Good salacious stuff for a Friday.  Apparently the scuttlebut inside the FDA is that reason that the FDA acting commissioner Crawford’s nomination is being held up is because he’s favoring an FDA staffer. What this means, according to a much more frank article in FDA Webview is that he’s hoofing his secretary and taking her on lots of "business" trips.

FDA Webview has learned that the investigation into FDA commissioner-nominee Lester M. Crawford requested by Senate HELP Committee chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) involves an anonymous allegation that Crawford has been having an affair with his special assistant, Susan Bond. A close confidant has denied any affair exists, however. According to well-placed sources, the investigation Enzi asked FDA’s Office of Internal Affairs (OIA) to conduct involves allegations of waste of government resources in unnecessary travel expense and irregular promotion of Bond to her present position. OIA, which has a long history of ineptness, secrecy and bullying, reports directly to Crawford, raising questions as to why Enzi turned to it instead of the HHS Office of the Inspector General, which has a much better record. Personnel issues, however, especially those involving improper use of government resources, are within OIA’s charter.

I’m of the opinion that what you do with your private parts in your private life is private, and that so long as you’re doing your job well who cares? But I suspect several of the Republican Senators on the confirmation committee don’t agree with me, and I suppose a government official shouldn’t play favorites (although of course they all do).  What with holding back on Plan B, it does appear that Mr Crawford’s "family values" planning is a little awry.