Stephanie Grisham, Melania Trump‘s chief of staff, resigned Wednesday following violent rioting on Capitol Hill. Grisham submitted her resignation letter Wednesday afternoon after rioters breached the Capitol building, forcing a lockdown and marking the most significant breach of Congress in more than 200 years. The riots came as Congress convened to certify the electoral vote.
In a statement announcing her resignation, which was first confirmed by CNN, Grisham said, “It has been an honor to serve the country in the White House,” adding that she is “very proud to have been a part of [Trump’s] mission to help children everywhere, & proud of the many accomplishments of this Administration.” Grisham did not immediately respond to requests for comment, nor did the first lady’s office.
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It has been an honor to serve the country in the @WhiteHouse . I am very proud to have been a part of @FLOTUS @MELANIATRUMP mission to help children everywhere, & proud of the many accomplishments of this Administration. Signing off now – you can find me at @OMGrisham ❤️🇺🇸
— Stephanie Grisham (@StephGrisham45) January 7, 2021
Grisham, a former White House communications director and press secretary, first started working with the Trump administration in 2015 as a press wrangler on President Donald Trump‘s campaign trail. She then entered the White House as deputy press secretary under Sean Spicer before being hired by the first lady in 2017 as her communications director. In 2019, she took on the responsibilities of White House communications director and press secretary as well.
Grisham was just the first of a mass movement of top White House official resignations to follow the riots, which left four people dead and 52 arrested. White House Social Secretary Anna Cristina “Rickie” Niceta also resigned in response to Wednesday’s events. She and Grisham were among the longest-serving Trump administration officials. Niceta also did not respond to requests for comment.
Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews also submitted resignation paperwork. In a statement, Matthews said she “was honored to serve in the Trump administration and proud of the policies we enacted. As someone who worked in the halls of Congress, I was deeply disturbed by what I saw today. I’ll be stepping down from my role effective immediately. Our nation needs a peaceful transfer of power.”
Bloomberg reported that Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger also resigned on Wednesday afternoon. Numerous outlets, including NBC News, reported that several others were also considering resigning, including National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, Deputy Chief of Staff Chris Liddell, and Transportation Secretary Eliane Chao.
