Today, the House Oversight Committee Republicans are holding a hearing on the CDC’s response to Covid-19. This is yet another attempt by House Republicans to rewrite history. They are not interested in serious oversight of the federal government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, if they were they could easily read the final report that the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis prepared and stop wasting taxpayer dollars on partisan score settling and conspiracy theories.
We know they won’t though, so let’s recap the facts: President Trump intentionally downplayed the severity of the pandemic, spread misinformation, and refused to take the pandemic seriously for the benefit of his own political agenda. The Washington Post and New York Times reported that Trump’s White House interfered at the CDC to water down Covid-19 guidance with suggestions that were not based in science and tried to meddle with the CDC’s weekly disease outbreak reports. Just months before the pandemic began, the Trump administration got rid of a CDC public health job based in China that was about helping detect disease outbreaks in the country.
If House Republicans are looking for something to investigate, they could, yet again, go to Jared. House Republicans could look at how in the early days of the pandemic Kushner stacked a response team with private equity and consulting volunteers who had little expertise with obtaining personal protective equipment (PPE) desperately needed by hospitals and health care professionals, and then one of the contracts organized by the team resulted in a state seeking to recover $69 million after a vendor failed to deliver 1,000 ventilators. A Kushner friend running the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation also reportedly told a task force volunteer without epidemiology expertise to make a virus model that specifically projected a low casualty count. The FEMA Inspector General also recently said Kushner’s other effort, Project Airbridge, “appears to have had little impact in reducing critical PPE shortages for healthcare workers who needed supplies most” and the $238 million spent “may have been better spent on other Covid-19 initiatives.” They could also look at how the Trump administration awarded multimillion-dollar contracts to untested, unvetted companies and companies with Trump connections.
You can’t spell corrupt government response to the pandemic without Jared or Trump.
President Trump Intentionally Downplayed The Severity Of Covid-19, Choosing Instead To Push Conspiracy Theories
PRESIDENT TRUMP INTENTIONALLY DOWNPLAYED THE SEVERITY OF COVID-19…
HEADLINE: “Trump Acknowledges He Intentionally Downplayed Deadly Coronavirus, Says Effort Was To Reduce Panic” [Washington Post, 9/9/20]
- President Trump On What He Said Publicly About Covid-19 Despite Knowing It Was Dangerous: “I Wanted To Always Play It Down.” “The book, using Trump’s own words, depicts a President who has betrayed the public trust and the most fundamental responsibilities of his office. In ‘Rage,’ Trump says the job of a president is ‘to keep our country safe.’ But in early February, Trump told Woodward he knew how deadly the virus was, and in March, admitted he kept that knowledge hidden from the public. ‘I wanted to always play it down,’ Trump told Woodward on March 19, even as he had declared a national emergency over the virus days earlier. ‘I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.’ If instead of playing down what he knew, Trump had acted decisively in early February with a strict shutdown and a consistent message to wear masks, social distance and wash hands, experts believe that thousands of American lives could have been saved.” [CNN, 9/9/20]
President Trump Admitted That He Knew Covid-19 Was Dangerous, Airborne, Highly Contagious And “More Deadly Than Even Your Strenuous Flu.” “President Donald Trump admitted he knew weeks before the first confirmed US coronavirus death that the virus was dangerous, airborne, highly contagious and ‘more deadly than even your strenuous flus,’ and that he repeatedly played it down publicly, according to legendary journalist Bob Woodward in his new book ‘Rage.’ ‘This is deadly stuff,’ Trump told Woodward on February 7. In a series of interviews with Woodward, Trump revealed that he had a surprising level of detail about the threat of the virus earlier than previously known. ‘Pretty amazing,’ Trump told Woodward, adding that the coronavirus was maybe five times ‘more deadly’ than the flu.” [CNN, 9/9/20]
President Trump Publicly Claimed Covid-19 Was “Going To Disappear” And “All Work Out Fine.” “Trump’s admissions are in stark contrast to his frequent public comments at the time insisting that the virus was ‘going to disappear’ and ‘all work out fine.’” [CNN, 9/9/20]
…AND HE LATER CHOSE TO SPREAD ELECTION CONSPIRACIES RATHER THAN DEAL WITH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AFTER HE LOST IN 2020
