Ex-Trump Admin Scientist Rick Bright Speaks Out, Blasts ‘Reckless and Irresponsible’ Push to Approve Vaccine Before Election
The former director of the nation’s vaccine development agency, Dr. Rick Bright called out the Trump White House’s public push to get a Covid-19 vaccine approved before Election Day.
Appearing on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper, Bright condemned the White House as “shameful” for silencing scientists within the administration who have tried to buck political pressure in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. He himself filed a whistleblower complaint in the spring after he claims he was demoted from the top job at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for directly questioning Trump’s fondness for the unproven drug hydroxychloroquine. (Trump, who tested positive for Covid last week, has notably not been treated with that drug for his infection.)
“The reality is that it’s irresponsible and reckless for the President of the united States to drive the valuation of something as critical as a vaccine to meet an election timeline,” Bright said, referring to President Donald Trump’s repeated suggestions that Operation Warp Speed will approve a vaccine by Election Day. “He is doing that. He’s mentioned it on numerous occasions, that he wants the vaccine before the election. There’s no rationale in scientific judgment to move that vaccine to meet that target date. He is not a scientist. He’s not a doctor. I say let the scientists do their job.”
“The president says he’s trying to cut through the red tape, that there’s too much bureaucracy. He’s trying to push things around to save lives,” Tapper noted.
“That’s not true. Not at all,” Bright said, pushing back. “The scientists are working at breakneck speeds. It is unprecedented to see how fast they’re moving through the steps. One step you cannot rush is the safety evaluation of that vaccine after it’s put into people. It takes time.”
“Why are we doing so much more poorly than any other comparable country?” Tapper later asked, pointing out the nation’s infection rate and death rate is among the worst in the world.
“Because of failed leadership. Because of a reluctance to admit there was a problem. Because of a reluctance to tell America the truth. Because of a reluctance to take critical actions upfront,” Bright explained. “It disgusted me last night to hear Vice President [Mike] Pence try to say that President Trump did all he could by putting in a travel ban from China in January. That is the only thing they actually talked about that they ever did. That alone was so insufficient to get in front of this virus. They don’t recognize that many people, hundreds of thousands of people were already coming into our country with this virus. So, that one small travel ban, that’s the only thing they hold out that they did, was not enough.”
Watch above, via CNN.
