The head of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resigned Wednesday on the heels of a bombshell report that she had purchased stock in a tobacco company soon after taking her job, which oversees smoking-cessation programs.
Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, who is an ob-gyn, also had owned stock in other tobacco companies prior to assuming her post almost six months ago as one of the nation’s top health officials.
A lengthy delay in Fitzgerald’s divestment of her stock holdings, which included shares in health-care companies, was cited by the Trump administration Wednesday morning as the reason for her resignation.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar confirmed this morning that he’s accepted her resignation, citing Fitzgerald’s “complex financial interests.”
And while this appears to be the appropriate resolution of the controversy, perhaps the White House can explain why Fitzgerald was tapped for this job in the first place? Can Team Trump discuss what kind of vetting process it used when choosing her for this post?
Postscript: The directorship of the CDC is not a Senate-confirmed position. In this case, Trump can’t share the blame with lawmakers since Fitzgerald was appointed, not confirmed.
, oh and Brent is still a Trump apologist. 
