The Latest: Azar condemns Capitol riot in resignation letter

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's impeachment and the fallout from the Jan. 6 attack of the Capitol by pro-Trump loyalists (all times local):

9:50 p.m.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is condemning the assault on the U.S. Capitol in his formal letter of resignation.

Azar says he will resign at noon on Jan. 20, when President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

Azar wrote in his letter to President Donald Trump, dated Jan. 12: “The attacks on the Capitol were an assault on our democracy and on the tradition of peaceful transitions of power that the United States of America first brought to the world.”

He added: “I implore you to continue to condemn unequivocally any form of violence, to demand that no one attempt to disrupt the inaugural activities in Washington or elsewhere, and to continue to support unreservedly the peaceful and orderly transition of power on January 20.”

The two-page letter recited administration accomplishments that Azar said “the actions and rhetoric following the election ... threaten to tarnish.”

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IMPEACHMENT AND THE FALLOUT FROM THE JAN. 6 RIOTING AT THE CAPITOL:

Federal prosecutors who initially said there was “strong evidence” the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week aimed to “capture and assassinate elected officials” backed away from the allegation after the head of the investigation cautioned Friday that the probe is still in its early stages and there was no “direct evidence” of such intentions.

Read more:

— Feds back away from claim of assassination plot at Capitol

— Federal watchdogs open probe of response to Capitol riot

— Capitol rioters included highly trained...