Key House Democrat opposes CNN’s Gupta for surgeon general

WASHINGTON (AP) - A key Democratic House member is rallying opposition to Dr. Sanjay Gupta becoming the next surgeon general.

    House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers contends the 39-year-old CNN chief medical correspondent lacks experience.

    Conyers is calling on Democrats to sign onto a letter to President-elect Barack Obama urging him not to nominate Gupta.

    CNN has said Obama approached Gupta to become the next surgeon general. Obama has not yet announced his choice for the position, which typically disseminates public health information.

    Gupta hosts “House Call” on CNN, contributes reports to CBS News, and writes a column for Time magazine. He is a neurosurgeon and on the faculty at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

    During the Clinton administration, he was a White House fellow and special adviser to then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.