U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced her resignation Thursday. In doing so, the wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell becomes the first Cabinet member on a list of Trump administration resignations, one day after MAGA thugs stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Chao said the attack "has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside." She said her resignation will take effect on Monday, reports Reuters, and she is one of many resignations since yesterday's violence.
With less than two weeks left of Trump's presidency, many aides were already heading for the door, but the sudden departures suggested revulsion among some over his encouragement of mobs of supporters who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday in an ultimately futile bid to prevent formal certification of Democrat Joe Biden's election victory.
Deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, a leading figure in the development of Trump's China policy, quit abruptly on Wednesday, said a senior administration official.
He was followed by Ryan Tully, senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council, said a second senior official.
More at Reuters.
Image: US Senate Photography office, mcconnell.senate.gov
