House Democrats are calling on the inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to investigate the reassignment of an official charged with overseeing the development of a coronavirus vaccine.
On Wednesday, Dr. Rick Bright, the former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) told The New York Times he was removed from his post because he pushed for extra scrutiny of a pair of malaria drugs President Donald Trump has touted a potential cure for the virus, as IJR has previously reported.
The next day, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) sent a letter to Christi Grimm, the principal deputy inspector general of HHS, calling for an investigation of Bright’s allegations.
“I have been particularly concerned by the Trump Administration’s politicization of public health agencies. This most recent action, if true, further raises serious questions about the commitment of President Trump and his Administration to science and the public good as the government and the nation work to combat an unprecedented global health pandemic,” the letter read.
Check out the letter below:
House Democrats call on Principal Deputy Inspector General Christi Grimm to investigate Dr. Rick Bright's allegation that "political considerations" influenced his removal. pic.twitter.com/815BOxVk1P
— Bradley Cortright 🇺🇸 (@bradmcortright) April 23, 2020
Pallone argues that removing Bright, without the presence of his allegations, would “raise serious concerns.” However, “His allegations that political considerations influenced this decision heighten those concerns and demand full accountability.”
Pallone continued to note that Trump has repeatedly pushed the use of chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate to help treat the virus “despite the absence of clinical trial data demonstrating the drugs’ safety and efficacy in treating the disease, and against the warnings of his own public health experts.”
He also noted that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommended against the use of the pair drugs, as IJR has previously reported.
“Now, more than ever — in the midst of a global health pandemic, and with an Administration stacked with political leaders who repeatedly pander to a President intent on burying science and dismantling agencies’ longstanding missions for the public good — we must ensure our government’s scientific institutions are insulated from political pressure,” Pallone said.
Pallone noted that Bright said he would ask for an inspector general review of “the manner in which this administration has politicized the work of BARDA and has pressured me and other conscientious scientists to fund companies with political connections and efforts that lack scientific merit.”
“In addition to accepting his request, I urge you to investigate the circumstances surrounding Dr. Bright’s reassignment,” he added.
Bright reportedly praised the acquisition of those two drugs in an internal HHS email. Additionally, Politico reports that Trump administration officials had been trying to remove Bright since last year for “incompetence and insubordination.”