The acting chief of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is stepping down while the agency awaits the nomination of its permanent leader.
Chuck Rosenberg made news when he rejected President Donald Trump's comments suggesting police should treat suspects roughly when arresting them.
Mr Rosenberg forcefully rejected Mr. Trump’s comment, sending an email to all his staff telling them that they should not mistreat suspects, reports The New York Times.
“We must earn and keep the public trust and continue to hold ourselves to the very highest standards,” Mr Rosenberg wrote in the internal email. “Ours is an honorable profession and, so, we will always act honorably.”
A person familiar with the move told AP Mr Rosenberg will leave the post October 1. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, says Mr Rosenberg notified employees of his decision in a Tuesday email.
Mr Rosenberg had been running the agency since 2015. The Trump administration has not nominated a replacement.
Col. Joseph Fuentes of the New Jersey State Police is believed to be the front-runner for the position. Col. Fuentes had been a vocal critic of some of Obama administration policies.