Following The November 2020 Election, President Trump Chose To Spread Conspiracy Theories About The Election Rather Than Address The Worsening Pandemic. “The rise in cases and deaths in November coincided with a drop in visibility from Trump and Pence. Following the Nov. 3 election, the two went many days without public appearances. Whenever the president did speak or weigh in on Twitter, it was usually about his desire to overturn the election results, not about the worsening pandemic.” [Washington Post, 12/19/20]
PRESIDENT TRUMP REFUSED TO TAKE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC SERIOUSLY AND ACTIVELY SPREAD MISINFORMATION
HEADLINE: “How Trump Let Covid-19 Win” [Vox, 9/22/20]
HEADLINE: “Trump’s Entire Coronavirus Response Is Massive Political Corruption” [Intelligencer, 4/15/20]
President Trump Refused To Take Seriously The Covid-19 Pandemic, Which Stemmed From His Skepticism Of Science, Impatience With Health Restrictions, Prioritization Of Personal Politics Over Public Safety, Chaotic Management Style, Indulgence Of Conspiracies And Flagrant Disregard Of Others. “The catastrophe began with Trump’s initial refusal to take seriously the threat of a once-in-a-century pandemic. But, as officials detailed, it has been compounded over time by a host of damaging presidential traits — his skepticism of science, impatience with health restrictions, prioritization of personal politics over public safety, undisciplined communications, chaotic management style, indulgence of conspiracies, proclivity toward magical thinking, allowance of turf wars and flagrant disregard for the well-being of those around him.” [Washington Post, 12/19/20]
Experts Said Trump’s Repeated Downplaying Of Covid-19 Created An Opening For Reckless Behavior That Contributed To A Significant Increase In Infections And Deaths. “Trump’s repeated downplaying of the virus, coupled with his equivocations about masks, created an opening for reckless behavior that contributed to a significant increase in infections and deaths, experts said. ‘The central and most important thing we needed was national leadership from the president to be able to really lead with empathy,’ said Anita Cicero, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. ‘It seemed much more focused on the administration as the lead character, rather than communities in need.’” [Washington Post, 12/19/20]
Washington Post: “Trump’s Performances Were Riddled With Misinformation, Contradictions And Indecorous Boasts, While Also Predicting Miracles And Promoting Cure-All Therapeutics.” “Trump’s performances were riddled with misinformation, contradictions and indecorous boasts, while also predicting miracles and promoting cure-all therapeutics. Trump often said he was trying to be a ‘cheerleader’ for the country, and a senior administration official explained that the president has said he drew lessons from Norman Vincent Peale’s ‘The Power of Positive Thinking.’” [Washington Post, 12/19/20]
President Trump’s Public Statements About Covid-19 Contradicted What Mike Pence’s Task Force Told State Leaders
Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Said Mike Pence’s Covid-19 Task Force Would Tell Governors One Thing And Then President Trump Would Say Something Else In Public. “But there were consequences for Trump’s often too-rosy takes. Hogan — who as chairman of the National Governors Association helped lead regular meetings among governors and task force members, sometimes including Trump — said there was ‘a huge disconnect’ between what was agreed to by Pence and members of the task force and what the president told the public. ‘We would have a great meeting that might have lasted an hour or two with all the top folks focused on the virus, and then the president would have one of those rambling press conferences that went on maybe an hour too long and he said the opposite of what others in the administration told us that day,’ Hogan recalled.” [Washington Post, 12/19/20]
The Trump Administration Undermined The Federal Government’s Response To Covid-19
HEADLINE: “Trump’s Focus As The Pandemic Raged: What Would It Mean For Him?” [New York Times, 12/31/20]
House Select Committee That Investigated The U.S. Response To Covid-19 Found The Trump Administration Engaged In “Deliberate Efforts” To Undermine The United States’ Response To Covid-19 In Service Of President Trump’s Political Agenda. “The Trump administration engaged in ‘deliberate efforts’ to undermine the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic for political purposes, a congressional report released Friday concludes. The report, prepared by the House select subcommittee investigating the nation’s Covid response, says the White House repeatedly overruled public health and testing guidance by the nation’s top infectious disease experts and silenced officials in order to promote then-President Donald Trump’s political agenda.” [NBC News, 12/17/21]
MONTHS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ELIMINATED A CDC JOB IN CHINA THAT COULD HAVE WARNED THE U.S. EARLIER ABOUT COVID-19
HEADLINE: “Trump Says China “Should Have Told Us” About Coronavirus. He Removed The Official Meant To Do That.” [Vox, 3/23/20]
HEADLINE: “Trump Administration Nixed Key CDC Job In China Months Before The Coronavirus Outbreak” [Slate, 3/22/20]
