DEA official Michele Leonhart resigns after 'sex party' scandal

Michele Leonhart, the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, has resigned after a tenure marred with recent controversy.

Leonhart is ending her five-year tenure just days after she testified before the House Oversight Committee, which grilled her on the allegations that DEA stations in Columbia attended sex parties with prostitutes reports the New York Times. Seven agents were suspended for their actions, but Leonhart said that she didn’t have the power to fire them.

Shortly after the Times report, CBS News reported that Attorney General Eric Holder issued a statement, confirming that Leonhart will leave the DEA next month.

Holder said he was “proud to call her my partner in the work of safeguarding our national security and protecting our citizens from crime, exploitation and abuse,” adding that, “She has devoted her life and her professional career to the defense of our nation and the protection of our citizens, and for that, I am deeply grateful.”

The Justice Department released its report on the “sex parties” earlier this month, revealing that the prostitutes at the parties were paid by Colombian drug cartels. A foreign officer also said that protection was offered for DEA agents’ weapons, which could have lead the weapons being compromised.

After the report, the House Oversight Committee asked for more internal DEA documents relating to such behavior, which dates back to 2001. Members of both political parties questioned Leonhart about the reports of sexual misconduct.

Leonhart also clashed with President Obama over marijuana, disagreeing with his 2014 statement that marijuana is not more dangerous than alcohol. She also opposed Colorado and Washington’s legalization of marijuana.

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