Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks during a news conference on Operation Warp Speed and COVID-19 vaccine distribution, Jan 12, 2021, in Washington. (PATRICK SEMANSKY/AP/POOL)

WASHINGTON - US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has resigned, citing last week’s attack on the Capitol, local media reported on Friday.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Aza said "the attacks on the Capitol were an assault on our democracy and on the tradition of peaceful transitions of power."

According to local media reports on Friday, Azar said in his resignation letter to President Donald Trump, dated Jan 12, that he will resign at noon on Jan 20, when US President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

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"The actions and rhetoric following the election, especially during the past week, threaten to tarnish" the legacies of the out-going administration, Azar said, adding "the attacks on the Capitol were an assault on our democracy and on the tradition of peaceful transitions of power."

"I implore you," Azar told Trump in the letter, "to continue to condemn unequivocally any form of violence, to demand that no one attempt to disrupt the (Biden's) inaugural activities in Washington or elsewhere."

The latest Trump Cabinet member to quit in the aftermath of Capitol breach by the president's supporters, Azar's move followed those of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf. 

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