Should Giffords resign?

(CNN) -- In the months since the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, reports about her condition have been sparse. We have learned of a follow-up surgery to repair her skull and that she was recently released from a rehabilitation hospital.

Also released were a set of photos. We still, however, do not know the extent of her injuries. Out of respect for the privacy of the family, the media has not delved too deeply into the more common and troubling aftereffects of a serious trauma to the brain.

Should the media and the public be so reluctant to demand more information? The Arizona Democrat is not just a private citizen; she is a sitting member of Congress. Do Giffords' responsibilities demand a more searching inquiry into her health? No one is asking this question because it seems moot.

In reality, the congresswoman is not carrying out any of these responsibilities.

Even from the limited information that has been made available, we know that for the near term Giffords cannot carry out her committee assignments, debate on the floor of the House, and, most importantly cast a vote. The result is that for all intents and purposes, the gunman's bullet that so severely injured Giffords also silenced the people of Arizona's 8th Congressional District.

Isn't the obvious solution for her to resign and allow Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to call a special election to fill her seat? I know that this sounds cruel and heartless. After all, not only is Gabrielle Giffords not responsible for what happened to her, but in a sense she sacrificed herself, having been attacked while performing the quintessential democratic act of meeting with her constituents.

The problem is that we so often think of resignation as a sort of punishment for bad behavior. And it seems a perversion to use the names Gabrielle Gifford and Anthony Weiner, who resigned last week in a sex scandal, in the same sentence, much less to dole out to them a common punishment.

But to view resignation as only appropriate in the aftermath of misdeeds shows a misunderstanding of the what it means to be a member of Congress.

Yes, to be an elected member of the U.S. House of Representatives is an honor. To be forced or coerced to give up an honor is a form of punishment.

Being a member of Congress, however, is also a job. More than that, it is a job that lies at the heart of our democracy. Although we all wish Giffords a swift and full recovery, we also wish the nearly 650,000 residents of her district to be represented in Congress. While her staff may still be in place, being assisted no doubt by other members of Congress, the staff cannot vote.

I write from experience. In the summer of 2002, the congressman who represented my Ohio district, Jim Traficant, was expelled from Congress.

Then-Gov. Robert Taft, in an act that would later be declared unconstitutional by a federal court, decided not to call for a special election. Many reasons were cited, the most important being cost and the fact that the congressional session was nearly over.

The result was that those of us in Ohio's 17th Congressional District were, from July 24 of 2002 until the new Congress convened over five months later, in much the same condition as citizens in Arizona's 8th Congressional District. On the floor of the House of Representatives, we did not count.

Did anything of importance happen during that time?

Well, none of the appropriation bills for fiscal 2003 had yet passed. More significantly, on October 16, 2002, the House voted to authorize the use of military force in Iraq.

Would my congressman's vote have made a difference in any of these votes? Probably not, but that's not the point. Democracy is about participation, not results.

This indeed is what Gabrielle Giffords would be signifying should she decide to resign. She would, after all, be replaced by someone chosen by the very voters that she risked her life to hear from on that terrible day in January.

I am also fairly confident that there are at least a few qualified candidates who the congresswoman herself might approve to serve in her place. I hear, for example, that there is an astronaut who might be looking for work this fall.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul Sracic.

CNN

Pressure grows for Weiner to resign

Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-New York, was first elected to Congress in 1998 and has won seven straight elections.NEW: A Democratic source says colleagues are pressuring Weiner to resignNEW: An explicit photo claimed to be of Weiner is posted onlineSources say Weiner's district will likely be eliminated in the redistricting process

Washington (CNN) -- Fellow Democrats mounted increasing pressure Wednesday for Rep. Anthony Weiner to resign, a day after party leaders turned their backs on the liberal congressman embroiled in a "sexting" scandal.

Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Reps. Allyson Schwartz of Pennsylvania, Michael Michaud of Maine, Mike Ross of Arkansas and Niki Tsongas of Massachusetts joined a growing chorus of Democratic voices that have called for Weiner, D-New York, to step down over sexually tinged online communications with several women that he then lied about.

A Democratic legislator familiar with discussions with and about Weiner told CNN that Weiner's colleagues are telling him he should resign "to preserve his own dignity."

