The chief of staff and press secretary for first lady Melania Trump, has resigned following violent protests at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
Stephanie Grisham said in a statement today it was an ‘honor’ to serve the country in the White House and be part of the first lady’s ‘mission’ to help children.
Grisham was one of Trump’s longest-serving aides, having joined the campaign in 2015.
She served as the White House press secretary and never held a press briefing.
Wednesday’s violent occupation of the U.S. Capitol by the president’s supporters sparked renewed conversations inside the White House about mass resignations by mid-level aides who are responsible for operations of the office of the president.
Two people familiar with the conversations said the aides were torn between fears of what more would happen if they left and a desire to register their disgust with their boss.
They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
Grisham is the first one to become public, but she was soon followed by deputy White House press secretary Sarah Matthews.
‘As someone who worked in the halls of Congress I was deeply disturbed by what I saw today,’ she said in a statement.
‘I’ll be stepping down from my role, effective immediately. Our nation needs a peaceful transfer of power,’ Matthews said in a statement.
Deputy national security advisor Matt Pottinger has also stepped down from his role, as a string of further resignations are expected.
Pottinger handed in his resignation in dismay over the day’s events where Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, according to Bloomberg.
He had reportedly had been planning to stand down on election day, but sources said the final straw was Trump’s part in inciting the unrest that saw one woman shot and three others dead.
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