OIG INSPECTION INTO CRAWFORD'S DEPARTURE CONTINUES

The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the resignation of former FDA commissioner Lester Crawford, according to a recent correspondence from the OIG to lawmakers.

"As our inquiry remains active and ongoing at this time, no conclusions have been reached," Inspector General Daniel Levinson wrote in a recent letter to Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.). "Our review will examine all leads as they continue to be developed."

The OIG launched an investigation into Crawford's resignation in October at the request of Hinchey and several other House Democrats, as well as a request from a bipartisan Senate group that included Sens. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). The lawmakers told the OIG they were particularly interested in determining whether Crawford left the agency because of a potential financial conflict of interest.

Crawford abruptly left the agency in September, 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.