Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Is Stepping Down

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is resigning from President Barack Obama's Cabinet, the Associated Press reports, citing a senior administration official.

Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, has served as Pentagon chief since early 2013. He replaced retiring Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

In an interview with PBS' Charlie Rose last week, Hagel was asked whether he believed he still had the confidence of the president. "Well, I don’t think I would be here if I didn’t. But you’d have to ask him that. I mean I see him all the time," Hagel said, according to TIME.

CBS News says that Hagel was "fed up with micromanagement from the White House," while one administration official told NBC News that Hagel "wasn't up to the job." 

Hagel is expected to stay on as defense secretary until a replacement is confirmed. CNN's Jim Acosta says former defense officials Michele Flournoy, Ashton Carter and former Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) are on the short list to replace Hagel, citing a White House official.