Significant Gaps Are Common In States’ Ethics Requirements For Public Health Officials, Investigation Finds
Politico found that in 1 out of 5 states, top public health officials are not subject to any disclosure for financial holdings. This explains why Indiana Surgeon General Jerome Adams' financial stake in tobacco and pharmaceutical stocks wasn't publicly known until he was picked for a federal position.
Politico:
Lax State Ethics Rules Leave Health Agencies Vulnerable To Conflicts
When Surgeon General Jerome Adams was the top health official in Indiana, he owned thousands of dollars in tobacco and pharmaceutical stocks which potentially conflicted with his state responsibilities. Those stocks were never revealed under lax Indiana disclosure laws. His investments became public only when he was required to divest them to serve as the nation’s top doctor — and HHS says he is in full compliance with federal ethics laws. (Ehley, Karlin-Smith, Pradhan and Haberkorn, 8/12)
In other news on Trump administration officials —
The New York Times:
U.S. Ambassador Denies Threatening Ecuador Over Breast-Feeding Resolution
An American diplomat involved in an effort by the Trump administration to prevent the introduction of a breast-feeding resolution at a global health conference this spring denied making threats to Ecuador, the country that initially sponsored the resolution. In an interview, Todd C. Chapman, the United States ambassador to Ecuador, said that allegations reported by The New York Times on July 8 that he threatened Ecuadorean officials with trade sanctions and withdrawal of some military assistance were “patently false and inaccurate.” (Jacobs and Belluck, 8/12)
