FDA Official May Have Broken Law by Intimidating Agency Critics

After four FDA food safety experts told Congressional investigators that the agency's inspection capabilities ranged from mediocre to terrible, agency water-carrier Margaret Glavin issued a not-so-veiled rebuke that may have violated federal law.

Slate has a detailed blow-by-blow of the affair. In an email sent to employees in her division, Glavin -- the associate commissioner for regulatory affairs -- said:

I am deeply sadened by this assessment because I know that it is not an accurate reflection of ORA's performance.... I know that many of you were also disappointed, and perhaps even angry, at this erroneous statement.

House energy and oversight subcommittee leaders John Dingell
(D-Michigan) and Bart Stupak (D-Michigan) weren't impressed. In a letter to FDA chief Andrew von Eschenbach, they wrote:

Ms. Glavin's central message appears to be that dissent within the ranks will not be tolerated. This is tantamount to retaliation for her employees' sworn testimony to congress. As such, it is a clear violation of your policy to protect the right of FDA
employees to express dissenting opinions to Congress....

Moreover, her actions may violate federal law prohibiting anyone from interfering with the right of a Federal employee to provide information to Congress. The question, now, is what you, as FDA Commissioner, are going to do....

Talk about throwing down the glove. Stay tuned, and for more general details about the hearings and the FDA's (temporarily suspended) plans to improve inspections by shutting down labs, read our earlier coverage.
Ix-Nay About Ood-Fay Afety-Say! [Slate]

Image: USDA (where Glavin used to work). Apologies for the weird watercolor effect -- the FDA doesn't even have Glavin's picture, and the only one I could find was a thumbnail so tiny that even Noise Ninja couldn't save it.