Whistleblower Doc Says He Was Pressured To Funnel Contracts To Trump Cronies
He says HHS leadership pressured him to ignore recommendations and award lucrative contracts based on cronyism.
The HHS vaccine doctor who filed a whistleblower complaint says he was pressured to put politics over science:
"Meantime, one of the top vaccine experts says he was fired for prioritizing science and safety over politics," CNN correspondent Joe Johnson reports.
"Dr. Rick Bright led the biomedical research subdivision of the Department of Health and Human Services until he was suddenly removed last month and reassigned to a lower level position. In a new whistle-blower complaint filed with the Office of the Special Counsel, he flagged the emerging threat of COVID-19 by early January 2020 and in result, encountered indifference which then developed into hostility from HHS leadership. Dr. Bright writing in the complaint that from 2017 until he was removed, HHS leadership pressured Drs. Bright and Barda to ignore recommendations and award lucrative contracts based on cronyism."
Quelle surprise!
"Very damaging. The thing is, this points to the larger condition. Where are the ethics in all of this?"
"The Department of Human Services is responding, writing 'Dr. Bright was transferred to NIH to work on diagnostics testing critical to combating COVID-19. We're disappointed that he has not shown up to work.'"
"Bright's complaint also claims his resistance to the wide use of the drug hydroxychloroquine, the malaria drug, contributed to his removal. The president has pushed hard for the drug as a treatment. We expect to hear more about the complaint from Dr. Bright himself when he testifies at Capitol Hill before a House subcommittee next week," Johnson said.