PinOakEO Loc: NA

The woman in charge of the CDC bought stock in tobacco company.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

And???

PinOakEO Loc: NA

DO you know the CDC is? Where is it located?

drainbamage

Well, that's irony defined!

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Yes, unless they moved in since yesterday, but personal investments are just that. I guess I just fail to see any issue.

PinOakEO Loc: NA

[quote=DaveO]Yes, unless they moved in since yesterday, but personal investments are just that. I guess I just fail to see any issue.[/

CDC: Center for Desease Control & prevention, She bought stock in cigarette company.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

[quote=PinOakEO][quote=DaveO]Yes, unless they moved in since yesterday, but personal investments are just that. I guess I just fail to see any issue.[/

CDC: Center for Desease Control & prevention, She bought stock in cigarette company.[/quote]

LOL, so is she being accused of insider trading because she is quite sure tobacco companies will continue to prosper? It is a bit amusing.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

She owned stock in a couple of companies that she was in a position to change the fate of. You don't see a problem with that?

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

It's not insider trading. It's conflict of interest.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

I would like to see the companies affected and what she did to influence their success. Seriously, I missed that and wonder what she may have done to influence legislation or policy.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a leader in smoking-cessation efforts — bought stock shares in a large tobacco company just one month after taking office, a bombshell Politico report reveals.

Director Brenda Fitzgerald, a Trump administration appointee, already owned stock in five other tobacco companies when she assumed leadership of the CDC. Documents revealed Fitzgerald had holdings in Reynolds American, British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands, Philip Morris International, and Altria Group.

Before the CDC, Fitzgerald worked as an obstetrician-gynecologist for three decades and served as Georgia Department of Public Health commissioner from 2011 to 2017. She listed tobacco cessation as one of her primary public health priorities as commissioner in Georgia.

"You don't buy tobacco stocks when you are the head of the CDC. It's ridiculous, it gives a terrible appearance," Richard Painter, George W. Bush's chief ethics lawyer told Politico.

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"It stinks to high heaven," Painter added.

Along with her Japan Tobacco purchases, documents confirm Fitzgerald also bought thousands of dollars of shares in several health-care companies, including Merck & Co, Bayer and Humana, which the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deemed a conflict of interest, Politico reported.

"Like all presidential personnel, Dr. Fitzgerald's financial holdings were reviewed by the HHS Ethics Office, and she was instructed to divest of certain holdings that may pose a conflict of interest. During the divestiture process, her financial account manager purchased some potentially conflicting stock holdings. These additional purchases did not change the scope of Dr. Fitzgerald's recusal obligations, and Dr. Fitzgerald has since also divested of these newly acquired potentially conflicting publicly traded stock holdings," an HHS spokesperson told Politico.

Records obtained by Politico confirm Fitzgerald sold tobacco on Oct. 26 and all stock holdings above $1,000 by Nov. 21. It took her four months into her tenure as CDC Director to sell her shares.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/30/the-cdc-director-bought-tobacco-and-health-care-stocks-while-in-office.html

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

You don't have to effect the companies to have a conflict of interest. An official should never put themselves in a position where they have to decide whether to do what is in the countries interest or what is in there own interest.

EyeSawYou

https://www.npr.org/2018/01/31/582240393/cdc-director-brenda-fitzgerald-resigns-after-reports-show-investment-in-tobacco-


I agree that it was a serious conflict of interest, its a good thing she resigned over this issue.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Well, according to information provided by you, her financial manager made the purchases and a divesture was completed. Someone looking for an ad hoc headline? I don't think that every time someone throws a topic out without providing support that it needs to be researched. This topic proved to be unworthy of research and was just an attempt at sensationalism. Nothing new for the current administration.

EDIT: Had this info been referenced in the original post, my response would have been different. I fell for a stupid and unqualified post and was to lazy to pursue it before getting involved.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

We're supposed accept anything because Trump is in office? My standards haven't changed and I would hope yours haven't either.