WASHINGTON – Mick Mulvaney, former president of President Donald Trump, told CNBC on Thursday that he had resigned as special US envoy to Northern Ireland.
“I called [Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo last night to let him know I was resigning. I can not do that. I can not stay, ‘said Mick Mulvaney in an exclusive interview on “Squawk Box”.
“Those who prefer to stay, and I’ve talked to some of them, choose to stay because they’re worried the president might make someone worse,” Mulvaney said. But he said other officials could resign after Wednesday’s riots at the U.S. Capitol.
An administration official has confirmed to CNBC’s Eamon Javers that Robert O’Brien, national security adviser, is considering resigning over the uprising. Matthew Pottinger, O’Brien’s deputy, apparently resigned. Stephanie Grisham, chief of staff for first lady Melania Trump, and Sarah Matthews, deputy secretary of the White House, resigned on Wednesday.
“We did not sign up for what you saw last night,” Mulvaney said. “We have signed up to make America great again, we have signed up for lower taxes and less regulation. The president has a long list of successes that we can be proud of.”
‘But it all disappeared yesterday, and I think you’re right to ask the question’ how did this happen? “,” Mulvaney told Andrew Ross Sorkin, CNBC.
Mulvaney added that Trump “was not the same as he was eight months ago.”
Trump supporters stand on the armored vehicle of the U.S. Capitol Police while others take over the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, while Congress works to ratify the votes of the Electoral College.
Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Trump during a Wednesday rally outside the White House urged thousands of supporters to march to the Capitol to protest what the historic proceedings were.
Trump returned to the White House after his speech. During the ensuing riot, Trump said in a tweeted video to supporters ‘you must go home now’, but he did not condemn the violence and went on to falsely claim to have won the election. Twitter later removed the tweet and closed the president’s account.
Mulvaney said the chaos at the U.S. Capitol, which forced Congress to halt the process of declaring Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election, would overshadow the Trump administration’s achievements.
“The people who have spent time away from our families have put our careers at stake to go to work for Donald Trump, and we have had the success of looking back, but it will always be, ‘Oh yes,’ “You’re working on the man who tried to overtake the government,” Mulvaney said.
“The legacy is gone from yesterday and it is extremely disappointing for those who work for him,” he added.
– Reuters contributed to this report.