Despite Ousted Vaccine Official’s Valid Complaints, A Murkier Picture Of His Dismissal Emerges
Rick Bright, an ousted HHS official, says he was targeted because he spoke out against President Donald Trump's push to use malaria drugs to treat COVID patients. But others in the agency say that some of Bright's own staff spent months raising concerns about his leadership, including a complaint filed by a person in Bright’s office last summer.
Politico:
Colleagues Paint A Mixed Picture Of Ousted Vaccine Chief
Some parts of an explosive whistleblower complaint against the Health and Human Services department are beyond dispute. Rick Bright, the department’s ousted vaccine expert, has assembled a 63-page complaint filled with damning allegations: that Trump appointees pressured health officials to rush unproven malaria drugs; that his warnings about mask shortages were ignored; and that senior leaders repeatedly missed opportunities to grapple with threats posed by Covid-19. Those claims are backed up by emails released by Bright, interviews conducted by POLITICO and, in some cases, President Donald Trump’s own public statements. (Diamond, 5/13)
The Washington Post:
Trump Adviser Navarro Declines Invitation To Testify Before House Panel On Vaccine Official’s Whistleblower Complaint
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro — who repeatedly warned colleagues about the coronavirus in memos earlier this year — is declining to testify before a House panel Thursday about a whistleblower’s complaint that mentions him at length. Navarro, the latest figure to draw the interest of lawmakers probing the Trump administration’s handling of the crisis, had been invited to appear before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health. (Costa, 5/12)
