The top lawyer at the American Red Cross has resigned after a news report that he lamented the departure of a senior executive who was pushed out of the organization several years ago after an internal investigation on sex harassment allegations.

According to ProPublica, the nonprofit journalism organization, David Meltzer, general counsel and chief international officer at the charity, submitted his resignation, dated Jan. 31 and effective immediately, to Red Cross president and CEO Gail McGovern.

“I deeply regret that my words could have undermined confidence in the commitment of the Red Cross to properly address complaints of this nature,” Meltzer wrote in his resignation letter to McGovern, saying he realized now that the language he used at the time in association with the employee's departure was “inappropriate given the circumstances.”

Meltzer could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

A representative for the American Red Cross confirmed that Meltzer has resigned from the organization but declined to provide further information to Corporate Counsel.

The resignation comes a week after ProPublica reported that in 2012, when Meltzer was senior vice president for international services, the charity pushed out a Red Cross senior employee, Gerald Anderson, after an investigation by an outside law firm of accusations of sexual misconduct, according to ProPublica. ProPublica reported that Anderson's lawyer declined to answer questions but released a statement that said, “Mr. Anderson has not engaged in any sexual misconduct.”

Pro Publica reported that the Red Cross said in a statement last week that its investigation was a “complete and thorough review of all allegations reported and we found that Mr. Anderson's actions were in direct violation of Red Cross policies and principles. We informed Mr. Anderson that he needed to leave the Red Cross, and he resigned.”

The investigative reporting outlet said that after the internal investigation, Meltzer circulated an email announcing Anderson's departure and praising him for his “dedication” and “leadership,” according to the ProPublica report.

ProPublica cited an organizationwide email that McGovern sent Thursday morning announcing Meltzer's resignation.

“Over the course of the last year, we have seen news accounts of other organizations and institutions contending with serious instances of sexual harassment and the harmful repercussions that such misconduct can create,” McGovern's email said, according to ProPublica. “Last week, it was our organization's turn to again struggle with these issues. I am committed to moving forward in a way that strengthens us as an organization.”

Meltzer became the Red Cross' general counsel in January 2013 and oversaw a legal department with about a dozen lawyers, according to an April 2014 National Law Journal article.

Meltzer said at the time that the Washington, D.C.-based legal department and the organization's investigations, compliance and ethics unit, which is under his command, place a priority on ethics and compliance training of both Red Cross employees and volunteers.