No one who knows him thinks he wants to weaken the regulatory agency he has been chosen to lead. But he has deeper ties to the pharmaceutical industry than any FDA commissioner in recent memory, and some public health advocates question whether his background could tilt him in the direction of an industry he would be in charge of supervising.

– From the All-Gov article: Obama’s Nominee for FDA Chief Scrutinized for Ties to Big Pharma

Nothing from the above quote should surprise anyone. One of the hallmarks of the Obama Administration, has been his penchant for consistently surrounding himself with some of the biggest cronies America has to offer. From choosing Tim Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury, to the coronation of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, the list is almost endless.

Of course, it’s not just his cabinet choices that have justifiably raised eyebrows, but also his nominees to head various agencies, seemingly for the sole purpose of maintaining the status quo and protecting “elite” criminals. No such choice was more blatant than Mary Jo White to head the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As I noted before she even worked a single day on the job: Meet Mary Jo White: The Next SEC Chief and a Guaranteed Wall Street Patsy.

This prediction proved to be accurate in spades, as we learned in subsequent years. See:

Elizabeth Warren Confronts Eric Holder, Ben Bernanke and Mary Jo White on Bankster Immunity

Three Former SEC Officials Write Letter to SEC Chief Mary Jo White Asking Her to Stop Protecting Corporate Cronyism

Moving along, I can’t say much about Obama’s nominee to head the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), since I simply don’t know much about him. Is he being chosen merely to be a gatekeeper for big pharmaceutical companies, or will he be a genuine regulator? Only time will tell, but Obama’s track record doesn’t instill optimism.

From All-Gov:

The new head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) selected by President Barack Obama has very close ties to the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Robert Califf, an FDA deputy commissioner and cardiologist at Duke University, has had considerable dealings, including financial ones, with drug manufacturers, whose products must be approved by the agency he’s been tabbed to lead. “No one who knows him thinks he wants to weaken the regulatory agency he has been chosen to lead,” The New York Times reported. “But he has deeper ties to the pharmaceutical industry than any FDA commissioner in recent memory, and some public health advocates question whether his background could tilt him in the direction of an industry he would be in charge of supervising.” Daniel Carpenter, a Harvard political science professor, told the Times: “In a sense, he’s the ultimate industry insider.”

For related articles, see:

Video of the Day – John Oliver on Pharma Company “Marketing to Doctors”

How Doctors Prescribing Meds Based on Drug Company Payoffs is Further Evidence of Systemic Failure

Fraud Alert: FDA Allowed Drugs with Fraudulent Testing to Remain on the Market

Deaths from Prescription Drugs Now Exceed Those Related to Cocaine and Heroin Combined

How a $1 Bag of Salt Water Becomes a $546 Bill at Hospitals

In Liberty,

Michael Krieger



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