Several White House officials have resigned in the wake of a failed insurrection inside the Capitol following Donald Trump’s failure to stop his supporters from rioting in the wake of his false claims of election fraud.
Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews, First Lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff Stephanie Grisham, and White House social secretary Rickie Niceta submitted their resignations on Wednesday night, two weeks before president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Grisham previously served as the White House communications director.
“It has been an honor to serve the country in the [White House],” she said in a brief statement on Twitter. “I am very proud to have been a part of [Melania Trump’s] mission to help children everywhere, and proud of the many accomplishments of this Administration.”
Several of the president’s top aides – including his national security adviser Robert O’Brien, as well as deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger and deputy chief of staff Chris Liddell – are also reportedly considering leaving the administration.
Reports of their departure followed in the hours after a violent mob breached the halls of Congress, mounting an insurrection after the president repeatedly and falsely insisted to his supporters that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from them, as a joint session of Congress convened to formally count Electoral College votes to certify Joe Biden’s election.
White House staff and officials now are mulling their resignation in the wake of the chaos, just 14 days from the president-elect’s swearing-in ceremony.
“I was honored to serve in the Trump administration and proud of the policies we enacted,” Matthews said in a statement. “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.”
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