Consumer Law

An Update on Colonel Klink?s FDA

By Andy Hoffman

Last week, we told you how FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Torti had written a memo to his staff warning against any sort of whistle-blowing behavior and threatening ?disciplinary sanctions and/or individual criminal liability? to those who failed to take heed.

Now it seems Senator Chuck Grassley, the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has penned a fiery missive of his own?to Mr. Torti.  In it, Grassley defended FDA employees who released pertinent information, referring to them as ?patriotic.?

?I have serious concerns that your memorandum goes beyond legitimate privacy concerns and appears to run contrary to many statutes protecting executive branch communications with members of Congress,? wrote Grassley.  ?Denying or interfering with employees? rights to furnish information to Congress is also against the law.?

Full post as published by ThePopTort on March 26, 2009 (boomark / email).