Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, sporting a bandage on his cheek, an injury reportedly a result of a "kitchen accident."
Image: Evan Vucci/Associated Press
Secretary of State Chuck Hagel is resigning from President Barack Obama's Cabinet.
His decision comes after two weeks of meetings with President Obama, the New York Times reported, with the president requesting Hagel's resignation on Friday.
"Chuck Hagel has been no ordinary secretary of defense," Obama said at a press conference on Monday, announcing Hagel's resignation. "He understands our men and women like few others, because he stood where they stood. He's been in the dirt, and he stood in the mud."
Hagel, a former Republican senator and enlisted soldier, has served as Pentagon chief since early 2013.
Obama and others had reportedly pressured Hagel into stepping down, but the president was effusive in his praise for defense secretary. The president thanked him for toggling between managing a shrinking budget and an expanding war in Iraq and Syria and for not sugarcoating what he said behind closed doors.
Let me just say that Chuck is and has been a great friend of mine," Obama said. "Ive known him, admired him and trusted him for nearly a decade, since I was a green-behind-the-ears senator.
Hagel had praise for the president and Vice President Joe Biden, who stood alongside the two men at the announcement.
"It's been the greatest privilege of my life to lead and, most importantly, to serve," Hagel said.
The secretary will continue to work under Obama until the president announces a new nominee.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. Additional reporting by the Associated Press.
Topics:chuck hagel, Barack Obama, Politics, U.S., US & WorldSource: http://mashable.com/2014/11/24/chuck-hagel/
