Mary Elizabeth Taylor, Kathryn Wheelbarger and Elaine McCusker have resigned

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The assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs, Mary Elizabeth Taylor has resigned from her post. She was a senior official within the US Department of State and resigned over Donald Trump’s comments and actions surrounding racial injustice following the national unrest after police killings of black Americans. The Washington Post reported Elizabeth Taylor submitted a 5-paragraph resignation letter to the US secretary of state Mike Pompeo.  She wrote, “Moments of upheaval can change you, shift the trajectory of your life, and mold your character. The President’s comments and actions surrounding racial injustice and Black Americans cut sharply against my core values and convictions”. Point to be noted that she is the first black woman and the youngest person serving since appointed in 2018.

The resignation of Taylor is among the first high-profile resignations in protest of the president’s response to Black Lives Matter protests that have gripped cities across the United States in every state with demands for justice following the deaths of George Floyd and other black Americans in police custody. A member of the Defense Science Board and a previous member of Barack Obama‘s administration, James Miller also resigned following Trump’s photo-op in which he held a Bible outside St. John’s Church after law enforcement fired tear gas and pepper spray at peaceful demonstrators to clear the president’s path.

On Thursday, Trump administration also received 2 more resignations from Pentagon officials, including the foreign policy official Kathryn Wheelbarger and acting comptroller Elaine McCusker. It is noteworthy that Taylor formerly worked in the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. She aided in the confirmations of Pompeo, US Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, and CIA Director Gina Haspel. The outlet also reported that Taylor informed her State Department staff on 3^rd June 2020 after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. She said that her heart is broken because the horrific murder of Floyd and the recent deaths of other Black Americans have shaken the nation.