A senior Obama administration political appointee and longtime aide
to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano resigned Saturday amid
allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior lodged by at least
three Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees.
Suzanne Barr, chief of staff to
ICE Director John Morton, said in her resignation letter that the
allegations against her are "unfounded." But she said she was stepping
down anyway to end distractions within the agency. ICE, a division of
the Homeland Security Department, confirmed Barr had resigned. The
Associated Press obtained a copy of Barr's letter.
Barr is accused of sexually
inappropriate behavior toward employees. The complaints are related to a
sexual discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by a senior ICE
agent in May.
In her letter to Morton, Barr
said she has been the subject of "unfounded allegations designed to
destroy my reputation" and is resigning "with great regret."
"Of greater concern however, is
the threat these allegations represent to the reputation of this agency
and the men and women who proudly serve their country by advancing ICE's
mission," Barr wrote. "As such, I feel it is incumbent upon me to take
every step necessary to prevent further harm to the agency and to
prevent this from further distracting from our critical work."
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