Education Secretary Betsy DeVos resigned from the Trump administration Thursday night, a day after pro-Trump protesters descended on the Capitol, breaking through security barriers and forcing lawmakers to evacuate the Senate floor.
DeVos is the second member of President Trump’s Cabinet to quit in response to the riot after Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao submitted her resignation earlier on Thursday.
“Impressionable children are watching all of this, and they are learning from us. I believe we each have a moral obligation to exercise good judgement and model the behavior we hope they would emulate. They must know from us that America is greater than what transpired yesterday. To that end, today I resign from my position, effective Friday, January 8, in support of the oath I took to our Constitution, our people, and our freedoms,” she wrote in her resignation letter.
DeVos also lamented that the rioting distracted from celebrating the Trump administration’s accomplishments as his presidency comes to a close and rebuked the president for contributing to the violence with his rhetoric.
“We should be highlighting and celebrating your Administration’s many accomplishments on behalf of the American people. Instead, we are left to clean up the mess caused by violent protesters overrunning the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to undermine the people’s business. That behavior was unconscionable for our country. There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me.”