Mary Elizabeth Taylor: Senior state department official resigns over Trump’s response to anti-racism protests

President’s actions ‘cut sharply against my core values and conviction,’ says first black woman to serve as assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs

A senior official within the US Department of State has resigned over Donald Trump’s “comments and actions surrounding racial injustice” in the wake of national unrest following police killings of black Americans.

Mary Elizabeth Taylor, assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs, submitted a five-paragraph resignation letter to secretary Mike Pompeo on Thursday, according to The Washington Post, after working within the administration since 2017.

“Moments of upheaval can change you, shift the trajectory of your life, and mould your character,” she wrote, The Post reports. “The President’s comments and actions surrounding racial injustice and Black Americans cut sharply against my core values and convictions.”

Mary Elizabeth Taylor (US Department of State)

Ms Taylor is the first black woman and youngest person to serve in that position following her appointment in 2018.

Her departure is among the first high-profile resignations in protest of the president’s response to Black Lives Matter demonstrations that have gripped cities across the US in every state with demands for justice following the deaths of George Floyd and other black Americans in police custody.

James Miller, a member of the Defence Science Board and a previous member of Barack Obama‘s administration, resigned following Mr Trump’s photo op in which he held a bible outside St John’s Church after law enforcement fired tear gas and pepper spray at protesters to clear the president’s path.

Ms Taylor’s exit from the Trump administration on Thursday also follows the resignations of two Pentagon officials this week: foreign policy official Kathryn Wheelbarger and acting comptroller Elaine McCusker.

Prior to her White House roles, Ms Taylor worked in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office.

She aided in the confirmations of Mr Pompeo, US Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, and CIA director Gina Haspel.

Mary Elizabeth Taylor, right, watches as Neil Gorsuch is sworn in during the first day of his Senate confirmation to the Supreme Court on 20 March, 2017 (Getty)

The Post reports that Ms Taylor told her State Department staff on 3 June, days following the killing of Mr Floyd in Minneapolis, that her heart “is broken, in a way from which I’ve had to heal it countless times.”

She said his “horrific murder and the recent deaths of other Black Americans have shaken our nation at its core. Every time we witness these heinous, murderous events, we are reminded that our country’s wounds run deep and remain untreated ... For our team members who are hurting right now, please know you are not alone. You are seen, recognised, heard, and supported. I am right here with you.”