The Biden crime syndicate is well-documented now. More and more officials are being caught.
And now a crime report that’s implicated a leading Biden official has stunned Washington, D.C.
A number of Biden administration officials have been caught committing various types of crimes, from misdemeanors all the way up to felonies that are simply unforgivable in the eyes of the American public. Who can forget the transgender Biden official who was caught literally stealing people’s property over and over?
Sam Brinton, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy within the Department of Energy of the federal government, literally stole thousands upon thousands of dollars of property. Brinton just walked up to someone’s suitcase at an airport while on a work trip and stole it for fun.
Sam Brinton's style makes way more sense when you realize he's just wearing whatever he finds in other people's luggage. pic.twitter.com/FVqNRsVKv7
— Kate Hyde (@KateHydeNY) November 29, 2022
That’s a silly example for sure. But today we have a more concerning example about yet another Biden official committing crimes that are simply tough to swallow.
A watchdog group filed a lawsuit on Tuesday alleging that a previous senior Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employee illegally solicited gifts while functioning in government.
In their complaint, Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) cites emails demonstrating how Kathy Crosby, a high-ranking communications official at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, accepted free admission to an anti-tobacco gala valued at hundreds of dollars after inquiring about the event. PPT said that this amounts to a “seeming violation of federal employee gift regulations” and that the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services should look into it.
The complaint claims that for far too long, the public has been forced to witness how high-ranking federal officials and special interests profit financially from the revolving door in Washington, D.C. “Often, faithful adherence to the principle that public service is a public trust has been tossed by the wayside. Given the myriad examples available, it is not too difficult to wonder the effect that this has had on the public’s health and welfare.”
Emails reveal that Crosby received complimentary tickets to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids’ (CTFK) 2022 banquet in April 2022. Citing her scheduling, Crosby declined to attend that year but requested that the organizers “keep her in mind for next year’s event.”
A year or so later, Crosby replied to the same email thread and inquired about CTFK’s intention to “extend an invitation to any FDA colleagues to attend” the dinner in 2023. Crosby immediately accepted the organization’s offer of free tickets, stating that she “should definitely be able to join” them that year.
The lawsuit states that federal employees are forbidden from soliciting gifts, either directly or indirectly, from sources that are prohibited due to the recipient’s official position, as per federal law, specifically 5 C.F.R. Section 2635. It goes on, “The definition of a gift includes things with monetary value, such as free admission to events.”
The complaint states that there are a few exceptions to this rule. For example, offers under $20 can be accepted by officials.
According to the lawsuit, Crosby received two tickets worth $800 from CTFK, an organization that advocated and lobbied the FDA on several issues.
The watchdog group Functional Government Initiative first got the emails that formed the foundation of PPT’s complaint. Shortly after quitting the FDA, in August 2023, Crosby was appointed president and CEO of the Truth Initiative, an activist group against tobacco and nicotine.
Crosby’s appearance at the CTFK gala was “reviewed and approved by FDA ethics officials” prior to her attendance, the FDA had previously said to reporters.
However, PPT points out in its complaint that the FDA’s answer did not address the tickets’ solicitation.
According to PPT, Crosby might not have told ethics authorities that she had requested the tickets before taking them.
“Crosby’s solicitation of an invitation suggests an intention to leverage her official position to avoid paying for a gala ticket, rather than attending the event in a manner consistent with ethical standards,” the document of the complaint says. “Whether FDA ethics officials approved her attendance at the gala, they very likely did so without access to all material facts. In such circumstances when ethics approval is provided without all material information being provided, no safe harbor is available and a violation of pertinent regulations must be found.”
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
