Mary Elizabeth Taylor, the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs, submitted her resignation on Thursday to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying President Trump's actions "cut sharply against my core values and convictions."
Taylor, 30, was the youngest person to ever serve in the role, and was also the first black woman to hold the position. Prior to joining the State Department, she was an aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and worked in the Trump White House as deputy director for nominations.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Her resignation comes as the country grapples with the anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests that were triggered by the death of George Floyd. In recent weeks, Trump has said he would not support removing Confederate names from military bases, and his campaign originally scheduled a rally in Tulsa — a city that saw a deadly race massacre in 1921 — on Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery.
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
