GagFormer White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney resigned from his post as the special envoy to Northern Ireland following the storming of the U.S. Capitol, saying he no longer feels comfortable staying in the Trump administration.
“I can’t stay here, not after yesterday,” Mulvaney told CNBC. “You can’t look at that yesterday and say I want to be a part of that in any way, shape, or form.”
His resignation follows that of some other high-profile White House aides, including Stephanie Grisham, former White House press secretary and chief of staff to the First Lady, and deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger.
Other top administration officials are also reportedly considering stepping down, including national security adviser Robert O’Brien, and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of my friends resign over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours, and it’d be completely understandable if they did,” Mulvaney said.
However, officials close to the president have been working to convince other high-ranking administration members not to resign, according to CNN.
In the last 24 hours, Secretary Pompeo, DNI Ratcliffe and NSA O’Brien have all received calls from concerned former senior national security officials and leaders of major national security firms urging them not to resign, a person aware of the conversations says.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 7, 2021
Mulvaney confirmed that there are many who will choose to stay with Trump “because they are concerned that the president might put someone in to make things even worse.”
Trump acknowledged on Thursday morning that there would be an “orderly transition of power” after Congress affirmed Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.
