ANN REALTIME REPORTING 06.23.06 1230 EDT: After over five years on the job, Department of Transportation Norman E. Mineta -- the longest-serving DOT secretary in the agency's history -- announced Friday he will resign from the position, effective July 7.

Even though he was the only Democrat in the Bush Cabinet, the White House adamantly denied Mineta was in any way forced to submit his resignation. White House press secretary Tony Snow said Mineta announced his resignation "because he wanted to."

"He was not being pushed out," Snow added. "As a matter of fact, the president and the vice president and others were happy with him. He put in five and half years -- that's enough time."

Mineta spokesman Robert Johnson told CNN the DOT secretary is "moving on to pursue other challenges."

His resignation is effective July 7. Mineta was the longest serving Secretary in the history of the US Department of Transportation, becoming the 14th Secretary of Transportation on January 25, 2001.

As DOT Secretary, Mineta oversaw all aspects of the nation's transportation network -- but in the aviation community he will likely be best -- and, perhaps, infamously -- remembered for overseeing the creation of the Transportation Security Administration.

In its four year existence, the TSA has placed air marshals on commercial flights, installed more advanced baggage scanning equipment at airports, and has hired tens of thousands of workers to screen air travelers and their baggage.

Most recently in general aviation circles, Mineta was a prominent figure in the ongoing user fee battle between private and business pilots, and the FAA, by repeatedly promising to fight user fees against general aviation pilots on his watch.

That watch, however, is set to end in 14 days...

FMI: www.dot.gov/affairs/mineta.htm