Lawmakers criticize the FDA for surveillance operation

CBS/iStockphoto

(CBS News) Two members of Congress, one Republican and one Democrat, expressed concern over the news that the Food and Drug Administration monitored the communication of five scientists after they raised concerns about medical imaging devices.

The surveillance campaign, according to The New York Times, gathered more than 80,000 pages of documents of communication between five scientists and journalists, members of Congress, lawyers and President Obama.

"The extent to which the FDA spied on employees' personal email is shocking. The more we learn, the more disturbing it is," Senator Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said. "The FDA's actions raise serious implications for the right of any agency employee to make protected disclosures about waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, or public safety to Congress or anyone else."

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said: "It is absolutely unacceptable for the FDA to be spying on employees who reach out to members of Congress to expose abuses or wrongdoing in government agencies. The FDA should be focused on resolving these complaints rather than retaliating against its employees."

The surveillance began after a long-running dispute at the FDA, according to The Times, where scientists raised concerns over reviews of medical imaging devices, claiming the devices provided patients receiving mammograms and colonoscopies too much radiation.

After the surveillance began, four of the scientists lost their jobs.

"The agency's effort appears to have been extensive and targeted to intercept confidential communications. Retaliation appears to have been swift," Grassley wrote in a statement.

FDA officials told the Times the monitoring was necessary because the scientists were thought to have been leaking confidential information.

It is unclear who at the FDA authorized the program.

[1stlttightwad]

What's new in the Obama administration's culture of corruption.

[Montana5]

Members of the most do-nothing Congress in US history criticizing someone else....this is laughable regardless of merit. Kind of like having being lectured on your behavior by Lindsey Lohan and Charlie Sheen.

[cubscout09]

Senator Grassley, collaborating with a Federal Trade Union???
...To strengthen Union rights???

www.nteu282.org (whistleblower)

Egad!!! He's gonna get primaried by the Tea Party.

[Eco99]

I disagree. The issue with most if not all the Government Agencies is that they are headed by political appointees that usually know nothing about the agency they are heading or come from the private industries they now have to regulate and typically have huge conflicts of interest. Look at all the ex-Monsanto executives that have been in charge.

The whole political appointee model (spoils system) needs to be abolished and career scientists, etc need to be running these departments/agencies. Lets not forget they were monitoring scientists that were upset about approvals of devices they exposed people to dangerous radiation. That is something the public should know but unfortunately, private companies have more rights in this country than actual citizens.

[MaxK341]

The FDA is a rogue irresponsible organization that serves no useful purpose and is wasting taxpayers money. It should be abolished.

[smittyc]

I don't know enough to comment about this particular situation but overall the FDA does a great job and quite frankly are responsible for keeping millions of Americans out of harms way.

[speakthetrut]

FDA should be abolished?

I bet you are a TEA sucker and don't even know what FDA is, or what they do. As soon as you saw the word "Federal" you decided it is bad.

If FDA is corrupt, it is because of corrupt government officials made it so. FDA is a federal body, and congress influence it tremendously.

Before going to polling booth next time, try doing some investigation on your own (spend a day doing that), and vote for the "good" candidates instead of voting for a party. If everyone do that, then we will have less corruption in our government. That will reflect on the conduct of private businesses as well.