Federal government's contracting chief resigns

The General Services Administration said in a press release Wednesday that Lurita Doan, who was appointed by President Bush as the agency's administrator nearly two years ago, submitted her resignation.

The White House did not immediately comment.

The 50-year-old Doan, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, did not give a reason for her resignation. In a statement released Wednesday, she mentioned the agency's accomplishments during her 22-month tenure, including "improved employee morale so that we were selected as one of the best places to work in the federal government."

However, several Democratic members of Congress last year asked her to resign based on what they said were ethical lapses that undermined GSA, which manages billions of dollars in federal assets, including contracts, government-owned or leased buildings and 200,000 vehicles.

Last May, the Office of Special Counsel, an independent investigative agency, concluded that Doan had violated the Hatch Act, a law barring federal employees from using government resources for partisan purposes. It asked the White House to take disciplinary action against her.