FBI chief of staff tapped as acting DEA administrator

WASHINGTON – A former U.S. attorney and current chief of staff to the FBI director has been named acting director for the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Chuck Rosenberg will replace ousted DEA chief Michele Leonhart.

Leonhart, a career drug agent, was forced to retire last month amid questions about her handling of allegations of misconduct by agents outlined in an inspector general's report. The report included allegations that agents working in a foreign country attended sex parties with prostitutes. The DEA later confirmed that the country was Colombia. Twenty-two members of the House Oversight Committee, including 13 Democrats, signed a no-confidence statement after Leonhart testified about the report and allegations that the agents involved in misconduct received lenient punishments.

Rosenberg will take over on a temporary basis next week.

He previously served as U.S. Attorney from the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Texas under President George W. Bush. He is currently chief of staff to FBI Director James Comey.