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Capitol siege an assault on our democracy, US health chief tells Trump in resignation letter
- Alex Azar told the president that the attack on the Capitol could tarnish the legacy of the administration
- The US Health and Human Services Secretary will remain on the job until President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20
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US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told President Donald Trump in a letter this week that the attack on the Capitol could tarnish the legacy of the administration.
In the January 12 letter, Azar cited what he called the administration’s successes, including the rapid development of coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics, which he said saved “hundreds of thousands or even millions of American lives.”
But, Azar, who will remain on the job until President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, voiced concern that last week’s siege of the Capitol building and Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud “threaten to tarnish these and other historic legacies of this administration.”
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“The attacks on the Capitol were an assault on our democracy and on the tradition of peaceful transitions of power,” Azar wrote in his formal resignation letter.
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He added: “I implore you to continue to condemn unequivocally any form of violence, to demand that no one attempt to disrupt the inaugural activities in Washington or elsewhere, and to continue to support unreservedly the peaceful and orderly transition of power on January 20.”
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