Months Before The Covid-19 Pandemic Began, The Trump Administration Got Rid Of A Key U.S. Public Health Position In Beijing That Was Intended To Help Detect Disease Outbreaks In China. “Several months before the coronavirus pandemic began, the Trump administration eliminated a key American public health position in Beijing intended to help detect disease outbreaks in China, Reuters has learned. The American disease expert, a medical epidemiologist embedded in China’s disease control agency, left her post in July, according to four sources with knowledge of the issue. The first cases of the new coronavirus may have emerged as early as November, and as cases exploded, the Trump administration in February chastised China for censoring information about the outbreak and keeping U.S. experts from entering the country to help. […] As an American CDC employee, they said, Quick was in an ideal position to be the eyes and ears on the ground for the United States and other countries on the coronavirus outbreak, and might have alerted them to the growing threat weeks earlier.” [Reuters, 3/22/20]
TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE REPORTEDLY INTERFERED WITH CDC GUIDANCE ON COVID WITH SUGGESTIONS THAT WERE NOT BASED ON SCIENCE
HEADLINE: “‘Like A Hand Grasping’: Trump Appointees Describe The Crushing Of The C.D.C.” [New York Times, 12/16/20]
Washington Post Reported That The Trump White House Interfered At The CDC To Water Down Covid-19 Guidelines With Suggestions That Were Not Based On Science. “The White House also made governors’ jobs more difficult by interfering at the CDC, which was forced to water down reopening guidelines for businesses, schools, restaurants and other facilities after a cadre of White House and administration officials weighed in with suggestions that were not based on science.” [Washington Post, 12/19/20]
The Editor In Chief Of The CDC’s Flagship Weekly Disease Outbreaks Reports Told House Democrats That She Was Ordered To Destroy An Email That Showed Trump Appointees Trying To Meddle With The Publication. “Last week, the editor in chief of the C.D.C.’s flagship weekly disease outbreak reports — once considered untouchable — told House Democrats investigating political interference in the agency’s work that she was ordered to destroy an email showing Trump appointees attempting to meddle with their publication.” [New York Times, 12/16/20]
Jared Kushner Led A Covid-19 Response Team Filled With Private Equity Volunteers Who Had No Previous Experience Managing Assigned Tasks
HEADLINE: “Kushner Coronavirus Effort Said To Be Hampered By Inexperienced Volunteers” [Washington Post, 5/5/20]
- The Coronavirus Response Team Led By Jared Kushner Relied on Volunteers From Consulting And Private Equity Firms With Little Expertise On Obtaining Supplies For Hospitals Along With Other Tasks They Were Assigned. “The coronavirus response being spearheaded by President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has relied in part on volunteers from consulting and private equity firms with little expertise in the tasks they were assigned, exacerbating chronic problems in obtaining supplies for hospitals and other needs, according to numerous government officials and a volunteer involved in the effort.” [Washington Post, 5/5/20]
- The Team Responsible For PPE Had Little Success Securing Equipment Given Their Lack Of Knowledge And No Clear Understanding Of The Rules Required To Obtain Said Tools. “The document alleges that the team responsible for PPE had little success in helping the government secure such equipment, in part because none of the team members had significant experience in health care, procurement or supply-chain operations. In addition, none of the volunteers had relationships with manufacturers or a clear understanding of customs requirements or Food and Drug Administration rules, according to the complaint and two senior administration officials.” [Washington Post, 5/5/20]
HEADLINE: “Shocking: Jared Kushner’s Young Consultant Army Was Clueless On Coronavirus” [Vanity Fair, 5/6/20]
- Vice News: “[Kushner] Also Actively Mismanaged The Effort To Obtain Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) And Other Supplies For Healthcare Workers At A Time When They Were Needed Most.” “It wasn’t just Kushner’s words about the pandemic, either: He also actively mismanaged the effort to obtain personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies for healthcare workers at a time when they were needed most.” [Vice News, 6/16/21]
HEADLINE: “Jared Kushner’s Shadow Coronavirus Task Force Used A Spreadsheet Called ‘VIP Update’ To Procure PPE From Inexperienced Trump Allies Over Legitimate Vendors“ [Business Insider, 5/6/20]
The Trump Administration Gave Other People With No Relevant Infectious Disease Or Public Health Expertise The Highest Level Of Access
