June 18 (UPI) — The Drug Enforcement Administration’s acting chief, Robert Patterson, told staff Monday he is stepping down from the role because it has become “increasingly challenging.”
He made the announcement in an email, which The Washington Post reviewed. DEA spokeswoman Mary Brandenberger confirmed the news to CNN.
Patterson wrote 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.”
Patterson took over running the agency after former Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg stepped down in September.
It’s not clear who will take over the post after Patterson’s departure after 30 years with the agency.
“Since taking on the role of acting administrator, I have known that a permanent replacement would eventually be named,” he wrote. “As such, I took each day as a gift, and with that mentality tried my best to keep the agency moving forward.”
