Stephanie Grisham, First Lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff and former White House press secretary for President Donald Trump, resigned Wednesday over the violent uprising on Capitol Hill, NBC News reported.
Grisham filed her resignation letter on Wednesday afternoon after pro-Trump extremists stormed the Capitol. The uprising came after Trump rallied supporters in Washington to protest the Congressional count of Electoral College ballots that will confirm Democratic President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“It has been an honor to serve the country in the White House. I am very proud to have been part of Ms. Trump’s mission to help children everywhere, and proud of the many accomplishments of this administration,” Grisham said. a statement. .
Pro-Trump rioters swarmed the rooms where lawmakers conducted the procedural count of electoral votes. Legislators have been evacuated to safe locations.
Several law enforcement officials said a woman who was shot in the Capitol during the chaos had died. The National Guard and state forces were mobilized to stop the uprising.
Trump told insurgents to “go home” in a video posted on social media networks, as he continued to spread false claims that the election had been “stolen” by debunked conspiracies of widespread voter fraud. Facebook, Google’s YouTube, and Twitter removed that video, and Twitter suspended Trump’s account for at least 12 hours.
Political party leaders around the world condemned the outgoing president and the violence on Capitol Hill.
Biden said in a nationally televised address, “At this hour, our democracy is under unprecedented attack, unlike anything we’ve seen in the modern age … President Trump, step up.”
Many Republicans and Trump allies admonish the president’s response to the insurgency and the violent rioters. Democrats spoke on Wednesday about impeaching the outgoing president or impeaching office through the 25th amendment to the constitution.
Congress resumed the process on Wednesday night to confirm Biden’s victory after the Capitol was secured.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham (L) listens to US President Donald Trump talk to reporters before boarding Marine One and leaving the White House in Washington, DC on November 8, 2019.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images