Acting FDA Chief Defends 2014-2017 Planned Parenthood Work as Nomination Doubts Grow
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · May 15
Acting FDA Chief Defends 2014-2017 Planned Parenthood Work as Nomination Doubts Grow
4 articles · Updated · POLITICO · May 15
Kyle Diamantas is trying to reassure abortion opponents that he objected to representing Planned Parenthood and removed himself from the case, even as his past legal work clouds any bid to lead the FDA permanently.
Court records from 2014 to 2017 show Diamantas, then at Baker Donelson, served as co-counsel in a Florida dispute over a Kissimmee clinic’s ability to perform abortions, provide ultrasounds and dispense emergency contraception.
The White House said he was a junior associate assigned by superiors and later stepped away on moral grounds, but neither administration officials nor former colleagues could say when that happened.
An opposing lawyer said Diamantas told him around 2015 that he had stopped working on the case, yet Diamantas’ name still appeared on some Florida Supreme Court briefs as late as 2017.
Senate HELP Committee conservatives say those inconsistencies would draw scrutiny if he is formally nominated, with aides questioning whether pro-life senators can trust his record.
Can a lawyer with no medical background restore faith in the FDA's scientific integrity amid a public health crisis?
How will an FDA chief who represented corporate clients in lawsuits regulate those same industries, like infant formula?