Congressional panel expresses ‘no confidence’ in DEA chief over Colombia sex parties

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Congressional panel expresses ‘no confidence’ in DEA chief over Colombia sex parties
Reuters
16 Apr 2015 at 10:50 ET

Members of a key U.S. congressional panel said on Wednesday they have no confidence in Drug Enforcement Administration chief Michele Leonhart, a day after grilling her about DEA agents accused of engaging in sex parties with prostitutes in Colombia.

The bipartisan group of 22 members of the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee, including Republican Chairman Jason Chaffetz of Utah and top Democrat Elijah Cummings of Maryland, issued a statement criticizing Leonhart.

They said Leonhart “has lost the confidence of this committee to initiate the necessary reforms to restore the reputation of a vital agency.”

Leonhart was questioned by committee members on Tuesday after the disclosure of a DEA report finding that agents were taking part in the sex parties funded by drug cartels as early as 2001, years earlier than previously known.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/04/congressional-panel-expresses-no-confidence-in-dea-chief-over-colombia-sex-parties/

[Spitfire of ATJ]

1. Once again the Drug War is revealed to be like the Cold War....

BTW: I'm sure a Republican panel would find against a Democratic President's pick for ANY office.

[DefenseLawyer]

5. She's a Bush Administration holdover

She was head of the Los Angles DEA office under Bush. Hard core drug warrior. One of President Obama's worst and most inexplicable appointments.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Thanks for the info. Very interesting. n/t

[Spitfire of ATJ]

7. That dates back to the time when Obama was reaching out to Republicans.

[iscooterliberally]

2. Vital agency?

The only thing vital about the DEA is bringing there existence to an end. Drug prohibition is a failed experiment.

[sorefeet]

3. Get rid of the DEA

they are of no use what so ever. Just another corrupt organization sucking tax payer money to support other corrupt organizations like police departments and private prisons. With the internet, you have to be a pretty stupid person to believe the drug war is doing ANY good. Ignorance is not an excuse any more.

[krishnarama]

4. Since Michele Leonhart is anti-MJ

I am expressing no confidence in her either.

She can sod off for all I care.

[SoapBox]

8. Funy how I have "no confidence" in Congress.

[DeSwiss]

9. They hired this chick for her answer on the DEA employment test.

- This is what she knows. All of it.

K&R

[jakeXT]

10. White House mum on DEA chief after sex party scandal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House sidestepped questions on Thursday about whether President Barack Obama retains confidence in the chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration after an investigation found DEA agents took part in sex parties with prostitutes in Colombia.

The Justice Department's internal watchdog found that 10 DEA agents participated in the parties, paid for by drug cartels. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives have said they have lost confidence in DEA chief Michele Leonhart.

Asked twice by reporters at a briefing whether Obama still has confidence in Leonhart, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama "has very high expectations for everybody who serves in this administration."

"We do have concerns about what's been reported by the Office of the Inspector General," Earnest said, referring to the internal watchdog that detailed the allegations.

http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-expresses-concerns-dea-sex-party-scandal-175220377.html

strange, the original headline was "White House expresses concerns about DEA after sex party scandal"

[Lurks Often]

11. Playing devil's advocate, what would we have her do?

The sex parties took place in a country where prositution is legal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Colombia)

and it is notoriously hard to fire Federal civil servents, which includes the various Federal law enforcement agencies: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/civil-servant-protection-system-could-keep-problematic-government-employees-from-being-fired/