Melania Trump's chief of staff Stephanie Grisham has resigned 'effective immediately'
- Stephanie Grisham, the chief of staff and top spokesperson for First Lady Melania Trump, has resigned.
- She is the first top Trump administration official to resign since pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol Wednesday.
- Grisham has been one of the first lady's closest aides since the beginning of the administration. She was also President Donald Trump's communications director between July 2019 and April 2020.
Melania Trump's chief of staff Stephanie Grisham has resigned. She leaves her position "effective immediately," according to CNN's Kate Bennett.
Grisham is the first high-profile member of the Trump administration to leave since the riots by pro-Trump insurrectionists in Washington, DC, began on Wednesday.
"It has been an honor to serve the country in the White House. I am very proud to have been a part of Mrs. Trump's mission to help children everywhere, and proud of the many accomplishments of this Administration," Grisham said in a statement to ABC News.
The rioters sought to stop the counting of Electoral College votes that confirm the victory of President-elect Joe Biden over President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election. Biden defeated Trump in the election, but Trump has urged his supporters to not accept the results and deny the reality of his loss.
Grisham has been the first lady's highest-profile defender in public and one of her closest aides. She joined the Trump campaign in 2015 and joined the administration at the beginning of Trump's term in 2017. She first served under White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer before moving to the FLOTUS team in March 2017, where she became her top spokesperson.
Grisham replaced Lindsay Reynolds as Melania Trump's chief of staff in 2020 while still holding the spokesperson role. She also served as President Trump's press secretary and communications director between July 2019 and April 2020.
This article has been updated.