Is there a connection between Donald Rumsfeld and aspartame?
Dynamite question. I can usually find the humor in anything, but the answer to this one – well, you can draw your own conclusions. Yes, to answer your question, there’s a huge connection between Donald Rumsfeld and Aspartame (NutraSweet). As CEO of Searle, Rumsfeld was a major player in winning FDA approval for Aspartame. “Since its discovery in 1965, controversy has raged over the health risks associated with the sugar substitute [aspartame]. From laboratory testing of the chemical on rats, researchers have discovered that the drug induces brain tumors. On Sept 30, 1980 the Board of Inquiry of the FDA concurred and denied the petition for approval. In 1981, the newly appointed FDA Commissioner, Arthur Hull Hayes, ignored the negative ruling and approved aspartame for dry goods. As recorded in the Congressional Record of 1985, then CEO of Searle Laboratories DONALD RUMSFELD said that he would “call in his markers” to get aspartame approved. Rumsfeld was on President Reagan’s transition
