Lawmakers called for an official probe into Lester Crawford’s departure from the FDA, as he and family members offered apparently conflicting accounts of their financial holdings.
Sens. Michael B. Enzi, (R-Wyo.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) wrote to Daniel Levinson, inspector general, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), pressing him to review the circumstances behind Crawford’s sudden resignation, which ended his tenure as FDA commissioner just two months after being confirmed.
“I can confirm that we have received the letter and that we will be reviewing it carefully,” Glenn Baly, spokesman for the office of the HHS inspector general, told MM&M.
When asked whether the IG had set a response deadline, the spokesman said, “it’s usually several weeks.”
As first reported in the Associated Press, the letter calls for “a thorough review of the reasons surrounding Dr. Crawford’s resignation.” The senators asked the inspector to examine whether Crawford had properly reported his financial assets and income to the government in compliance with ethics laws, or whether there was a “breakdown in the disclosure process.”
“It is essential that this committee be able to rely on the information presented involving each nominee,” the two senators wrote.
Enzi is chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Kennedy is the senior democrat on the committee.
Meanwhile, several articles explored the theory that a financial conflict of interest prompted Crawford to quit.
Other rumors swirling concerning Crawford’s departure involve criticism he took over failure to approve an OTC version of Plan B.