Former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who was currently serving as a special envoy to Northern Ireland, is joining other Trump administration officials in submitting their resignations following violent chaos at the U.S. Capitol.
“I called Mike Pompeo last night… to tell him that I’d be resigning from that. I just… I can’t do it. I can’t stay,” Mulvaney said on CNBC.
He explained, “I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of my friends resign over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours, and it’d be completely understandable if they did.”
Mulvaney said some officials are choosing to stay “because they are concerned that the president might put someone in to replace them that could make things even worse.”
Watch his comments below:
"I can't stay here." Mick Mulvaney, who previously served as President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, says he is resigning from his current role as special envoy to Northern Ireland following the assault on the Capitol by pro-Trump protestors. https://t.co/sG5k51cQAm pic.twitter.com/lf91Z789oo
— CNBC (@CNBC) January 7, 2021
He cited the riots on Wednesday as the reason behind his decision to resign.
“I can’t stay here, not after yesterday. You can’t look at that yesterday and think ‘I want to be a part of that in any way, shape, or form,'” Mulvaney said.
He praised Vice President Mike Pence for standing up for the Constitution when he certified President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory.
Stephanie Grisham, chief of staff for First Lady Melania Trump, submitted her resignation on Wednesday.
“It has been an honor to serve the country in the White House. I am very proud to have been a part of Mrs. Trump’s mission to help children everywhere, and proud of the many accomplishments of this Administration,” Grisham said in a statement.
She previously served as White House press secretary and communications director.
Following Grisham’s resignation, deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews announced her departure from the White House.
“I was honored to serve in the Trump administration and proud of the policies we enacted. As someone who worked in the halls of Congress I was deeply disturbed by what I saw today. I’ll be stepping down from my role, effective immediately. Our nation needs a peaceful transfer of power,” Matthews said in a statement.
https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1347002026690011136
A White House official told CNN that Trump’s social secretary Anna Cristina “Rickie” Niceta also resigned on Wednesday.
Donald Trump recognized his defeat on Thursday while promising there would be a peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20, as IJR previously reported.