Ousted Vaccine Official Accuses HHS Of Nepotism, Silencing His Complaints About Unproven Drug

The New York Times: Who Is Rick Bright? The Coronavirus Whistle-Blower Who Said The Trump Administration Steered Contracts To Cronies
A federal scientist who says he was ousted from his job amid a dispute over an unproven coronavirus treatment pushed by President Trump said Tuesday that top administration officials repeatedly pressured him to steer millions of dollars in contracts to the clients of a well-connected consultant. Rick Bright, who was director of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority until his removal in April, said in a formal whistle-blower complaint that he had been protesting “cronyism” and contract abuse since 2017. (Stolberg, 5/5)

Politico: Ousted Vaccine Expert Accuses HHS Of Political Pressure In Formal Complaint
Bright has previously said he believed he was removed from his BARDA role overseeing billions of dollars of vaccine, drug and test funding, because of his hesitation to back hydroxychloroquine. Others within HHS have disputed his accusation, saying he signed off on the request for the FDA to authorize emergency use of the drug in late March. By the time the coronavirus pandemic began mounting in January, Bright said leaders including Azar and Kadlec were gunning for his removal, after multiple disputes over funding contracts with political or personal ties. (Owermohle, 5/5)

The Associated Press: Senior Scientist Says Administration Ignored Virus Warnings
“I witnessed government leadership rushing blindly into a potentially dangerous situation by bringing in a non-FDA approved chloroquine from Pakistan and India, from facilities that had never been approved by the FDA,” Bright said Tuesday on a call with reporters. “Their eagerness to push blindly forward without sufficient data to put this drug into the hands of Americans was alarming to me and my fellow scientists.” Bright filed the complaint with the Office of Special Counsel, a government agency that investigates retaliation against federal employees who uncover problems. He wants his job back and a full investigation. (Alonso-Zaldivar, Balsamo and Long, 5/6)

Reuters: Ousted U.S. Whistleblower Says Trump Health Official Played Down Coronavirus Threat
Rick Bright says in the complaint filed with a government watchdog that he warned about the virus in January and was met with hostility from Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and other high-ranking officials in the agency. “Dr. Bright acted with urgency to begin to address this pandemic but encountered resistance from HHS leadership, including Secretary Azar, who appeared intent on downplaying this catastrophic threat,” reads the complaint, which his lawyers filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. (Wolfe, 5/5)

Stat: Vaccine Expert Says Demotion Followed Criticism Of Coronavirus Response
The explosive complaint also contains a number of highly detailed accusations of nepotism surrounding Bob Kadlec, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS. The complaint alleges Kadlec repeatedly pressured Bright over the course of a number of years to fund scientifically dubious projects connected to personal friends. (Florko, 5/5)

The Washington Post: HHS Official Rick Bright Alleges He Was Demoted For Resisting Push For Hydroxychloroquine
Bright portrays himself in the 89-page complaint as an administration health official trying to sound the alarm about the virus beginning in early January. He said he called for the rapid development of treatments and vaccines, as well as the stockpiling of additional N95 face masks and ventilators, at a time when HHS political leadership, including Secretary Alex Azar, appeared to him to be underestimating the threat. (Abutaleb and McGinley, 5/5)

The Wall Street Journal: Vaccine Expert Alleges Top U.S. Health Officials Resisted Coronavirus Warnings
Dr. Bright alleged that HHS supply-chain officials “pushed back” on continuing warnings about mask shortages, according to the complaint, “insisting that there was no indication of a supply chain shortage or of issues with masks, and therefore there was no need to take immediate action.” The officials said the CDC would tell people not to wear masks if they don’t need them, according to the complaint. Dr. Bright said he responded, “Do you really believe that changing a CDC guideline to tell people not to wear masks would reduce the panic people would feel once this virus spreads?” (Armour, Berzon and Grimaldi, 5/5)

NPR: Rick Bright, Former Top Vaccine Scientist, Files Whistleblower Complaint
"Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, however, Dr. Bright became even more alarmed about the pressure that Dr. Kadlec and other government officials were exerting on BARDA to invest in drugs, vaccines, and other technologies without proper scientific vetting or that lacked scientific merit," the complaint continues. "Dr. Bright objected to these efforts and made clear that BARDA would only invest the billions of dollars allocated by Congress to address the COVID-19 pandemic in safe and scientifically vetted solutions and it would not succumb to the pressure of politics or cronyism." (Wamsley, 5/5)

CNN: Ousted Vaccine Director Files Whistleblower Complaint Alleging Coronavirus Warnings Were Ignored
Bright told reporters he and fellow scientists found the administration's "eagerness to push blindly forward without sufficient data" on chloroquine "alarming." "I could not in good conscience ignore the scientific recommendations to limit access to those drugs under the direct care of a doctor, and instead allow political ambition and timelines to override scientific judgment. And that was just one of the many improper things I pushed back on with senior leadership within HHS," he said. (Collins, Diamond and Liptak, 5/5)

In other news —

The Hill: GOP Lawmaker Calls For Probe Into VA Referrals During Pandemic 
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is calling for an investigation into the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) over its handling of referrals for veterans to receive care amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to VA Inspector General Michael Missal on Tuesday, Biggs noted that a top VA official in March instructed leadership at regional care systems "to pause the use of access standards to authorize referrals to the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP).” (Brufke, 5/5)