What is it with the Donald Trump administration? The people he has placed in positions of power keep getting themselves in so much trouble they have to resign or are forced out of their jobs. Now, another one just bit the dust.
It stands to reason that the president has been making poor choices to fill his administration’s leading spots. After all, the only job requirement appears to be that the person worked in the industry he or she is supposed to be guarding the American people against.
Then, there was the 27-year-old newbie that Trump put in place to handle the opioid crisis. The young man did not last a week. Now, the director of a major governmental health department had to resign.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Brenda Fitzgerald just handed in her resignation after news came to light that she bought tobacco stocks. POLITICO reported that she:
‘Bought shares in a tobacco company one month into the leadership of the agency.’
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a statement that read:
‘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. Due to the nature of these financial interests, Dr. Fitzgerald could not divest from them in a definitive time period.’
The fight against cigarette smoking has been a top priority for the CDC for years, because it is “the leading cause of preventable death.” According to NBC News, the centers’ website read:
‘The tobacco industry spends billions of dollars each year on cigarette advertising and promotions. Smoking costs the United States billions of dollars each year.’
The CDC reported that in 2015, 36.5 million Americans continued to smoke, in spite of its massive public relations campaign warning that smoking does cause cancer.
Featured Image via Getty Images/Michael Dodge.
