Mick Mulvaney, former chief of staff to U.S. President Donald Trump, announced Thursday his resignation from a diplomatic post in protest of the president’s riot of supporters against Congress.
“I can’t go on here after yesterday. You can’t look at yesterday and think: I want to be a part of that somehow,” he told CNBC television.
Mulvaney, who went from chief of staff to special envoy to Northern Ireland, said he communicated his resignation to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“I can’t do it, I can’t stay here,” he stated and indicated that other White House officials are considering resigning.
“Those who choose to continue, and I’ve talked to a lot of them, do it because they’re worried about making someone worse,” he said.
Thousands of Trump supporters invaded Congress and disrupted procedures to confirm Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the November presidential election.
After the riots, which Trump did not condemn, Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger resigned.
Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary and former spokeswoman for First Lady Melania Trump, also stepped down.
Media outlets reported that Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, was prevented from entering the White House apparently in retaliation for Pence ignoring Trump’s order to block Biden’s certification.
Outrage in Washington over the riots fuels speculation that other senior Trump administration officials will step down.
Biden will take over the presidency on January 20th.