DEA Director Leonhart Stepping Down

The head of the embattled Drug Enforcement Administration has announced her retirement.

Word of the retirement of Michele Leonhart came late today in a statement from Attorney General Eric Holder.

Leonhart had faced mounting pressure to resign from members of Congress who questioned her competence in the wake of a scathing government watchdog report. It detailed allegations that agents attended sex parties with prostitutes.

Holder said Leonhart, a career drug agent who has led the agency since 2007, will leave the agency in mid-May. His statement praised her service and noted that she helped dismantle violent drug trafficking organizations. (Associated Press)