The independent inquiry, kept private until now, says agency leaders feared that addressing accusations of misconduct by a pediatrician would be ‘awkward.’
The agency’s director under three presidents said he was planning to shift his focus back to the lab, and that he hoped his replacement would be a woman.
The party’s struggles in communities that saw declines in manufacturing and union jobs, and health care, could more than offset its gains in metropolitan areas.
The department said it was reviewing its initial decision to not seek charges against agents who failed to pursue sexual abuse allegations against Lawrence G. Nassar.
The announcement came after groups representing school administrators requested federal help in response to a wave of threats over issues such as mask mandates and teaching about racism.
Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Pramila Jayapal asserted that the firms were “abusing the public trust and taking advantage of the revolving door between public service and private profit.”