OPM Chief Tech Officer Resigns 2 Days Before House Hearing on Hack Attack

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) chief information officer (CIO) Donna Seymour has announced on Monday she plans to resign just days before testifying in Congress about the massive hack discovered last April, the US House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz said in a statement.

"Ms. Seymour’s retirement is good news and an important turning point for OPM," Chaffetz stated on Monday. "While I am disappointed Ms. Seymour will no longer appear before our Committee this week to answer to the American people, her retirement is necessary and long overdue.

Last April, OPM announced that hackers had penetrated its networks and compromised personal information of more than 21 million current and former US government employees and security clearance applicants.

Seymour was scheduled to testify before the Oversight Committee about OPM’s failure to avoid the data breech. US media also reported that following the news of her resignation, the Committee decided to cancel the hearing altogether after they had subpoenaed various documents from OPM related to the agency’s failings.

Chaffetz noted that the OPM now needs "a qualified CIO at the helm to right the ship and restore confidence in the agency."

After widespread outrage at the massive hack, OPM’s former Director Katherine Archuleta announced her resignation in July and President Barack Obama then nominated Beth Colbert to serve as the agency’s acting director.