Dems privately urge Weiner to resign

The congressman, who spoke on condition of not being identified by name in order to discuss private conversations, said the public call by Schwartz was part of a stepped-up effort to force Weiner out. According to the source, the effort includes private and public calls explicitly telling him it's time to leave Congress.

"There is increased resentment by his colleagues that far from having a press conference where he was going to tell the truth and roll with the flames, the flames are just getting worse and he's dragging us through it," the source said. "We really thought by now, after the press conference, we would be able to talk about the Republicans' Social Security privatization bill and instead we keep talking about Anthony Weiner. And people are getting angrier and more resentful."

Explicit photo is latest twist in Weiner scandal

A new explicit photograph now published on the Internet, allegedly of Weiner's naked genitals, is the latest example of how the issue was not going away, the Democratic legislator said, adding it was unclear if Weiner would listen.

"I think he is truly conflicted and the people around him are truly conflicted," the source said. "Nobody knows what is going to work."

More public calls for Weiner's resignation are expected, the source added.

Also Wednesday, multiple New York Democratic sources told CNN it is highly likely Weiner's district will be eliminated as part of next year's redistricting process.

Weiner, who is married, admitted earlier this week that he engaged in sexually tinged communications with multiple women and lied about it.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that Weiner and his wife, Huma Abedin, are expecting their first child. Philippe Reines, a colleague and friend of Abedin, responded "no comment" when asked about the pregnancy report.

Weiner's admission Monday launched calls from Republicans and then an increasing number of Democrats for him to step aside.

"It would be fine with me," Pryor said Wednesday. "I think at this point it would probably be a good thing if he would go ahead and resign."

What do you think about Weiner's confession?

Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine said Tuesday that Weiner's attempted cover-up of the scandal makes him unfit for office.

"Lying is unforgivable," said Kaine, now a U.S. Senate candidate in Virginia. "Lying publicly about something like this is unforgivable and he should resign."

While other Democrats haven't explicitly called on Weiner to step down, they have done little to demonstrate any support for him.

"Representative Weiner has some problems," Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, told reporters Wednesday.

What was Weiner thinking?

"I wish there was some way I could defend him, but I can't," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said Tuesday. Asked what he would say if Weiner sought advice, Reid smiled and responded: "I'd tell him to call someone else."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, who called for an ethics investigation Monday, released a letter Tuesday detailing her formal request for the inquiry.

Pelosi's letter "certainly adds pressure for him to go," said a senior Democratic aide, who spoke on condition of not being identified.

Weiner, who has said he would welcome an ethics probe, publicly apologized Monday for sending flirtatious messages and images on Facebook and Twitter to six women over the past three years and then denying it for a week.

Democrats offer Weiner advice

Over the past three days, he has been reaching out to a number of colleagues and supporters, according to one source. Among other things, Weiner called former President Bill Clinton -- who officiated at his wedding ceremony -- to personally express regret for his actions.

Wednesday's publication online of the explicit photo that a conservative blogger claims shows Weiner's genitals was the latest twist in the scandal. Andrew Breitbart, whose biggovernment.com website broke the story of Weiner's sexting, said the photo came from a woman who told him Weiner sent it to her.

Weiner acknowledged Monday that such an X-rated photo of him could exist.

Some fellow House Democrats have announced they were donating campaign contributions from Weiner to charity.

An ethics investigation would examine if Weiner violated House rules or brought the chamber into disrepute.

Sources: Weiner could lose his home base in redistricting deal

The code of conduct for members of Congress calls for them to conduct themselves "at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House." However, ethics experts say legislators are rarely, if ever, disciplined for violating that rule alone.

Using government technology such as telephones and computers for his sexting could be another story.

Weiner said Monday he used his personal BlackBerry and home computer, but added: "I don't have the knowledge of every last communication, but I don't believe that I used any government resources."

Even if he did, that doesn't automatically subject him to House discipline, said Stan Brand, a former House general counsel who has represented legislators before the ethics panel.

Members of Congress sometimes use official resources for nongovernment activities, Brand noted, adding that "the House has never taken a position or disciplined someone for that use."

