U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf resigned on Monday in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 mob invasion of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.
In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security staff, Wolf wrote that his resignation, which takes effect just before midnight, was “warranted by recent events, including the ongoing and meritless court rulings regarding the validity of my authority as acting secretary.”
“These events and concerns increasingly serve to divert attention and resources away from the important work of the department in this critical time of a transition of power,” he wrote.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Pete Gaynor will become acting DHS secretary.
Under Wolf and Gaynor, the Nonprofit Security Grant Program—administered by FEMA under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security—rose to prominence with increased funding as a result of the recent spike in anti-Semitic attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions in New York and nationwide.
Wolf is the third Cabinet secretary to resign in the wake of the Capitol attack, following U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Attorney General Bill Barr resigned on Dec. 23 with less than a month before the end of the Trump administration.
