Grabien’s Top 10 Hagel Clips
"Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is stepping down under pressure, the first cabinet-level casualty of the collapse of President Obama’s Democratic majority in the Senate and a beleaguered national security team that has struggled to stay ahead of an onslaught of global crises," The New York Times reports today.
The president is expected to make the announcement at 11:10 AM ET.
Over Hagel's relatively brief time at the Pentagon, Grabien has posted dozens of clips.
As always, we're here to help you save time -- so we're narrowing things down to Hagel's 10 most talked-about moments:
10. Speaking at the Washington Ideas Foreum October 29th, Hagel said he hoped Congress would address major security issues -- like, first and foremost, global warming.
9. In an interview on ABC's "This Week" last May, Hagel went further than embracing the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, saying "I'm open" to transgenders serving in the military.
8. After the Obama Administration controversially traded the Taliban "The Gitmo 5" for Bowe Bergdahl, Hagel was summoned to Capitol Hill, where he demurred, "I'm not the legal person here, but I do occasionally read."
7. In that same hearing, he admitted he didn't assess the risk to American lives if we have to recapture the Gitmo 5.
6. He also admitted that the Gitmo 5 could very well return to terrorism.
5. The Washington Free Beacon later compiled a montage of every time Hagel said "I don't know," from this June 11th hearing. (It was a lot.)
4. Speaking of the president's ISIS strategy in September, Hagel said Obama realizes a combat force is needed for the mission to succeed, he just doesn't want it to be America's.
3. Just 10 days ago, Hagel turned whistleblower of sorts, saying "systemic problems" pervade America's nuclear program.
2. Then, a week ago with Charlie Rose, Hagel said America's "military capability is being threatened," in what some thought was a veiled criticism of the president.
1. Finally, last week, in what was likely the straw that broke the defense secretary's back, Hagel attacked the president's ISIS strategy, saying we were helping Bashar al-Assad.
