President Obama said Monday that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel approached him last month and determined it was "an appropriate time for him to complete his service."
"This decision does not come easily to him," Obama said in a press conference announcing Hagel's resignation.
Casting Hagel's resignation as voluntary contradicts multiple reports that said the administration forced Hagel out the door. The New York Times, which first broke the news Monday morning, said Hagel was leaving "under pressure" from the White House.
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