Back in Weiner's district -- which straddles Brooklyn and Queens -- voters were divided over what the congressman should do. Some constituents said he should "never resign," while others called for his immediate ouster.

Weiner was first elected to Congress in 1998 and has won seven straight elections.

Whether or not Weiner retains the support of most of his constituents, many analysts believe he has almost certainly lost his spot as a front-runner in New York's 2013 mayoral election.

In addition, multiple New York Democratic sources told CNN on Wednesday they believe it is highly likely Weiner will ultimately lose his congressional district as part of a redistricting deal. New York will lose two of its 29 U.S. House seats by 2012 due to recent U.S. Census results.

Before news broke of the Weiner scandal, most New York state government observers believed one Republican seat upstate would be lost along with one Democratic seat downstate. The fact that Weiner is now tarnished makes it extremely likely his seat will be the one that Democrats sacrifice, the sources said.

Two of the sources -- both Democratic strategists in New York -- said the impending redistricting is one reason New York Democrats aren't rushing to call on Weiner to resign. Many believe it is better for them if he stays because it makes it more likely that his district will be eliminated instead of theirs, the sources noted.

CNN's Alan Silverleib, Tom Cohen, Peter Hamby, Dana Bash, Deirdre Walsh, Mary Snow, Meghan Rafferty, Josh Levs and Kate Bolduan contributed to this story.

CNN

IMF chief faces pressure to resign after sex charge

NEW: Ruling French party: A replacement for Strauss-Kahn should be named U.S. treasury secretary: "He's obviously not in a position to run the IMF"Poll: 57% of French respondents believe Strauss-Kahn is a victim of conspiracyStrauss-Kahn is accused of sexually assaulting a maid at a posh New York hotel

New York (CNN) -- As one of the most powerful men in global economics, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was supposed to give the keynote speech at the Brussels Economic Forum in Belgium on Wednesday.

Instead, the head of the International Monetary Fund sits in a New York jail cell with his career and political future in limbo.

"I do not see how he can perform his duties as director of the IMF. So by definition, this issue should be resolved in the coming days," Jean-Francois Cope, secretary-general of France's ruling UMP party, told reporters Wednesday.

Celebrity lawyer deemed 'perfect' for case

The comments came a day after U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Strauss-Kahn was "obviously not in a position to run the IMF."

In addition to his IMF leadership, Strauss-Kahn was widely viewed as a front-runner to unseat French President Nicolas Sarkozy before authorities said he chased the maid naked down the hallway of his suite and sexually assaulted her.

But some French citizens say they think Strauss-Kahn is actually the victim of a conspiracy.

According to a poll released Wednesday by the Conseil Sondage Analyses (Council of Polling Analysis), 57% of French people think Strauss-Kahn was victimized.

Still, 54% said they think Strauss-Kahn's Socialist Party could win in the 2012 presidential race without him.

Strauss-Kahn, 62, was denied bail by a Manhattan Criminal Court judge and remanded Monday to an 11-by-13-foot cell at New York's Rikers Island jail complex. There, the man whom many refer to as DSK was placed on suicide watch -- a common procedure in high-profile cases, two sources with direct knowledge of the case told CNN.

Until his next court appearance Friday, Strauss-Kahn will be largely left alone -- denied contact with other inmates because of his high-profile status, said a New York Department of Correction spokesman who declined to be named.

The case has shaken the IMF, an organization of 187 countries working to improve world economies by providing loans and guidance.

Austria's finance minister said Tuesday that Strauss-Kahn should consider stepping down for the good of the institution.

Take a look inside Rikers Island

"Given the circumstances that his bail was not granted, he should think about whether he is damaging the institution," Maria Fekter told reporters in Brussels, Belgium, during a meeting of European finance ministers.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters he hopes the incident does not affect the "many important decisions ... before the IMF."

"At the moment it is important that it functions well," Hague said. "So we look to all concerned to make sure that it does."

On Tuesday, IMF spokesman William Murray said in a written statement that the IMF had had no contact with its leader since his arrest.

In Strauss-Kahn's absence, First Deputy Managing Director John Lipsky has been named acting managing director, "and the fund continues its normal work," Murray said.

