BREAKING NEWS ~ Secretary of State Colin Powell resigns News
BREAKING NEWS ~ Secretary of State Colin Powell resigns

[JURIST] CNN is reporting that US Secretary of State Colin Powell has submitted his resignation.

9:48 AM ET – Powell told aides Monday morning that he intends to resign from President Bush's cabinet and will leave once Bush decides on who will succeed him. AP has more.

10:20 AM ET – AP is now reporting that a senior administration official is saying that Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, Education Secretary Rod Paige and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham have also submitted resignations.

11:55 AM ET – AP is reporting that the White House has confirmed the resignations of Powell, Veneman, Paige and Abraham.

4:23 PM ET – A transcript of an afternoon briefing by Secretary Powell on his resignation and his service at the State Department is now online here. A statement by the President is here.

Nov. 16, 10:56 AM ET – Secretary Powell's resignation letter, dated November 12, is now online. Powell writes:

Mr. President, I thank you for the honor and privilege of serving you and the American people for the past almost four years. I am pleased to have been part of a team that launched the Global War Against Terror, liberated the Afghan and Iraqi people, brought the attention of the world to the problem of proliferation, reaffirmed our alliances, adjusted to the Post-Cold War World and undertook major initiatives to deal with the problem of poverty and disease in the developing world. In these and in so many other areas, your leadership was the driving force of our success.

Read the letter here [PDF].