Michele Leonhart has resigned as head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. Leonhart's departure comes after widespread criticism over her response to a prostitution scandal and disagreement with the White House over the handling of marijuana enforcement.
During an appearance before the House Oversight Committee on April 14, Leonhart faced aggressive questioning over the punishment imposed on agents who were found to be engaging in “sex parties” in Colombia with prostitutes that were funded by drug cartels. Expressing displeasure that the agents were given suspensions of between two and 10 days and did not lose their positions or security clearance, Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina asked, “What would it take to get fired at the DEA? The DEA agents I used to work with were worried about using their cars to pick up dry-cleaning.”
