CDC Director Resigns Amid Reports She Bought Tobacco Company Stock

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stepped down from her position amid reports she purchased stock in a tobacco company while leading the agency.

A spokesperson for Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Azar accepted Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald's resignation Wednesday.

The spokesperson added, "Dr. Fitzgerald owns certain complex financial interests that have imposed a broad recusal limiting her ability to complete all of her duties as the CDC Director."

Fitzgerald's decision came the day after Politico reported she bought shares in a tobacco company just one month after taking over as director.

That seems to be at odds with the CDC's mission to curb smoking, which is a leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.

As of early Wednesday, Fitzgerald herself had yet to comment.