Trump-Biden transition: Attorney Sidney Powell back at White House Sunday

The top State Department official for conflict operations is resigning, according to internal emails obtained by ABC News.

Denise Natali, the assistant secretary of state for conflict and stabilization operations, will depart the agency Friday, telling her staff in an email Tuesday, "It has been an honor to work with you for the past two years. I am extremely grateful for your commitment, hard work, and support."

"You are making significant contributions to U.S. foreign policy, particularly in carrying out our mission to anticipate, prevent, and respond to conflict that undermines U.S. national interests. I am very proud of what you have accomplished and am confident that you will continue to do great work in the years ahead," she added.

Natali is the first senior department official appointed by Trump and confirmed by the Senate to resign after Biden defeated their boss in the 2020 presidential election. Jim Jeffrey, a veteran diplomat who was Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's special envoy for Syria, departed in November.

A State Department spokesperson confirmed to ABC News her last day is Friday.

Natali joined the Trump administration in October 2018 from the National Defense University. During her tenure, she led U.S. delegations from Colombia to Niger to Bulgaria on countering violent extremism, coordinating responses with U.S. allies, reintegrating terrorist fighters and stabilizing conflict-ridden countries.

Her note made no mention of the 2020 election. But the department has been working with Biden's transition team, providing briefings and office space, even as Pompeo has yet to fully acknowledge Biden's victory. The agency "will do everything that's required by law" to facilitate the transition, he said on Nov. 24, two weeks after quipping there would be a "smooth transition to a second Trump administration."

CNN reported Tuesday that includes a meeting this Thursday between him and Biden's choice to succeed him, Anthony Blinken, which would be their first. A State Department spokesperson told ABC News, "There is no meeting planned or confirmed," after Pompeo told the Washington Examiner Monday they'll meet "at the right time."

-ABC News' Conor Finnegan

The Presidential Inaugural Committee, in a new statement Tuesday, has confirmed that Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take their oaths of office at the U.S. Capitol in an inauguration that will include "vigorous health and safety protocols" and a "reimagined" parade. 

"Our goal is to create an inauguration that keeps people safe, honors the grand traditions of the Presidency, and showcases the Biden-Harris Administration’s renewed American vision for an inclusive, equitable, and unified citizenry,” said committee CEO Tony Allen in the statement.

Organizers are encouraging people to stay home and not travel to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration as Biden tries to model good public health behavior amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic. The limited festivities will be produced by Stephanie Cutter and Ricky Kirshner, who put together the Democratic National Convention program over the summer. Much like the DNC, the inauguration will have several virtual elements.

Capitol officials have already confirmed that they plan to implement coronavirus testing for everyone expected to come into close contact with Biden and Harris on Jan. 20.

The committee's statement also announced that Dr. David Kessler, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner who is advising Biden's transition, will be the inaugural committee's chief medical adviser.

-ABC News' Benjamin Siegel

Shortly after McConnell called Biden the president-elect for the first time, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in his floor remarks Tuesday urged the president and other Republicans to follow McConnell's lead. 

"For the sake of the country, President Trump should take his cue from Leader McConnell that it's time to end his term with a modicum of grace and dignity," Schumer said.

"Enough is enough," he continued. "Our Republican colleagues for the sake of our democracy, for the sake of the peaceful transition of power should stop the shenanigans, stop the misrepresentations and acknowledge that Joe Biden will be the next president."

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin and Trish Turner

Trump has retweeted conservative attorney Lin Wood, who slammed Georgia Gov. Brain Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Twitter Tuesday saying, without citing evidence of a crime, that they’re "going to jail."

“President Trump @realDonaldTrump is a genuinely good man. He does not really like to fire people. I bet he dislikes putting people in jail, especially ‘Republicans.’ He gave @BrianKempGA & @GaSecofState every chance to get it right. They refused. They will soon be going to jail," Wood said in the tweet Trump retweeted to his 88 million followers.

Kemp and Raffensperger have both said they are strong supporters of the president and voted for him, but they’ve upheld the integrity of their state's election and have seen no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

An apparently altered photo of the two officials wearing face masks bearing the flag of China accompanied the tweets. 

It’s unclear why Wood believes Trump has the authority to put the two Republicans officials in jail as he suggested. Wood, along with fellow pro-Trump attorney Sidney Powell, filed a lawsuit earlier this month seeking to stop the certification of the state vote and naming Kemp, Raffensperger and other Georgia election officials. The suit has since been dismissed.