Murray also said Strauss-Kahn's diplomatic immunity does not apply in the sexual assault case.

"The MD's (managing director's) immunities are limited and are not applicable to this case," he said.

He added, however, that any IMF-related documents Strauss-Kahn may have had with him or left in the hotel room would be governed by diplomatic immunity and should be returned to the Washington-based organization.

A former French finance minister, national legislator and economics professor in Paris, Strauss-Kahn became the IMF's 10th managing director in November 2007. He is also chairman of the IMF executive board.

The alleged victim is a 32-year-old single mother living in the New York borough of the Bronx who moved to the United States from the West African country of Guinea. She had been working at the hotel for at least two years, according to her attorney, Jeffrey Shapiro.

"Her world has been turned upside down," he said. "She is very scared about her future."

Shapiro said his client is cooperating with police and prosecutors, and would be willing to testify against Strauss-Kahn.

Strauss-Kahn's accuser picked the IMF chief out of a lineup Sunday at a New York police station, saying he was the man who had sexually assaulted her, according to a law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the investigation.

"She's recovering -- slowly," said Blake Diallo, the general manager of a Harlem restaurant she frequents, who described himself to reporters as her friend.

The alleged attack began Saturday around noon, when the housekeeper entered Strauss-Kahn's suite on the 28th floor of the New York's Sofitel hotel to clean.

New York Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said the economist emerged naked from a room, ran down a hallway after the woman, and attacked her.

He shut the door, preventing the woman from leaving, according to a criminal complaint released by prosecutors.

"He grabbed the victim's chest without consent, attempted to remove her pantyhose" and forcibly grabbed her between her legs, the complaint said. He also forced her to perform oral sex on him, Assistant District Attorney John McConnell said at Monday's arraignment.

The criminal complaint alleges that Strauss-Kahn forced the woman to engage "in oral sexual conduct and anal sexual conduct" and tried to force her to engage in sexual intercourse.

Scandals: When lust and politics collide

Afterward, the employee went to the front desk, and staffers alerted police, Browne said.

By the time officers arrived, Strauss-Kahn had left in the hotel limousine, according to the law enforcement source.

He called the hotel around the same time police got to the hotel to say he had left his phone behind and asked if it could be delivered to him at the airport. Investigators told the hotel staff member to agree to do so, and police went to the airport.

Two plain-clothed Port Authority police detectives led him off a plane bound for France, the source said.

Charges against Strauss-Kahn include two counts of first-degree criminal sexual act, one count of first-degree attempted rape, one count of first-degree sexual abuse, one count of second-degree unlawful imprisonment, one count of forcible touching and one count of third-degree sexual abuse.

The most serious charge, criminal sexual act in the first degree, carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

Defense attorney Benjamin Brafman called the case "very defensible."

But some observers said Tuesday that his political future appears bleak.

"If the accusations are true, Strauss-Kahn will not be able to run for president," said Jacques Attali, a political analyst and a former top aide to late Socialist President Francois Mitterrand.

In Washington, U.S. Sen. John Kerry told reporters the situation involving the IMF chief was "very troubling, if not damning."

"You've got to give it a few days to let that develop," he said. "But if the evidence is what it appears to be, I think it would be very difficult for him to manage."

CNN's Susan Candiotti, Ivan Watson, Adam Reiss, Richard Roth, Saskya Vandoorne, Caroline Paterson, David Ariosto, Raelyn Johnson and Jim Bittermann contributed to this report.

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Singapore political stalwarts resign

Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew reacting to supporters on April 27, 2011.The country's first two prime ministers resigned on SaturdayThey were both serving in the current cabinetThey are making room for a younger generation of leadership, they say

Singapore (CNN) -- Singapore's first two prime ministers on Saturday resigned from the Cabinet in a suprise announcement, saying the time had come for a "younger generation to carry Singapore forward."

Lee Kuan Yew, 87, was the country's first prime minister and "founding father" of the country. He was serving the current government in the custom-made position of "minister mentor."

Also resigning was Goh Chok Tong, who succeeded Lee as prime minister and recently served as a senior minister.

Their resignations follow this month's general elections, the most contentious since independence in 1965.

