U.S. Secretary of Transportation resigns after Capitol riots

By Michael McGrady, Maritime Direct Americas Correspondent

Elaine Chao, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, resigned her position on January 6, amid the breach of the U.S. Capitol Building by rioters who support outgoing, lame-duck incumbent President Donald Trump.

Media reports, including from Axios and TradeWinds, indicate that Chao intends to vacate her position amid the death of four people and the attempted insurrection by pro-Trump rioters to take over the House and Senate through violence and intimidation.

“Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the President stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed,” reads a draft of an email that Chao is said to have intended to send to all of her staff within the Department of Transportation. The text of the email was provided to reporters at Axios via an anonymous source close to Chao. “As I’m sure is the case with many of you, it has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.”

Chao said that she will vacate her position, effectively on January 11. She added that she and her staff will support the transition of incoming Joe Biden Transportation secretary selectee Pete Buttigieg — the former mayor of South Bend, In., and a Democratic presidential candidate who lost to Biden during the 2020 Presidential Primary Election.

Chao was the first high-profile cabinet official to resign due to the riots and Trump flagrant antagonizing. Following, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos also resigned.

Trump asked protesters to disperse and further condemned the riots, and officially seceded the U.S. 2020 election win to Joe Biden after weeks of denial and unfounded voter fraud claims. Trump issued his statement secession over his Twitter account after the social media platform suspended his account and removed tweets that they considered violent or potentially violent in nature.

Chao is married to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has led the Senate for the past several years, under the Trump administration’s power. Chao’s sister, Angela Chao is the chair and chief executive of bulk carrier Foremost Group — which was founded by their father, James Si-Cheng Chao. Lawmakers in Congress took issue with Chao’s conflicts of interest, including her family business ties and her marriage to McConnell.

Chao is considered to be a major proponent of the maritime industry. The American Maritime Partnership, a domestic industry advocacy group, named Chao as an “American Maritime Hero” and proponent of the industry. Before she was appointed Secretary of Transportation, she served as a deputy in the U.S. Maritime Administration.