Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld "expressed his appreciation to Secretary White for his long and able service to the country," a department statement said.

White was confirmed as Army Secretary on May 24, 2001, and although he was a high executive of the energy trading firm while in the private sector, he always denied any knowledge of manipulation of California electricity markets by the corporation.

His involvement with Enron was the subject of heated congressional confirmation hearings in which he was grilled about having warning friends and associates of the company's imminent demise, but none of the allegations was ever proven.

He also emphatically denied having made any "ill-gotten" gains from his sale of Enron stock.

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