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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 6 May 2020
Scientist: Trump officials ignored warnings on drug, virus

Continued from Front outbreak was under con-
trol. Bright felt officials had
To date, there have been “refused to listen or take
nearly 1.2 million confirmed appropriate action to ac-
cases in the United Sta- curately inform the public”
tes and more than 70,000 and spoke to a reporter
deaths. who was working on a story
Bright also said the Trump about the drug.
administration rejected his He said he had to tell the
warnings on COVID-19, the public about the lack of
disease caused by the vi- science backing up its use,
rus. despite the drug being pu-
He said he “acted with ur- shed by the president as
gency” to address the gro- press briefings, to protect
wing spread of COVID-19 people from what he be-
after the World Health Or- lieved “constituted a sub-
ganization issued a war- stantial and specific dan-
ning in January. ger to public health and
But he said he “encoun- safety,” the complaint says.
tered resistance from HHS “As the death toll mounted
leadership, including He- exponentially each day,
alth and Human Services Dr. Bright concluded that
Secretary (Alex) Azar, who he had a moral obligation
appeared intent on down- Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks about protecting seniors, in the East Room to the American public, in-
playing this catastrophic of the White House, Thursday, April 30, 2020, in Washington. Associated Press cluding those vulnerable as
event.” a result of illness from CO-
Bright alleges in the com- muscle or nerve damage. the United States would that time in order to save VID-19, to protect it from
plaint that political appoin- In late January, Bright said face from the coronavirus lives.” Navarro’s memos drugs which he believed
tees at the Department of he made an effort to ramp and asked (Bright) to iden- to top White House offi- constituted a substantial
Health and Human Servi- up federal procurement of tify the supply chain and cials raised alarms even and specific danger to pu-
ces tried to promote hy- N95 respirator masks, after medical countermeasures as Trump was publicly as- blic health and safety,” the
droxychloroquine “as a pa- having heard warnings that most critical to address at suring Americans that the complaint says.q
nacea.” a global shortage could
The officials also “de- imperil first-responders. Trump pick to oversee rescue
manded that New York But he said his boss, As-
ed’ with these drugs, which ning and Preparedness spending pledges impartiality
sistant Secretary for Plan-
and New Jersey be ‘flood-
were imported from facto- Robert Kadlec, gave short
ries in Pakistan and India shrift to the warnings during By MATTHEW DALY and
that had not been inspec- a meeting Jan. 23. MARY CLARE JALONICK
ted by the FDA,” the com- At another meeting that Associated Press
plaint says. day, Health and Human WASHINGTON (AP) —
But Bright opposed broad Services Secretary Alex President Donald Trump's
use of the drug, arguing Azar and Kadlec “res- choice to oversee a sig-
the scientific evidence ponded with surprise at nificant chunk of the $2
wasn’t there to back up its (Bright’s) dire predictions trillion economic rescue
use in coronavirus patients. and urgency, and asser- law is pledging to con-
He felt an urgent need to ted that the United States duct audits and investi-
tell the public there wasn’t would be able to contain gations "with fairness and
enough scientific evidence the virus and keep it out,” impartiality.'' Brian Miller, a
to support using the drugs the whistleblower com- lawyer in the White House
Brian Miller, a lawyer in the White House counsel’s office,
for COVID-19 patients, the plaint said. counsel's office, told the waits ahead of a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
complaint states. Publicly, HHS was saying Senate Banking Commit- Committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington,
Last month, the U.S. Food it had all the masks that tee during his confirma- Tuesday, May 5, 2020.
and Drug Administration would be needed. tion hearing on Tuesday Associated Press
warned doctors against Bright found an ally in White that "independence is vi- come before me and to defense during impeach-
prescribing the drug ex- House trade adviser Peter tal" for the special inspec- use my authority and re- ment — is troubling, Dem-
cept in hospitals and re- Navarro, who was also ur- tor general for pandemic sources to uncover fraud, ocrats and watchdog
search studies. In an alert, gently concerned about recovery. The post would waste and abuse.'' groups said.
regulators flagged reports the virus. place him in charge of Miller has worked at the Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown,
of sometimes fatal heart The complaint described a overseeing a roughly $500 Justice Department and top Democrat on the
side effects among coro- series of contacts with Na- billion Treasury fund for in- was inspector general for banking panel, ques-
navirus patients taking hy- varro’s office that led to a dustry created as part of nearly a decade at the tioned whether Miller will
droxychloroquine or the meeting between Bright the economic rescue law General Services Admin- be able to hold the Trump
related drug chloroquine. and the trade official on approved in late March. istration, which oversees administration account-
The decades-old drugs, at the White House on a In written testimony, Miller thousands of federal con- able for how it administers
also prescribed for lupus Saturday early in February. pledged to be vigilant in tracts. While he is respect- the business program and
and rheumatoid arthritis, Bright said his boss, Kadlec protecting the integrity ed in the oversight com- "guarantee that corpo-
can cause a number of was not pleased. and independence of his munity, Miller's role in the rations getting taxpayer
side effects, including heart “Navarro clearly shared office and vowed "to seek White House counsel's of- money put their workers
rhythm problems, severely (Bright’s) concerns about the truth in all matters that fice — which led Trump's first." q
low blood pressure and the potential devastation