Sen. Mark Warner (Va.) on Thursday became the highest-ranking Democrat to call for the resignation of the agency head at the center of one what’s thought to be the largest government hack ever.
Minutes after the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) revealed that the personal data of 22.1 million people — more than 5 times the initial estimate — had been exposed by two separate hacks at the agency, Warner called for the agency’s chief, Katherine Archuleta, to resign.
{mosads}He is the first Senate Democrat to do so.
“The technological and security failures at the Office of Personnel Management predate this director’s term, but director Archuleta’s slow and uneven response has not inspired confidence that she is the right person to manage OPM through this crisis,” Warner said in a statement.
Capitol Hill lawmakers are blasting Archuleta for failing to heed warnings that her agency’s security system had glaring security flaws.
Both Democrats and Republicans have called for her firing, but Warner is the first Senate Democrat to do so.
He joins Reps. Ted Lieu (Calif.) and Jim Langevin (R.I.) as high-profile Democrats who have publicly urged Archuleta to step down. Langevin co-chairs the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus.
“It is time for her to step down,” Warner said, “and I strongly urge the administration to choose new management with proven abilities to address a crisis of this magnitude with an appropriate sense of urgency and accountability.”
Warner, who represents a large number of federal workers in his district, has been highly critical of the OPM’s efforts to provide credit monitoring services for the victims of the breaches.
In recent weeks, Warner has sent multiple letters to the agency demanding more accountability.