(The Associated Press circulated the following article on July 23.)
WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, a former 10-term California congressman and the only Democrat in President Bush’s Cabinet, is stepping down.
Mineta’s resignation is effective July 17, White House press secretary Tony Snow said Friday.
Mineta, 74, was plagued with back problems during his tenure as transportation secretary and spent months working from home and the hospital. But he has since recovered, and Snow offered no explanation of why he decided to leave now.