Reacting to the news, President Bush described him as "a very good man" and an "exemplary public servant" who "never flinched

Donald Rumsfeld: Ex-US defence secretary dies aged 88

submited by

Style Pass

2021-06-30 22:00:06

Reacting to the news, President Bush described him as "a very good man" and an "exemplary public servant" who "never flinched from responsibility".

"It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Donald Rumsfeld, an American statesman and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather," they said in a statement.

In 1975, he became the youngest person to be named defence secretary and later became the oldest to serve in the role during his second stint under President Bush.

Ahead of the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Mr Rumsfeld made the case for the invasion. He argued that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction posed a danger to the world, but no such weapons were ever found.

One of his most memorable moments came in 2002 when he was asked about the lack of evidence for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. He gave a much-mocked answer about "known knowns" and "known unknowns".