By ALI SWENSON

NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday voted to advance a candidate openly supportive of President Donald Trump to be inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services, a role that is traditionally viewed as nonpartisan.

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The 14-13 vote in the Republican-led Senate Finance Committee sends Thomas March Bell’s nomination to the full, Republican-controlled Senate, where he is expected to be confirmed to lead the office charged with investigating fraud, waste and abuse in the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The Republican candidate’s outspoken alignment with Trump and his history of working for GOP lawmakers for decades have raised questions about his independence for a role that’s intended to scrutinize and root out frau

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