House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she was "shaken" by the departure of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis: "I think that everybody in the country should read his letter of resignation. It's a letter of great patriotism." https://t.co/zrbNt3KMM9 pic.twitter.com/dDOEevuE9A

During a press conference on Thursday, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she is “shaken” by the news that Defense Secretary James Mattis is resigning and characterized Mattis as “a comfort to many of us as a voice of stability in the Trump administration.”

Pelosi said, “I’m shaken by the news because of the patriot that General — Secretary Mattis is. I think that everybody in the country should read his letter of resignation. It’s a letter of great patriotism, respect for the president, but also a statement of his values, where he talks about the strength of our nation is ‘[inextricably] linked to the strength of [our] unique and comprehensive system of alliances’ that we have…it’s a beautiful letter about, again, our values as a nation, in terms of our national security. Written by a patriotic American, who was a comfort to many of us as a voice of stability in the Trump administration.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett