DEA chief steps down, citing increasing challenges of temporary role

June 25, 2018
AggregatedNews
Policy & Legal
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The acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration told staff Monday he is retiring, saying that running the agency as a temporary fill-in had become “increasingly challenging.”

Robert W. Patterson, who has worked at the DEA for 30 years, sent an email to employees Monday afternoon saying he will retire in about two weeks.

Patterson said he “realized that the administrator of the DEA needs to decide and address priorities for years into the future — something which has become increasingly challenging in an acting capacity.” His email was reviewed by The Washington Post.

It was not immediately clear who would succeed Patterson as acting DEA administrator.

Patterson became the agency’s acting head in October, following the departure of Chuck Rosenberg, who had also served as an acting, rather than Senate-confirmed, head of the agency. Rosenberg’s departure came after months of tension between him and Attorney General Jeff Sessions over marijuana research policy and the Trump administration’s focus on pursuing the MS-13 street gang, rather than sophisticated drug cartels. [Read More @ Washington Post]

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