CDC Chief Resigns Over 'Complex Financial Interests'

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Brenda Fitzgerald, has resigned, the agency said Wednesday, following a report that she purchased shares in a tobacco company while in charge of the agency.Fitzgerald, who was appointed as CDC director in July, had her offer of resignation accepted by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, according to a statement from the agency that cited her difficulty in quickly divesting from financial interests that required a “broad recusal” from CDC duties. Some See Hidden Meanings in Melania Trump’s White Pantsuit “Dr. Fitzgerald owns certain complex financial interests that have imposed a broad recusal limiting her ability to complete all of her duties as the CDC Director,” a representative for the agency said in a statement. “Due to the nature of these financial interests, Dr. Fitzgerald could not divest from them in a definitive time period. After advising Secretary Azar of both the status of the financial interests and the scope of her recusal, Dr. Fitzgerald tendered, and the Secretary accepted, her resignation. The Secretary thanks Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald for her service and wishes her the best in all her endeavors.”The news comes less than a day after Politico reported that Fitzgerald bought shares in a tobacco company while she was leading the CDC. An HHS representative told the news outlet that “the potentially conflicting” stock purchases were handled by a financial manager, and that Fitzgerald later sold them. Trump Clapped for Himself; Twitter Users Took Note The CDC oversees the federal government’s anti-smoking initiatives.Fitzgerald’s resignation also comes amid a flu outbreak that’s seen at least 37 pediatric deaths nationwide. Did Trump Say ‘Opamacare’ in SOTU Speech? An obstetrician-gynecologist who practiced for decades, Fitzgerald had been commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health before former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price appointed her to lead the CDC last year.Price later resigned over his use of private planes as secretary.Photo Credit: Melissa Golden/The Washington Post via Getty Images, File
Source: NBC San Diego