stop this now and needs to do exactly that. Tell these tfolks to go home.”
During a Thursday morning interview with CNBC, Mulvaney said, “I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of my friends resign over the next 24-48 hours. It’d be completely understandable if they did. Those who choose to stay are choosing to stay because they are concerned that the president might put someone in to replace them that might take things even worse.”
In the same interview Mulvaney expressed praise for those administration officials who defended Vice President Mike Pence, who oversaw the tallying of the votes that certified Mr. Biden’s victory despite pressure from Trump, according to the Times report.
Mulvaney added that “I’m not condemning those who choose to stay, but I can’t stay here. Not after yesterday. You can’t look at that yesterday and think ‘I want to be part of that’ in any way, shape, or form. ”
Also on Thursday it was reported that other Trump administration officials had decided to resign from their posts. Among them were Matthew Pottinger, John Costello, Ryan Tully and Tyler Goodspeed.
Matthew Pottinger has been Trump’s deputy national security adviser since 2019, as was reported by the NY Times. He was formerly the administration’s Asia director on the National Security Council, and was known for his on-the-ground experience in China, where he advised Trump during his meeting with President Xi Jinping in 2017, according to the NY Times report.
Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs shared on Twitter that Pottinger had intended to resign on Election Day, but had stayed at the request of National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, according to a report in People magazine. Jacobs added that O’Brien was expected to stay for the remaining two weeks.
Bloomberg and Politico reported Thursday that Ryan Tully, the National Security Council’s Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs, had left his post on Wednesday, according to the People magazine report.
Tyler Goodspeed, the acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers also resigned on Thursday, according to multiple reports. After informing the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, of his decision, Goodspeed told the New York Times that, “the events of yesterday made my position no longer tenable.”
John Costello, one of the country’s most senior cybersecurity officials, resigned Wednesday, telling associates that the violence on Capitol Hill was his “breaking point” and, he hoped, “a wake up call,” as was reported by the New York Times.
As was previously reported by the Jewish Voice, Stephanie Grisham, the former White House communications director and press secretary and current chief of staff for first lady Melania Trump, submitted her resignation Wednesday afternoon, effective immediately, in the wake of the violent protests.
CNN reported that White House social secretary Anna Cristina “Rickie” Niceta also resigned Wednesday effective immediately, a White House official told the network.
Grisham and Niceta were among the longest-serving Trump administration officials, as was reported by CNN.
Grisham began her tenure working for then-candidate Donald Trump in 2015 as a press wrangler on the campaign trail. She entered the White House as deputy press secretary under Sean Spicer, but in March 2017, Melania Trump hired her for her East Wing staff. As East Wing communications director, Grisham quickly became the first lady’s most prominent staffer, acting as defender, enforcer and, often, protector.
