Stephanie Grisham, chief of staff to First Lady Melania Trump and former White House press secretary to President Donald Trump, resigned Wednesday over the violent insurgency on Capitol Hill, NBC News reported.
Grisham submitted his resignation letter Wednesday afternoon after pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol building. The insurgency came after Trump rallied supporters in Washington to protest the Congressional counting of Electoral College ballot boxes that will confirm the victory of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden.
“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 successes of this administration,” Grisham said. in a statement. .
Pro-Trump rioters embraced the chambers where lawmakers conducted the procedural counting of election votes. Lawmakers were evacuated to safe places.
Several police officials said a woman had been killed when she was shot inside the Capitol building during the chaos. The National Guard and state forces were mobilized to curb the insurgency.
Trump told insurgents to “go home” in a video posted on social media while continuing to spread false claims that the election was “stolen” through discredited conspiracies of widespread electoral fraud. Google, YouTube and Google have removed this video and Twitter has suspended Trump’s account for at least 12 hours.
Leaders of political parties and around the world condemned the outgoing president and the violence on Capitol Hill.
Biden, in a national television speech, said: “At this time, our democracy is under unprecedented assault, unlike everything we have seen in modern times … President Trump, step up.”
Many Republicans and Trump allies warned of the president’s response to the insurgency and violent riots. Democrats on Wednesday spoke of accusing the outgoing president or removing him from office through the 25th Amendment to the Constitution.
Wednesday night, Congress resumed the process to confirm Biden’s victory after the Capitol Building was secured.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham (L) listens to U.S. President Donald Trump talking to reporters before boarding Marine One and leaving the White House on November 8. 2019 in Washington, DC.
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