Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf testifies at the confirmation hearing of his Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on September 23, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Greg Nash | AFP | Getty Images
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf resigned Monday, becoming the third cabinet official to retire after the riot in the Capitol by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos resigned last week over Wednesday’s riot, which disrupted Congressional confirmation of Joe Biden’s election as the next president.
Trump is now facing the likelihood that he will be impeached a second time by the House of Representatives, this time for his role in encouraging his supporters to fight to undo Biden’s victory.
Wolf said in a letter to Department of Homeland Security personnel that his dismissal was “justified by recent events, including the court’s pending and creditable rulings regarding the validity of my authority as acting secretary.”
“These events and concerns are increasingly serving to divert attention and resources from the important work of the department at this critical time of a transfer of power,” wrote Wolf, whose resignation takes effect just before midnight.
He also said he was “sad” to step down, as he intended to remain in his post until Biden took office next week.
Pete Gaynor, currently the administration of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be acting secretary of DHS.
The White House declined to comment on the latest resignation.
Wolf’s departure comes four days after Trump rescinded his appointment to become DHS secretary, unlike the acting department chief.
The White House had said at the time that that move had nothing to do with Wolf’s comments about Trump after the riot, in which a Capitol police officer was killed, a member of the crowd was fatally shot and three other people died of medical problems.
The violence began shortly after Trump, his eldest son Donald Trump Jr., his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, and other speakers organized a rally outside the White House where they made unfounded allegations of ballot fraud defrauding the president for a second term in office.
Wolf had urged Trump to condemn the attack, which he called “tragic and sickening.”
“This is unacceptable. These violent actions are unscrupulous and I implore the president and all elected officials to strongly condemn yesterday’s violence,” Wolf wrote in a statement at the time.
“Any appearance of incitement to violence by an elected official goes against who we are as Americans. Every American has the right to protest peacefully, but once those protests turn violent we must enforce our laws and bring those responsible to justice. – regardless of political circumstances. motivations, “he added.
Wolf also wrote that the rioters should be held accountable for their actions.
DeVos had written in her resignation letter to Trump that the president’s “rhetoric” had ignited the crowd, and “it’s a turning point for me.”
Chao had said in a statement that she was “deeply troubled” by the riot. “
“Our country experienced a traumatic and completely avoidable event when supporters of the president stormed the Capitol after a meeting he addressed,” Chao said at the time.