Taiwan's overseas community affairs minister has stepped down after weeks of accusations from opposition lawmakers — a political blow to the ruling party's cabinet.

• Hsu Chia-ching resigned as head of the Overseas Community Affairs Council, effective immediately.
• Taiwan People's Party lawmakers accused her of letting her American husband use an official embassy car and of taking her underage son on official trips posing as an event photographer.
• She denies wrongdoing, calls the claims distortions, and has asked for both administrative and judicial investigations into herself.
• She framed the resignation as protecting the independence of those investigations and the reputation of the office.
• Her parting message warned that party competition should not override basic legal protections for civil servants.

Outlook: Investigators will now take up the case, and the government must name a replacement to run overseas community policy.