Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf will step down from his position Monday evening, just days after criticizing President Donald Trump over the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

What You Need To Know

  • Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf will step down from his position Monday, he said in a message to staff

  • Wolf had been serving in an acting capacity since November 2019 and was never confirmed by the Senate

  • Pete Gaynor, who ran the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will become the acting homeland security secretary

  • Wolf is the 3rd member of Trump's cabinet to resign following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week

Wolf said in a message to staff that he would step down at 11:59 p.m. Monday, even though he had earlier said he planned to remain in his job. He said Pete Gaynor, who ran the Federal Emergency Management Agency, would become the acting homeland security secretary.

Wolf released the full text of the letter he sent to his colleagues on Twitter Monday evening. In it, Wolf wrote he was compelled to leave by “recent events,” including court rulings that found he could not legally hold the position. He did not specify the other events or cite other factors.

 

"I am saddened to take this step, as it was my intention to serve the Department until the end of this Administration," Wolf wrote. "Unfortunately, this action is 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."

Wolf, who had been serving in an acting capacity since November 2019 and was never confirmed by the Senate, praised his fellow DHS employees throughout the letter, saying they should be "proud of what we accomplished." Among other issues, Wolf lauded DHS efforts on strengthening border security and successfully launching the cybersecurity agency that helped safeguard the 2020 election.

Wolf also encouraged the remaining DHS staffers to "welcome" the incoming Biden administration.

“I leave knowing that the Department has positioned itself for an orderly and smooth transition to President-elect Biden’s DHS team,” he wrote. “Welcome them, educate them, and learn from them. They are your leaders for the next four years — a time which undoubtedly will be full of challenges and opportunities to show the American public the value of DHS and why it is worth the investment.”

Biden has nominated Alejandro Mayorkas, a former senior DHS official, to lead an agency that carried out Trump administration priorities on immigration and law enforcement and was criticized for becoming politicized as a result.

Wolf's departure follows the abrupt resignation of other Cabinet officials angered by Trump’s role in encouraging the mob to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6 over his false claims of election fraud. It was not clear what influence, if any, the uprising had on Wolf’s announcement. The White House had no immediate comment.

Last week, Wolf asked Trump and all elected officials to “strongly condemn the violence” that took place at the Capitol. Five people died, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer.

Wolf said he has condemned violence on both sides of the political aisle, specifically directed at law enforcement. He tweeted “we now see some supporters of the President using violence as a means to achieve political ends” and called that unacceptable.

Earlier Monday, Wolf authorized the National Special Security Event (NSSE) period for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration to begin on Wednesday, Jan. 13 instead of Tuesday, Jan. 19, as originally intended. The message came only a few hours before news of Wolf's resignation made headlines.

 

Washington as a whole is bracing for the days leading up to Joe Biden’s inauguration, with the FBI warning of potential violent outbreaks across the country starting as early as this week.

On Monday, the National Guard said it plans to increase troops in DC to at least 10,000 by Saturday to boost security ahead of the inauguration. Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters that he has authorization to bring in up to 15,000 Guard members. He said the number of deployments is changing by the hour and day, based on requests from the Secret Service, the Park Police and the Capitol Police.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This article has been updated to include the full text of Chad Wolf's letter.