Chuck Hagel Fired? Defense Secretary Resigned On His Own, Obama Says
UPDATE: Chuck Hagel did resign and was not fired, according to statements made by President Obama during an 11 a.m. press conference. The president sang the outgoing Defense Secretary’s praises, stating that Hagel “has been critical” to a host of national security accomplishments. Chuck Hagel was the only Republican on President Obama’s national security team. “Even though our military is leaner, it is still the strongest fighting force in the world,” Obama said during the press conference. “Chuck I want to thank you on a persona level. We come from different parties, but we have come together. Chuck is and has been a great friend of mine,” the president added.
President Obama referred to Chuck Hagel as a man of “class” and integrity” and noted among his many accomplishments the building of an international coalition to fight ISIS. Hagel will remain the Secretary of Defense until a successor is named.
UPDATE: Chuck Hagel might have been fired by President Obama. Early breaking news reports indicated that the Defense Secretary has resigned, but reports from unnamed White House sources are now claiming that Barack Obama fired his third Secretary of Defense.
Chuck Hagel is resigning as the Secretary of Defense. Breaking news reports indicate that Hagel gave his resignation to President Barack Obama earlier this morning. The White House has not yet made an official statement about the Chuck Hagel resignation, or who might be filling his position as the Defense Secretary.
The Secretary of Defense nominee proposed by President Obama would have to be confirmed by Congress — which will be controlled by Republicans after the landslide 2014 Midterms election. Exactly why Chuck Hagel is stepping down is not yet known. Some White House news correspondents have claimed that the decision to leave the Defense Secretary post was the result of a mutually agreed upon decision between Chuck Hagel and President Obama. Others feel the Obama administration has been pressuring Hagel to step down in previous weeks.
Controversy over how the ISIS situation has been handled has also been pointed to as at least one of the reasons for the Chuck Hagel resignation. Representative Ted Cruz stated on morning news shows earlier today that Republicans should hold up all Obama appointments except those involving national security, as a concerted response to the illegal immigration executive order.
Check back with the Inquisitr for more details about Chuck Hagel resigning as more details about this breaking news story become available.
[Image via: Business Insider]
