Vaccine expert says he was punished for raising concerns about Trump’s coronavirus response, nepotism
WASHINGTON — Rick Bright, the ousted head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, has filed a formal whistleblower complaint alleging he was involuntarily transferred to a lower position at the NIH because he raised concerns with the Trump administration’s Covid-19 response and with nepotism in the Department of Health and Human Services.
Among the most explosive accusations: Bright’s complaint alleges he was pressured by HHS Secretary Alex Azar to allow the distribution of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug, unproven as a Covid-19 treatment that has nevertheless been championed by President Trump. According to the complaint, Bright worked “frantically,” alongside top Food and Drug Administration official Janet Woodcock to resist a plan to distribute the drug widely.
