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Elaine Chao resigns as transportation secretary in wake of riot

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is resigning, a White House official and a person familiar with the situation tell CNN.

She’s the first Cabinet member to leave in wake of President Donald Trump’s response to a mob of his supporters breaching the US Capitol.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the U.S. Department of Transportation,” she tweeted on Thursday.

In a statement to the agency she led, Chao wrote that she was “deeply troubled” by the events at the Capitol building.

“I am tremendously proud of the many accomplishments we were able to achieve together for our country and I will never forget the commitment you have for this Department and the United States of America,” her statement continued.

A veteran of Republican administrations and the wife of the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Chao came into her post with a focus on reviving the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

This story is breaking and will be updated.

Article Topic Follows: National Politics

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