The nation's top drug enforcement official will resign in May amid waning support from the Obama administration.
Attorney General Eric Holder issued a statement Tuesday saying Michele M. Leonhart, the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, had informed him of her decision to step down in mid-May.
Leonhart's resignation comes amid reports that she has fallen out of favor with the White House over policy conflicts and her handling of a scandal involving agents and sex parties abroad.
Leonhart has been at the helm of the DEA for five years, becoming the first woman to hold the post after rising through the agency's ranks over the course of three decades. But she has seen her standing with the Obama administration erode significantly over her insistence that marijuana is a dangerous drug that should remain illegal — despite the president's open support for a legalization movement sweeping across a growing number of states.
She was also reportedly critical of Obama's comments on marijuana last year during a closed-door speech to law enforcement officials, the New York Times reported.
In his statement, however, Holder expressed his appreciation for Leonhart's leadership at the DEA and her long career with the agency.
Michele has led this distinguished agency with honor, and I have been proud to call her my partner in the work of safeguarding our national security and protecting our citizens from crime, exploitation and abuse.
Over the past decade, under her leadership, there have been innumerable instances of the DEA dismantling the most violent and most significant drug trafficking organizations and holding accountable the largest drug kingpins around the world.
Going forward, I have no doubt that the women and men of the DEA will continue to perform their duties with the utmost integrity, professionalism and skill – and I wish my good friend Michele all the best as she embarks on this next chapter in what is a remarkable life.
Support for Leonhart eroded further last week after she seemed to be at a loss to explain or address a scandal involving DEA agents at sex parties abroad.
Seven agents who were stationed in Colombia admitted to participating in sex parties with prostitutes who were paid for by drug cartels. But under harsh questioning by the House Oversight Committee last week, Leonhart said there was little more she could do in the way of punishment outside of brief suspensions.
The antics were revealed last month in a Department of Justice's inspector general report. The agents were ultimately given suspensions of between two to 10 days.
After the hearing, lawmakers on the oversight committee issued a statement saying they had lost confidence in her ability to lead the agency.
"From her testimony, it is clear that she lacks the authority and will to make the tough decisions required to hold those accountable who compromise national security and bring disgrace to their position," the committee said.