ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

President Barack Obama said on Friday (May 30) that U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned over a veterans healthcare delay scandal that has embarrassed the administration, explaining Shinseki did not want to be a "distraction" as the problem was fixed.

Obama said he accepted Shinseki's resignation "with considerable regret".

In a meeting earlier on Friday, Obama said Shinseki informed him that they had found evidence of misconduct across many facilities across the country.

The President said that he has named Sloan Gibson as interim VA Secretary as they searched for a replacement for Shinseki.