Yall know the story. They finally pushed her out. Good riddance :scrustya:
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/dea-chief-michele-leonhart-resigns-117226.html
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/dea-chief-michele-leonhart-resigns-117226.html
DEA chief to step down after sex parties controversy
By Josh Gerstein
4/22/15 7:56 AM EDT
The Justice Department announced Tuesday that embattled Drug Enforcement Administration chief Michele Leonhart will step down, following controversy over sex parties attended by DEA agents stationed overseas.
The news of her departure came in the wake of a series of episodes in which she found herself publicly at odds with senior administration officials, including President Barack Obama.
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In a statement, Attorney General Eric Holder said Leonhart would retire in May and described her as a trailblazing public servant. He made no mention of the incidents that led some in Congress to call for her resignation.
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“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,” Holder said. Leonhart has been in the DEA’s top leadership position since late 2007, first in an acting capacity and then as a confirmed appointee starting in 2010.
The White House was more direct in acknowledging dissatisfaction with Leonhart’s tenure.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest declined twice in recent days to say whether Obama had confidence in Leonhart after a Justice Department inspector general report said some DEA agents repeatedly attended sex parties with prostitutes paid for by Colombian drug cartels.
The report said the agency treated such incidents as minor and did not report them to DEA headquarters for investigation. The IG also said DEA personnel were not initially forthcoming with all records related to the episodes.
“The president, as you know, maintains a very high standard for anybody who serves in his administration, particularly when it comes to law enforcement officials,” Earnest said Tuesday, before Leonhart’s departure was announced. “And the IG report raised serious concerns about that conduct.”
After Leonhart’s retirement was announced, a White House spokesman referred back to Earnest’s earlier comments.
A bipartisan contingent of 20 lawmakers issued a statement last week saying they had no confidence in Leonhart.
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House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) issued another joint statement Tuesday welcoming word of her plans to retire.
“In light of the DOJ Inspector General’s report and the testimony we heard before our committee, Ms. Leonhart’s retirement is appropriate,” Chaffetz and Cummings said. “With the opportunity now for fresh leadership, we are hopeful that the DEA can restore itself to an agency of distinction and excellence. The IG’s report exposed the bad behavior that was allowed to fester for more than a decade, and our Committee’s hearing shined a spotlight on the lack of accountability for these abuses. This process is strong evidence of how proper and bipartisan oversight can lead to a better functioning government for the citizens it serves.”
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) also stepped forward to express approval of Leonhart’s departure.
“The DEA’s pattern of protecting its own agents at the expense of the transparency and justice that the American people deserve must end. Therefore, I believe a change in leadership at the DEA is warranted,” Goodlatte said.
A DEA spokeswoman said Leonhart had no comment for this story.
However, a former DEA chief complained that Leonhart was being ousted for challenging the accommodations the Obama administration has offered to states legalizing marijuana.
“This news follows hearings about sexual misconduct by agents in Colombia that took place over a decade ago. However, that is not what is causing her departure. This is about her courage to enforce the law,” ex-DEA Administrator Peter Bensinger said.
Bensinger suggested that Leonhart ran into disfavor within the administration for refusing to endorse Obama’s statement that marijuana was not as dangerous as alcohol and for expressing concerns about Holder’s efforts to rein in the effects of mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
“It’s about politics,” Bensinger said in a statement. “She deserves better.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/dea-chief-michele-leonhart-resigns-117226.html#ixzz3YEDNRzgL
at this whole shyt
