CRAWFORD'S RESIGNATION TO BE INVESTIGATED
The HHS Inspector General (IG) has agreed to investigate the reasons behind
former FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford's sudden resignation in response to
inquiries from a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers.
The IG recently sent a letter to lawmakers, including Sen. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.)
and Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), stating that the office is "currently
reviewing the circumstances" that led Crawford to resign.
Enzi, the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)
Committee, Hinchey and other lawmakers, requested an investigation to determine
whether Crawford left the agency because of a potential financial conflict of
interest.
Crawford abruptly left the agency only months after being confirmed, leading
lawmakers to question his motives. Crawford had also been under fire for his
role in delaying a decision over whether to sell the Plan B contraceptive over
the counter. This move led to charges that the decision was politically motivated,
a charge that was later substantiated by a Government Accountability Office
report.
The lawmakers have argued that an IG investigation is necessary to address long-term
concerns with the FDA leadership. Enzi has claimed that the rumors call into
question whether the Bush administration is choosing candidates to run the agency
that have too many ties to the industries they regulate.
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