While the ruling People's Action Party -- founded by Lee -- retained power, their share of the vote was 60%, the lowest to date. The opposition Workers' Party won six of the 87 parliament seats up for grabs, the most opposition seats since independence.

"After a watershed general election, we have decided to leave the Cabinet and have a completely younger team of ministers to connect to and engage with this young generation in shaping the future of our Singapore," the former leaders said in a joint statement.

While the city-state has been a model of economic success for development and business, many Singaporeans are stressed under rising prices for daily goods and housing. The opposition in the recent election also gained traction on the issue of foreign workers in Singapore who perform jobs for lower pay than Singaporeans.

Lee's son, Lee Hsien Loong, is the current prime minister and has acknowledged that the government must take into account the concerns of the people.

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Embattled Nevada senator plans to resign

John Ensign: "I will not continue to subject my family, my constituents, or the Senate to any further rounds of investigation." STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe Nevada senator is the focus of a Senate ethics investigationEnsign previously had said he would not run for re-election next yearTwo Nevada Congress members announced previously they will run for Ensign's seat Washington (CNN) -- Republican Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, who is under an ethics investigation by the Senate, announced Thursday that he will resign his seat on May 3.

Ensign had previously said he would not run for re-election in 2012 following revelations that he had an affair with a female aide who was the wife of another top aide, and that his parents subsequently gave money to the aides' family.

"While I stand behind my firm belief that I have not violated any law, rule, or standard of conduct of the Senate, and I have fought to prove this publicly, I will not continue to subject my family, my constituents, or the Senate to any further rounds of investigation, depositions, drawn out proceedings, or especially public hearings," Ensign said in the statement. "For my family and me, this continued personal cost is simply too great."

Ensign: There are consequences for sin

Ensign has admitted to having an affair with Cindy Hampton, a campaign aide and the wife of Ensign's former chief of staff, Doug Hampton. Investigators are looking into efforts by Ensign to assist the Hampton family by providing a nearly $100,000 payment to them, arranging lobbying work for Doug Hampton, and possibly meeting with Doug Hampton on a lobbying matter in violation of Senate rules.

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U.S. Ambassador to Resign After Criticism Over Focus on Abortion, Faith

Associated Press

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WASHINGTON -- The U.S. ambassador to Malta, an important Roman Catholic supporter of President Obama, said Sunday he would resign after a State Department report criticized him for spending too much time writing and speaking about his religious beliefs. 

In letters to Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Douglas Kmiec said he would step down Aug. 15. He told The Associated Press that no one pressured him to leave.
Kmiec was a well-known conservative law professor and commentator before being taking the job in 2009. But a report this month by the State Department's inspector general rebuked Kmiec for concentrating too much on issues such as abortion and his faith, while neglecting his ambassadorial duties 

"I doubt very much whether one could ever spend too much time on this subject," Kmiec wrote Obama in his resignation letter. 

The audit was the second critical assessment of a politically appointed ambassador this year and illustrates the pitfalls that presidents can face when they appoint noncareer diplomats to ambassadorships, often as a reward for their political support. 

A February report blasted the 14-month tenure of Cynthia Stroum, a big Obama donor who became ambassador to Luxembourg. It described her service as fraught with personality conflicts, verbal abuse and questionable expenditures on travel, wine and liquor. Things were so bad in the wealthy European nation that some staff requested transfers to Iraq and Afghanistan, the report said. Stroum resigned effective Jan. 31, just days before the scathing assessment was made public. 

The audit of the U.S. Embassy in Malta said Kmiec's "outside activities have detracted from his attention to core mission goals" in the Mediterranean island nation, such as promoting maritime security and American business. It acknowledged the wide respect for Kmiec in the conservative, Roman Catholic country of Malta, but said his articles distracted him and embassy officials by forcing them to carefully review his writing. They upset administration officials in Washington, too, it noted. 

Kmiec responded by describing the criticism of his religious views was "especially odd" because his friendship with Obama began out of a common view that "too much of politics had been used to divide us, sometimes by excluding people of faith." 

Kmiec, a law professor at Pepperdine University and a lawyer in President Ronald Reagan's administration, was targeted by conservative Catholics and denied Communion by one priest for his support for Obama during the presidential campaign. 

