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Hagel resigning as defense secretary, official says
WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said President Barack Obama and U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel "arrived together" at the decision for Hagel to resign, but said Hagel had a "pretty strong track record" during his tenure at the Pentagon.
"The decision that was announced today is the result of conversations that the president and the secretary have been having for more than a month now. And in the context of those conversations, the two of them arrived together at a determination that new leadership should take over at the Pentagon ... for the last two years of the president's term," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a briefing.
"I'll tell you that Secretary Hagel departs with a pretty strong track record at the Department of Defense," he added.
(Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel speaks at a news briefing to announce reforms to the nuclear enterprise at the Pentagon in Washington, in a November 14, 2014 file photo. Hagel has resigned, a U.S. defense official said on Monday, adding that President Barack Obama had accepted his resignation. (REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/files)
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