THE EFFORTS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO RYE TO SQUASH
IT.
IT. >> DIRECTOR BRENNAN, I KNOW
NICOLE HAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS
FOR YOU.
FOR YOU. WE’RE GOING TO DIP INTO THIS
TELECONFERENCE DR. BRIGHT IS
HOLDING FLANKED BY HIS LAWYERS
AND SEE WHAT’S BEING SAID RIGHT
NOW.
NOW. >> WE ARE HYPERFOCUSED ON A
SINGLE MISSION TO SAVE LIVES, BY
PROTECTING BOTH OUR NATIONAL
SECURITY AND THE HEALTH AND
SAFETY OF PEOPLE AROUND THE
WORLD.
WORLD. I’VE SPENT MY ENTIRE CAREER
STUDYING, PREPARING FOR, AND
LEADING PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE. I’VE LEARNED AND I’VE SERVED IN
VARIOUS ROLES IN GOVERNMENT, IN
INDUSTRY, AND GLOBAL
ORGANIZATION BEFORE JOINING
BARTA IN 2010 TO LEAD OUR
NATION’S EFFORT TO DEVELOP TOOLS
TO RESPOND TO A PANDEMIC.
>> IT WAS MY JOB TO ENSURE THAT
OUR COUNTRY HAD LIFE-SAVING
TOOLS TO BE AS PREPARED AS
POSSIBLE FOR A PANDEMIC LIKE
COVID-19.
COVID-19. AND TODAY, MY TEAM AT BARTA HAS
FORMED OVER 40 INDUSTRY
PARTNERSHIPS TO ACCELERATE THE
AVAILABILITY OF TESTS AND
TREATMENTS AND VACCINES TO
ADDRESS THIS PANDEMIC.
THE PAST FEW YEARS, HOWEVER,
HAVE BEEN BEYOND CHALLENGING.
TIME AFTER TIME, I WAS PRESSURED
TO IGNORE OR DISMISS EXPERT AND
SCIENTIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS.
SCIENTIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS. AND INSTEAD TO AWARD LUCRATIVE
CONTRACTS BASED ON POLITICAL
CONNECTIONS.
CONNECTIONS. IN OTHER WORDS, I WAS PRESSURED
TO LET POLITICS AND CRONYISM
DRIVE DECISIONS OVER THE
OPINIONS OF THE BEST SCIENTISTS
WE HAVE IN GOVERNMENT.
AND ULTIMATELY, I WAS REMOVED
FROM MY POSITION BECAUSE OF MY
CONTINUED INSISTENCE THAT THE
GOVERNMENT INVEST FUNDS
ALLOCATED BY CONGRESS,
HARD-EARNED TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO
ADDRESS THE COVID-19, AND INVEST
THEM INTO SAFE AND
SCIENTIFICALLY VETTED SOLUTIONS,
INSTEAD OF FUNDING PROJECTS THAT
WERE VETTED BY CRONIES OR
POLITICALLY CONNECTED COMPANIES.
MOST RECENTLY, I WITNESS EDED
GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP RUSHING
BLINDLY INTO A POTENTIALLY
DANGEROUS SITUATION BY BRINGING
IN A NON-FDA-APROVED CHLOROQUINE
FROM PAKISTAN AND INDIA, FROM
FACILITIES WHO HAD NEVER BEEN
APPROVED BY THE FDA.
THEIR EAGERNESS TO PUSH BLINDLY
FORWARD WITHOUT SUFFICIENT DATA
TO PUT THIS DRUG INTO THE HANDS
OF AMERICANS WAS ALARMING TO ME
AND MY FELLOW SCIENTISTS.
I COULD NOT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE
IGNORE THE SCIENTIFIC
RECOMMENDATIONS TO LIMIT ACCESS
TO THOSE DRUGS UNDER THE DIRECT
CARE OF A DOCTOR AND INSTEAD
ALLOW POLITICAL AMBITION AND
TIMELINES TO OVERRIDE SCIENTIFIC
JUDGMENT.
JUDGMENT. AND THAT WAS JUST ONE OF THE
MANY IMPROPER THINGS THAT I
PUSHED BACK ON WITH SENIOR
LEADERSHIP WITHIN HHS.
WE ARE IN AN EXTRAORDINARILY
DIFFICULT GLOBAL CRISIS AND THE
WORST MIGHT STILL BE AHEAD OF
US.
US. THERE ARE MANY SCIENTIFIC
QUESTIONS YET TO BE ANSWERED.
WE NEED STRONG LEADERSHIP.
AMERICANS NEED TO HAVE ALL THE
FACTS.
FACTS. THEY NEED TO KNOW THE TRUTH
ABOUT THIS PANDEMIC.
THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO TRUST
THAT THEIR GOVERNMENT AND THE
INFORMATION THEY HEAR FROM
POLITICIANS IS BASED ON
SCIENTIFIC MERIT.
SCIENTIFIC MERIT. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE STRONG
AND RESILIENT.
AND RESILIENT. WE CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH.
WITH ACCURATE AND CONSISTENT
INFORMATION, AMERICANS CAN BE
EMPOWERED TO HELP FIND SOLUTION
SOLUTIONS.
SOLUTIONS. WE NEED TO REESTABLISH TRUST IN
OUR GOVERNMENT AND IN EACH
OTHER, BY WORKING TOGETHER, WE
CAN END THIS OUTBREAK.
WE CANNOT AFFORD TO SILENCE AND
DISMISS SCIENTISTS IN OUR
COUNTRY AND TO STRAIN OR SEVER
OUR TIES FROM SCIENTISTS AROUND
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A TIME IN
OUR LIFE WHERE THEIR VOICE HAS
BEEN NEEDED MORE.
AND OUR SCIENTISTS NEED STRONG
LEADERSHIP, TOO.
LEADERSHIP, TOO. LEADERS THAT PROVIDE THEM WITH
CLEAR AND CONSISTENT GUIDANCE
AND COMMUNICATION.
AND COMMUNICATION. LEADERS WHO TRUST THEIR
PROFESSIONAL SCIENTIFIC JUDGMENT
AND LEADERS WHO REFRAIN FROM
PRESSURING THEM TO SNOERG
SCIENCE, TO BEND THE RULES AND
TO PRIORITIZE POLITICS ABOVE ALL
ELSE.
ELSE. ELSE.
ELSE. IT IS INAPPROPRIATE TO PLACE
DEDICATED SCIENTISTS IN THE
CROSSHAIRS.
CROSSHAIRS. TODAY, I AM ASKING FOR THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL TO INVEST WHAT
HAPPENED TO ME AND FOR THIS
ADMINISTRATION TO REINSTATE ME
AND MY JOB AS THE DIRECTOR OF
BARTA.
BARTA. OUR GOVERNMENT’S FOCUS RIGHT NOW
SHOULD BE ON SAVING LIVES AND
ENDING THIS PANDEMIC WE ARE IN A
RACE AGAINST THE VIRUS, AND
EVERY DAY COUNTS.
IT IS MY SINCERE HOPE THAT MY
TEAM AT BARTA WILL BE ABLE TO
CONTINUE THEIR RACE TO DEVELOP
SAFE AND EFFECTIVE DRUGS, TESTS,
AND VACCINES.
AND VACCINES. AND THAT’S AN ENDEAVOR THAT
REQUIRES ALL HANDS ON DECK