In his letter to Clinton, Kmiec noted that he advised President George H.W. Bush in 1989 that government audits should focus on rooting out waste, fraud and abuse, and suggested that the criticism of his ambassadorship was in effect a "sting-back." He said inspectors use the audits to criticize support for Obama's policies such as his goal to promote interfaith dialogue. 

The State Department declined comment on Kmiec's announcement. 

The embassy in Malta has recently played an enhanced role as the nearest European country to Libya. More than 180 Americans were ferried to Malta when Muammar al-Qaddafi's forces violently cracked down on protesters seeking an end to his four-decade rule.

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Ambassador rebuked for faith-based writing asks to resign

A State Department report alleged that Douglas Kmiec spent too much time on faith-based writing. STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe U.S. ambassador to Malta has submitted his letter of resignation to Obama, ClintonThis follows a State Department report saying he spent too much time on faith-based writingDouglas Kmiec says that report unfairly "impugned" his reputationHe suggests it was payback for a 1989 opinion he wrote under President George H.W. Bush (CNN) -- The U.S. ambassador to Malta has submitted his resignation, just over a week after he was called out in a State Department report for allegedly devoting time to writing about religion at the expense of his official duties.

Douglas Kmiec told CNN that he notified Malta's foreign ministry on Saturday about his intention, the same day he submitted his resignation to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and three days after he tendered a similar letter to President Barack Obama.

"With my reputation impugned by the recent ... report, I can no longer be certain that I am in a position with my government to have your needs and perspectives heard in the best possible light," Kmiec said in an e-mailed statement.

The State Department had no immediate comment Saturday on the ambassador's submitted resignation, including whether or not it had been accepted.

Kmiec, the former dean of the Catholic University of America's law school, defended his actions in his official letters and statement. He was appointed in 2009 -- a year after the "Kennedy Democrat and Reagan Republican," as he'd described himself in his letter to Clinton, spearheaded Obama's outreach to Catholic voters in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Kmiec was very critical of the report, released last week from the U.S. State Department's inspector general, which criticized him for spending so much time writing and speaking about faith-related issues.

Since his appointment, the inspector general's report claimed that Kmiec has "devoted considerable time to writing articles for publication in the United States as well as in Malta," given his belief that he had a "special mandate" to promote Obama's interfaith initiatives.

"His approach has required Department principals, as well as some embassy staff, to spend an inordinate amount of time reviewing his writings, speeches and other initiatives," the report said, without citing any specific instances. "His official schedule has been uncharacteristically light for an ambassador at a post of this size."

"On average, he spends several hours of each workday in the residence, much of which appears to be devoted to his nonofficial writings," the report contends.

Kmiec told Obama, alluding to this report in his resignation letter, that he wanted to resign, given "some understanding of the difficulty and complexity of the challenges that you and Secretary Clinton each day."

Yet he remained defiant that the State Department report's conclusions were unfounded.

In his letter to Clinton, Kmiec said the report was based on "unsupported speculation that someone doing as much writing as I have done could not have also been devoted to the embassy mission."

"The contrary proof ... is the strength of our embassy," he wrote. "Our work is careful, thorough and timely, and I am fully apprised of all of it."

The ambassador claimed, in his letter to Clinton, that the inspector general report's authors had "failed to read any of my writing or see its highly positive effect on our bilateral relations." He also said the report's assertion that faith-based writings weren't relevant to his position represented a "flawed and narrow vision of our diplomatic mission."

Moreover, Kmiec suggested that the report amounted to payback from the State Department inspector general in response to a 1989 opinion he wrote -- as a top lawyer in the administration of George H.W. Bush -- restricting that office's jurisdiction.

"That opinion stung the (Office of the Inspector General) and I suspect I have just experienced a 'sting-back,' " he wrote in his letter to Clinton.

While he has worked for two Republican presidents and has made clear his anti-abortion stance differs from that of Obama, Kmiec said in his statement that he "would welcome (the president and himself) teaming up again."

Kmiec insisted that he had tendered his resignation "without pressure from either one or anyone."

"My resignation is not a product of force unless one means by force -- the force of principle," he wrote.

CNN's Dan Gilgoff contributed to this report

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