CDC Director Who Traded Tobacco Stock Resigns

The Department of Health and Human Services on January 31 announced that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald has resigned from her post following disclosure that she bought shares in a tobacco company, reports Politico . The stock in Japan Tobacco was one of about 12 new investments Fitzgerald made following her installation at the CDC, according to documents obtained by Politico . In addition to Japan Tobacco, Fitzgerald bought tens of thousands of dollars in new stock in at least a dozen companies, including between $1,001 and $15,000 each in Merck, Bayer, and health insurer Humana, as well as between $15,001 and $50,000 in US Food Holding. Fitzgerald was already under congressional investigation for slow-walking divestment from older assets that government officials said posed potential conflicts of interest and prevented her from testifying before Congress.