Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
Amid mounting pressure from the White House, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has reportedly resigned.
According NBC News, officials said that he was forced to resign, with one senior official saying that “he wasn’t up to the job.” Hagel, who took over the position less than two years ago, has been the target of much criticism from the White House over national security issues—such as the threat posed by the Islamic State in the Middle East. Here’s what another senior administration official told NBC News about the reasons for Hagel’s resignation:
“Over the past two years, Secretary Hagel helped manage an intense period of transition for the United States Armed Forces, including the drawdown in Afghanistan, the need to prepare our forces for future missions, and tough fiscal choices to keep our military strong and ready,” the official said. “Over nearly two years, Secretary Hagel has been a steady hand, guiding our military through this transition, and helping us respond to challenges from ISIL to Ebola. In October, Secretary Hagel began speaking with the President about departing the Administration given the natural post-midterms transition time.”
Hagel’s nomination for Defense Secretary was narrowly approved by the Senate in a 58-41 vote in February of 2013. A narrow margin followed by a rough performance during his confirmation period that the Post writes he “never quite recovered from.”
During a press conference this morning, Hagel said “It has been the greatest privilege of my life, the greatest privilege of my life to lead, and most importantly to serve, to serve with the men and women of the Defense Department and support their families. I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished during this time.”
“He’s been in the dirt. He’s been in the mud. And that has established a special bond. He sees himself in them. They see themselves in him,” President Barack Obama said of Hagel’s leadership as the first combat veteran to hold the position of Defense Secretary.
“For nearly two years Chuck has been an exemplary Defense Secretary,” he added.
