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President Donald Trump on Thursday called vaccine expert Rick Bright a “disgruntled employee” who should no longer work for the U.S. government, as he was set to testify to a House committee about the coronavirus pandemic.
Bright says in his testimony that the U.S. faces its “darkest winter in modern history” without a stronger response to the pandemic.
In testimony prepared for the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing, Bright says “our window of opportunity is closing. If we fail to develop a national coordinated response, based in science, I fear the pandemic will get far worse and be prolonged, causing unprecedented illness and fatalities.”
Bright has alleged he was reassigned from his role as Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority director because he resisted political pressure to allow widespread use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug favored by Trump as a prospective coronavirus treatment but which is unproven as a remedy for COVID-19.
In a tweet, Trump said Bright “should no longer be working for our government!”
In a May 5 complaint, Bright said he wants to be reinstated as BARDA director.
Caitlin Oakley, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, told MarketWatch in an email on Wednesday: “This is a personnel matter that is currently under review. However, HHS strongly disagrees with the allegations and characterizations in the complaint from Dr. Bright.” HHS oversees BARDA.
