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1st member of Trump’s Cabinet — Elaine Chao — to resign because of Trump-incited riot at Capitol

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and his wife Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, wait for McConnell to be sworn in during a reenactment ceremony in the Old Senate Chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 3, 2021. (Samuel Corum/Pool via AP)

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is resigning effective Monday, becoming the highest ranking member of President Donald Trump’s administration to resign in protest after the pro-Trump insurrection at Capitol.

In a statement Thursday, Chao, who is married to Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, said the violent attack on the Capitol “has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.”

She said her department will continue to cooperate with President-elect Joe Biden’s designated nominee to head the department, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.