Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary is publicly accusing the White House of caving to industry lobbyists.
He is the latest former Trump health official to air grievances after Republicans’ losses in last week’s midterm elections, and he told Politico that his criticism was tied to the election results.
“A lot of pressure from White House and HHS aides was not on medical cures or healthy food but instead on getting more vapes approved and catering to lobbyists,” Makary told Politico on Tuesday. “Americans don’t want their kids smoking strawberry banana vapes — they want a government that stands up to corruption.”
“Every time I saw government corruption, I rejected it, just as voters did last week,” Makary said.
According to Politico, the comments appear to be the first time Makary has publicly addressed the pressure he faced from the White House while leading the FDA. He resigned in May, shortly after clashing with the White House over his opposition to authorizing fruit-flavored vape pods.
Makary’s remarks back up recent claims from Calley Means, a former senior adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Days earlier, Means blamed several senior Trump officials, including former chief of staff Susie Wiles, for stalling food and pesticide policies backed by the Make America Healthy Again movement.
The White House has disputed Means’ claims, but he has kept amplifying them on social media.
Makary’s own tenure at the FDA was turbulent. He angered anti-abortion Republicans who wanted the agency to restrict online prescriptions of the abortion pill mifepristone, and drug companies complained about inconsistent product reviews. The agency also lost several longtime career leaders while staff complained about poor management.
The White House did not immediately respond to Politico’s request for comment.