Trump officials who have resigned in the wake of attack on Capitol
In the wake of an assault on the Capitol Wednesday by a pro-Trump mob that led to four deaths, a growing number of Trump officials are questioning their roles in his administration, some going so far as to resign from their positions.
These are the Trump officials who have given notice so far.
Betsy DeVos: Education secretary
Betsy DeVos, U.S. secretary of education, resigned Thursday, according to a letter obtained by ABC News. Her resignation will take effect on Friday.
"We should be highlighting and celebrating your Administration's many accomplishments on behalf of the American people. Instead, we are left to clean up the mess caused by violent protestors overrunning the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to undermine the people's business," DeVos wrote in her resignation letter, addressed to President Donald Trump.
"That behavior was unconscionable for our country," she continued. "There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me."
Elaine Chao: Transportation secretary
Elaine Chao, U.S. secretary of transportation and wife of Sen. Mitch McConnell, resigned from her role Thursday. Her resignation will take effect on Jan. 11.
"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 in a letter that she posted to Twitter.
"As I'm sure is the case with many of you, it has deeply troubled in me a way I simply cannot set aside," she added.
Tyler Goodspeed: Acting chairman, White House Council of Economic Advisers
Tyler Goodspeed, acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, resigned Thursday, according to Rachael Slobodien, the council's chief of staff.
"The events of yesterday made my position no longer tenable," Goodspeed told The New York Times after he tendered his resignation.
John Costello: Deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and security, Commerce Department
John Costello, the deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and security in the Commerce Department, resigned Thursday.
Mick Mulvaney: Special envoy to Northern Ireland
Mick Mulvaney, the former White House chief of staff who still held a role in the administration as special envoy to Northern Ireland, called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday night to resign.
"I can't do it. I can't stay," he told CNBC on Thursday. "It's a nothing thing. It doesn't affect the outcome. It doesn't affect the transition. But it's what I've got, right, and it's a position I really enjoy doing. But you can't do it. And I wouldn't be surprised to see more of my friends resign over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours."
When asked if he considered himself an enabler of Trump in retrospect, Mulvaney said it was "a fair question."
Matthew Pottinger: White House deputy national security adviser
Matthew Pottinger, the White House deputy national security adviser, resigned Wednesday, according to a White House official and a person familiar with his resignation.
The White House's National Security Council did not respond to questions from ABC News about Pottinger, who was an assistant to the president.
Sarah Matthews: White House deputy press secretary
Sarah Matthews, White House deputy press secretary, resigned on Wednesday in response to the assault on the Capitol.
"As someone who worked in the halls of Congress I was deeply disturbed by what I saw today," Matthews said in a statement. "I'll be stepping down from my role, effective immediately. Our nation needs a peaceful transfer of power."
Rickie Niceta: White House social secretary
Rickie Niceta, White House social secretary, submitted her resignation Wednesday in reaction to the protests.
Stephanie Grisham: Melania Trump's chief of staff
Stephanie Grisham, first lady Melania Trump's chief of staff and former White House press secretary, resigned on Wednesday due to the protests.
"It has been an honor to serve the country in the White House," Grisham told ABC News in a statement.
"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."
FAA appointees
Five Federal Aviation Administration administrators submitted resignation letters Thursday evening, according to an email obtained by ABC News from FAA Chief of Staff Angela Stubblefield to senior managers.
Per the email, they are:
- Arjun Garg, chief counsel and current acting deputy FAA Administrator
- Brianna Manzelli, assistant administrator for communications
- Kirk Shaffer, assistant administrator for airports
- Bailey Edwards, assistant administrator for policy, international affairs and environment
- Andrew Giacini, acting administrator for legislative affairs
"Our colleagues' decisions, given the gravity of yesterday's events, are understandable. Like all of us, they are outraged by the brazen and violent attack on one of the sacred institutions of American democracy," Stubblefield wrote in the email.
The resignations are effective Monday evening, she wrote.
Anthony Ruggiero: National Security Council senior official
Anthony Ruggiero, the senior director for counterproliferation and biodefense on the National Security Council, resigned Thursday, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to ABC News.
Dr. Chris Ford: State Department assistant secretary
The State Department lost its first assistant secretary over the week's events. Dr. Chris Ford, the top diplomat for arms control, resigned Friday, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to ABC News.
ABC News' Jonathan Karl, Conor Finnegan, Benjamin Gittleson, Sam Sweeney, John Santucci and Sophie Tatum contributed to this report.
