WASHINGTON (AP) – The top technology official at a federal agency hit with hacks that compromised the personal files of 21 million Americans has resigned days before a congressional oversight committee hearing on the breach.
Donna Seymour, the chief information officer for the Office of Personnel Management, announced her “retirement” in an email to colleagues Monday, writing that “leaving OPM at this time was a very tough decision, but I feel it is in the agency’s best interest that my present does not distract from the great work this team does every single day.”
The U.S. believes the hack, which impacted sensitive background paperwork used for security clearances, was a Chinese espionage operation.
The federal government last month established a new agency to handle the background check process and the records it creates, shifting data security responsibilities to the Defense Department.
Seymour, who came to OPM in late 2013, was scheduled to testify on the breach before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who chairs the committee, has called for her resignation multiple times, called her retirement “good news and an important turning point” for the federal agency.