Michele Leonhart, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, is stepping down in mid-May after revelations about “sex parties” involving prostitutes overseas and other misconduct among its agents, reports the Washington Post. Michele Leonhart, who has served since 2007, has come under heavy criticism on Capitol Hill since an inspector general's report last month documented episodes in which agents hired prostitutes. Agents were found to have had sex parties with some women hired by Colombian drug cartels.
Attorney General Eric Holder announced Leonhart's pending departure, noting in a statement Tuesday in which he noted she was the first woman at the agency to reach the rank of special agent in charge. “She was a trailblazer for equality,” he said. The White House and Congress had signaled their frustrations with the DEA in recent weeks. Speaking before the announcement that Leonhart would be leaving, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the administration continued to “have concerns” about issues cited in the inspector general's report. The White House had repeatedly declined opportunities to express confidence in Leonhart.