Rep. Jack Kingston has made his views clear regarding the continuing probe on athletes using performance-enhancement drugs, such as in the case of Lance Armstrong. The representative is looking into who is authorizing the probe, how much has been spent on these investigations, and what results have been gathered on these cases.
He specifically raised questions about FDA criminal investigator Jeff Novitzky who has headed investigations on performance-enhancing drugs on athletes’ Barry Bonds, Roger Clemence, and recently, Lance Armstrong.
As the chief funds controller for the Food and Drug Administration, Rep. Kingston is asking about the activities that Novitzky has undergone. It was noted that for the probes that were made on the above mentioned stars, he was funded for trips to France which was part of the investigating process. The official also asked about the number of employees involved and to whom are they directly reporting to. He also added that due to Lance Armstrong’s stature, he has been made a target of controversies and people in the agency should not make this a criterion on their filing of cases.
For the lawmaker, it is very important that the limited resources of an agency be put on matters with utmost priority. While he is not belittling the case on Armstrong and company, he says there are more issues that need to be resolved such as the growing abuse of prescription medicines. The outcome of the investigation on the athletes is significant, but after the results, what will happen?
There is a need for a transparency on investigations made specifically on the authorizing officials and the costs that are entailed in such acts. The department has limited funding, and so matters with the utmost importance should be on top of the agency’s list.
Tags: Lance Armstrong, Lance Armstrong drug abuse, Lance Armstrong investigation, Lance Armstrong performance enhancing drugs, Lance Armstrong probe, Lance Armstrong steroid abuse, Lance Armstrong steroids
