CDC Cronyism Exposed: Scientists With Integrity Call out the Agency’s Corrupt Industry Ties

by Daniel Barker

According to its mission statement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “conducts critical science” to protect Americans against health threats. But can an agency with deep ties to various industries really conduct research and formulate policy in a critical, unbiased manner?

The Alliance for Natural Health USA (ANH-USA) says no.

In fact, the ANH-USA has repeatedly uncovered evidence of industry influence on the agency – for example, that of food corporation giant Coca-Cola. Barbara Bowman, director of the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, recently resigned her post at the CDC after her long-term connection with Coca-Cola was made public. Bowman was once a senior nutritionist at Coca-Cola, and has been accused of granting favors to a lobby group backed by the beverage maker.

According to ANH-USA, Coca-Cola was able – with Bowman’s help – to influence the setting of WHO sugar limits.

Now, the ANH-USA reports that a group of ethically-minded scientists within the CDC have sent a letter to the CDC chief of staff voicing their concerns regarding rampant corporate influence over the agency. (RELATED: Find more news about government corruption at Corruption.news)

CDC SPIDER exposes influence from ‘outside parties and rogue interests’

The group calls itself CDC Scientists Preserving Integrity, Diligence, and Ethics in Research (CDC SPIDER), and the introduction of their letter reads as follows:

“We are a group of scientists at CDC that are very concerned about the current state of ethics at our agency. It appears that our mission is being influenced and shaped by outside parties and rogue interests. It seems that our mission and Congressional intent for our agency is being circumvented by some of our leaders. What concerns us most is that it is becoming the norm and not the rare exception.”

The letter describes several troubling examples of conflict of interest and influence from outside the agency, including the Bowman Coca-Cola scandal and others.

The fact that a group of scientists from within the agency found it necessary to take such an action is strong evidence that such influence actually exists, prompting the ANH-USA to ask:

“Are vaccine manufacturers influencing CDC leaders concerning childhood vaccinations, as we’ve long believed? Are potential whistleblowers being threatened and silenced to protect industry interests? How can we put our children’s health in the hands of an agency that has this level of corruption being reported by its own scientist employees?”

Valid questions all, and ones which must be addressed by the CDC if the agency expects to be given any credibility at all.

Industry lobbying is nothing new, and a certain level of interaction between various industries and the agencies charged with regulating them is unavoidable – corporations should have some input in the regulatory process, and agencies should not necessarily be in conflict with their interests.

Can Donald Trump fix a rigged regulatory system?

However, the system has been rigged by those with deep pockets who seek to subvert agency agendas to suit their interests. Agencies such as the CDC have been deliberately infiltrated by industry insiders like Barbara Bowman, and the scales have been tipped in industry’s favor.

Far from conducting “critical science,” the CDC provides the research results and regulatory guidelines that corporations such as Coca-Cola pay them for. (See more examples of fake science at FakeScience.news)

Current CDC director, Thomas Frieden, will step down this month, and president-elect Donald Trump has not yet announced his successor. It will be interesting to see how the incoming president handles the appointment and the subsequent management of the agency.

Trump has indicated that he believes vaccines are linked to autism. If he appoints a new CDC director who echoes that sentiment, then the CDC could indeed be headed in an entirely new direction.

The incoming president has a chance to do the right thing in draining the CDC swamp – provided he selects the right person for the job.