The fallout from the riots at the Washington Capitol continues—Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who now serves as special envoy to Northern Ireland, has told CNBC that he has resigned.
"I called Mike Pompeo last night to let him know I was resigning from that. I can't do it. I can't stay," Mulvaney said in the interview.
Mulvaney joins Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security advisor; Stephanie Grisham, chief of staff for First Lady Melania Trump; Sarah Matthews, White House Deputy Press Secretary and Anna Cristina “Rickie” Niceta Lloyd, White House Social Secretary, in resigning in the aftermath of the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters.
For the first time since the War of 1812 against the British, the Capitol building was breached by violent actors. Four people died in the process and many security personnel were injured. Trump, however, refused to condemn the violence, urging those supporting him to "go home" but adding "we love you" as an afterthought in his address.
Vice President Mike Pence, with whom Trump has broken with of late over his refusal to overturn the election results, issued a strong statement to the rioters: “You did not win. Violence never wins,” he said in an address, where he called January 6 “a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol”.
Mulvaney was fired as Trump’s chief of staff in March. He played a crucial role during the investigation of Trump’s alleged attempt to have Ukraine influence US politics, releasing a trove of emails that showed how the Office of Management and Budget worked to freeze funds to Ukraine unless the country capitulated to Trump’s demands.
World leaders across the world have expressed shock and condemned the events that took place, with some outright holding Trump responsible. Trump had, for weeks, incited his supporters to be present in front of the Capitol on the day that Congress was due to certify Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s electoral victory. Trump had, for days, urged his Vice President, Mike Pence, to send the votes back to the states to be counted—a power Pence could not and would not execute.
Congress went on to hold a joint session and certify Biden’s victory anyway once the crowds had been cleared. After months of denying the election results, Trump finally conceded to a “peaceful transition”, though he did not stop denying that the election was legitimate.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, normally seen as a friend of Trump, said, "Disgraceful scenes in US Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, another leader who has enjoyed good relations with Trump, said he was "distressed to see news about rioting and violence" in Washington.
"Orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue. The democratic process cannot be allowed to be subverted through unlawful protests," Modi said in a tweet.
French President Emmanuel Macron, with whom Trump has had an uneasy relationship despite France’s role as a US and NATO ally, in a video posted on his official Twitter account said: "We will not give in to the violence of a few who want to question democracy. We believe in democracy. What happened today in Washington is not American.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that the scenes at the US Capitol were an "attack on democracy."
"Canadians are deeply disturbed and saddened by the attack on democracy in the United States, our closest ally and neighbour. Violence will never succeed in overruling the will of the people. Democracy in the US must be upheld—and it will be," he said.
With inputs from PTI
