NASHUA, N.H. — After Opioid Lobbyist Cinde Warmington failed to answer for lies regarding her time as a Purdue Pharma lobbyist contradicting state officials, she once again offered zero answers and yet another excuse when pressed about her more than a decade of advocacy on behalf of one of New Hampshire’s most notorious pill mills.
Warmington continues to claim ignorance at the time to the dangers of OxyContin, despite contradictory testimony and repeated warnings from state officials during her time with Purdue Pharma. However, Warmington has avoided discussing the next decade of work advocating for PainCare, LLC, which continued even after the company made headlines for its role in the opioid crisis.
Transcript:
Adam Sexton: …there was a subsequent period advocating for PainCare, LLC, and they’re one of the most prolific prescribers of opioids in the state, so this was longer than just that brief period of advocacy.
Cinde Warmington: No, my work for Purdue Pharma lasted for nine months and ended in 2002.
Sexton: Right, but then PainCare, LLC?
Warmington: PainCare was just one of hundreds of doctors that I represented…
“It’s not shocking that Opioid Lobbyist Cinde Warmington can’t explain her years of work for New England’s most notorious pill mill — you can’t defend the indefensible,” said Ayotte campaign spokesman John Corbett. “This is another clear example of Opioid Lobbyist Warmington putting her own self-interest ahead of New Hampshire, and it’s why she will never be Governor.”
The Truth About Warmington’s Past Pill Mill Advocacy:
For more than a decade, Warmington served as a lawyer for Dr. Michael O’Connell and his PainCare network, a chain of pain clinics that became synonymous with the opioid crisis in the Granite State. One of its providers was convicted for taking illegal kickbacks for prescribing opioids, and news reporting found the company’s practices helped worsen the opioid epidemic.
Warmington didn’t just represent PainCare behind the scenes — she repeatedly fought on its behalf. She represented O’Connell after he surrendered his medical license, helped negotiate a settlement for a doctor tied to the kickback scandal, lobbied against legislation that would prevent doctors with revoked licenses from owning a medical practice, and even met with NHPR to defend PainCare’s public image.
After Warmington defended O’Connell and his pill mills for years, O’Connell fueled her political campaigns with nearly $50,000.00 in donations.
