Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Friday submitted a letter to the White House announcing his departure on Inauguration Day.
Although several other senior officials — including Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao — resigned effective immediately after last week’s deadly Capitol riot, Azar said it was “in the best interest of the people” for him to see out the remainder of his term as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the country.
Azar did, however, mention the riot in his letter, noting that it “threaten[s] to tarnish” the administration’s successes.
Read the full letter below: