Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services, resigned earlier this week, citing the violent Capitol riot sparked by President Donald Trump in his resignation letter received by NBC News.
Azar said his resignation would take effect on January 20 – the same date he would step down once President-elect Joe Biden was sworn in. The letter was dated January 12, almost a week after the riot.
He said the attack – which left five people dead and many injured – and the president’s slow response to condemn it, threatened to ‘affect’ the government’s achievements over the past four years. In particular, Operation Warp Speed, which led to the creation of two vaccines to combat the raging coronavirus pandemic.
“The attacks on the Capitol were an attack on our democracy and the tradition of peaceful transfer of power that brought the United States to the world for the first time,” he said. “I urge you to continue to unequivocally condemn any form of violence, to demand that no one disrupt the inauguration activities in Washington or elsewhere and to unconditionally support the peaceful and orderly transition of power on January 20, 2021.”
“With the pandemic raging, the continuing need to deliver vaccines and medicines to the American people, and the need to ensure a smooth transition to the Biden administration, I have determined that it is in the best interests of the people. which we serve to remain Secretary until the end of the term, ”he added.
The Trump administration has been heavily criticized for its vaccine distribution strategy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just over 11 million doses of vaccine were distributed nationwide on Thursday morning, just over 11 million doses.
The disease, which has shut down businesses nationwide and sent the economy into a tailspin, has claimed the lives of more than 390,000 people since the end of February.
Trump administration officials finally started this week to give Biden’s team access to critical Covid-19 vaccination data.
Azar joins several other cabinet officials who have already resigned, including Transport Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Minister Betsy DeVos, who both mentioned Trump’s role in the riots.
