Re: F.D.A. Chief Quit Over Financial Disclosure Form, His Wife's Brother

[Guest guest]

I am just glad they withdrew their appointment of a vet for women's health

agency.

Unbelievable.

>

> >

> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/28/politics/28fda.html?

ex=1128571200 & en=a163e0c1438e8d6a & ei=5070 & emc=eta1

> >

> > F.D.A. Chief Quit Over Financial Disclosure Form,

> > His Wife's Brother

> > Says

> >

> > By STEPHANIE SAUL and ROBERT PEAR

> > Published: September 28, 2005

> > Lester M. Crawford's wife has told family members

> > that an unintentional

> > failure to disclose financial holdings prompted his

> > sudden resignation

> > as commissioner of food and drugs last week, her

> > brother said

> > yesterday.

> >

> > The former commissioner's wife,

> > Crawford, discussed

> > the resignation with her brother, W.

> > III of Birmingham,

> > Ala., over the weekend, Mr. said in a

> > telephone interview.

> >

> > Mr. said Mrs. Crawford had told him that " if

> > they had to do it

> > over again, they'd put everything in a blind trust. "

> >

> > " They had a money manager, " he added, " and they

> > thought they had

> > divested. "

> >

> > Mr. , speaking broadly about the Crawfords'

> > finances, did not say

> > which particular holdings his sister had been

> > referring to.

> >

> > But his comments appeared to be at odds with

> > statements she made in an

> > interview on Monday.

> >

> > In that interview, Mrs. Crawford rejected

> > suggestions, made by a

> > government official, that her husband had omitted

> > material information

> > from his financial disclosure statements.

> >

> > " If we have any money in the stock market, we sure

> > don't have as much

> > as most people do, " she said then. " I don't know why

> > people are writing

> > about our finances. It's crazy. "

> >

> > Dr. Crawford, reached by phone yesterday, said that

> > he would not

> > comment on whether his resignation had anything to

> > do with his

> > financial holdings.

> >

> > " I appreciate the opportunity, " he said, " but I

> > don't have any comment

> > on that. "

> >

> > The abruptness and mystery surrounding Dr.

> > Crawford's departure, only

> > two months after his Senate confirmation, have

> > fueled speculation that

> > he had investments in companies regulated by the

> > F.D.A., which oversees

> > the food, drug and cosmetics industries.

> >

> > A financial disclosure form filed by Dr. Crawford in

> > February, nine

> > days after President Bush announced an intention to

> > nominate him

> > commissioner, a post he then held on only an acting

> > basis, listed a

> > six-figure portfolio of mainly blue-chip stocks in

> > companies like Home

> > Depot, Dell, Staples and Bank of America. None of

> > the holdings appeared

> > to conflict with his role at the F.D.A.

> >

> > But Dr. Crawford's finances may be more complex than

> > the form suggests.

> > Mrs. Crawford's family owned a large pharmaceutical

> > distribution

> > company, Drug, that was sold in 1997 to

> > AmeriSource Health, the

> > forerunner to AmerisourceBergen, currently one of

> > the nation's largest

> > pharmaceutical wholesalers.

> >

> > Mrs. Crawford shared proceeds of that $140 million

> > deal and, in 2002,

> > became an heir to her mother's share of the sale,

> > said Mr. , her

> > brother.

> >

> > Mrs. Crawford said on Monday that her family's ties

> > to the old

> > Drug Company had had nothing to do with her

> > husband's decision to

> > resign. And Mr. said the financial holdings

> > she referred to in

> > his conversation with her over the weekend did not

> > involve the family's

> > company.

> >

> > Before being approved by the Senate on July 18, Dr.

> > Crawford, a

> > 67-year-old veterinarian and food safety expert,

> > weathered a bruising

> > confirmation process including accusations that he

> > had had an

> > extramarital affair with a subordinate at the F.D.A.

> > His confirmation

> > followed an investigation that found no merit to

> > that claim.

> >

> > As for the F.D.A.'s new leadership, President Bush

> > named Dr. C.

> > von Eschenbach, the director of the National Cancer

> > Institute, as

> > acting commissioner on Friday, and Dr. von

> > Eschenbach has said he will

> > keep his position at the cancer institute while

> > running the F.D.A.

> >

> > But yesterday Senator M. Kennedy of

> > Massachusetts, the senior

> > Democrat on the Senate health committee, said Dr.

> > von Eschenbach should

> > not try to juggle the two jobs.

> >

> > " There are intrinsic conflicts of interest between

> > the role of N.C.I.

> > director, who manages a research program that

> > includes drug

> > development, and the role of F.D.A. commissioner,

> > whose responsibility

> > is to review the safety and effectiveness of those

> > drugs, " Mr. Kennedy

> > said in a letter to the secretary of health and

> > human services.

> >

> > Moreover, Mr. Kennedy, like Senator E.

> > Grassley, Republican of

> > Iowa, said that each job had immense

> > responsibilities and that it was

> > therefore not feasible for one person to run the two

> > agencies.

> >

> > Pearson, a spokeswoman for the secretary,

> > O. Leavitt,

> > said yesterday that the administration was not

> > changing its plan for

> > Dr. von Eschenbach to keep his job at the cancer

> > institute while

> > serving as interim chief of the F.D.A.

> >

> > Mr. , meanwhile, said he had no question that

> > his sister and her

> > husband would weather the controversy over his

> > resignation.

> >

> > " It's a tough, sad situation, " he said, " but they'll

> > make it because

> > they're very strong Christians. "

> >

> >