Trump Administration Gave Someone With No Infectious Disease Or Public Health Background A Lead Spot On Its Covid-19 Task Force With “The Most Coveted Level Of White House Access,” From Which He Bragged About His Access And Clashed With Other Task Force Members. “Scott Atlas found himself in Trump’s orbit the way so many do: through the television screen. A neuroradiologist with no infectious-disease or public health background, Atlas joined the coronavirus response team in August as a special government employee, after a few senior Trump advisers — Kushner, McEntee and Hope Hicks — were impressed by his appearances on cable news. Atlas began working out of Kushner’s office suite, and quickly scored a blue badge — the most coveted level of White House access — and a spot on the coronavirus task force. Though many were skeptical of him, the vice president’s team felt that if Atlas was going to be part of the virus response, then he needed to be a full-fledged member of the effort, said two people familiar with the decision. Atlas pushed a controversial ‘herd immunity’ strategy — of letting the virus spread freely among the young and healthy — and clashed with others on the task force, many of whom described him as combative and condescending. He lorded his seemingly unfettered access to the president over the group and, as one senior adviser said, ‘The science just got totally perverted with Scott in the room.’” [Washington Post, 12/19/20]
- Former CDC Chief Of Staff Kyle McGowan Said Scott Atlas Was “Telling The World Lies From A Bully Pulpit, From A Position Of Power, And I Believe People Died Because Of That.” “During another task force meeting, Atlas argued that it would be reasonable to consider substantially fewer mitigation efforts, allowing people to become infected. Instead, Atlas said, officials should focus their efforts on protecting those in nursing homes. Birx retorted that the vulnerable were not only in nursing homes, prompting agreement by other doctors in the group. ‘Dr. Scott Atlas has caused people to lose their lives because he stood at the White House podium and told people masks may not work and he told people we should get over it and build up herd immunity,’ said McGowan, the former CDC chief of staff. ‘He’s telling the world lies from a bully pulpit, from a position of power, and I believe people died because of that.’” [Washington Post, 12/19/20]
KUSHNER FRIEND REPORTEDLY TOLD HIS VOLUNTEER TASK FORCE, WHICH DID NOT HAVE EPIDEMIOLOGY EXPERTISE, TO MAKEA VIRUS MODEL THAT PROJECTED A LOW CASUALTY COUNT
A Volunteer On Kushner’s Volunteer Consultant Team Said Director Of The Center For Medicare And Medicaid Innovation Asked Another Volunteer To Make A Covid-19 Model That Specifically Projected A Low Casualty Count. “[Private Growth Equity Firm Senior Associate Max ] Kennedy said that Brad Smith, the director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and a friend of Kushner, asked him and another volunteer to make a coronavirus model for 2020 that specifically projected a low casualty count. When Kennedy noted that he had no training in epidemiology and had never modeled a virus before, he recalled, Smith told him that it was just like making a financial model. The other models made by the health experts, Smith explained, were ‘too catastrophic.’ ‘They think 250,000 people could die and I want this model to show that fewer than 100,000 people will die in the worst-case scenario,’ Kennedy said Smith told him. ‘He gave us the numbers he wanted it to say.’ Kennedy and the other volunteer refused to make the model. But he said the incident left him discomfited.” [Washington Post, 12/19/20]
- Director Of The Center For Medicare And Medicaid Innovation Reportedly Told Kushner Task Force Volunteer That Making A Virus Model Was The Same As Making A Financial Model. “[Private Growth Equity Firm Senior Associate Max ] Kennedy said that Brad Smith, the director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and a friend of Kushner, asked him and another volunteer to make a coronavirus model for 2020 that specifically projected a low casualty count. When Kennedy noted that he had no training in epidemiology and had never modeled a virus before, he recalled, Smith told him that it was just like making a financial model. The other models made by the health experts, Smith explained, were ‘too catastrophic.’ ‘They think 250,000 people could die and I want this model to show that fewer than 100,000 people will die in the worst-case scenario,’ Kennedy said Smith told him. ‘He gave us the numbers he wanted it to say.’ Kennedy and the other volunteer refused to make the model. But he said the incident left him discomfited.” [Washington Post, 12/19/20]
ONE OF THE BOGUS CONTRACTS ORGANIZED BY KUSHNER’S TEAM WENT ON TO COST THE GOVERNMENT NEARLY $70 MILLION
HEADLINE: “How Kushner’s Volunteer Force Led a Fumbling Hunt for Medical Supplies” [New York Times, 5/5/20]
- Kushner-Led Volunteers Passed Along Procurement Forms Submitted By A Silicon Valley Engineer Promising 1,000 Ventilators, Who Then Received A $69 Million Dollar Contract – No Ventilators Were Delivered And New York State Had To Seek To Recover The Lost Funds. “At least one tip the volunteers forwarded turned into an expensive debacle. In late March, according to emails obtained by The Times, two of the volunteers passed along procurement forms submitted by Yaron Oren-Pines, a Silicon Valley engineer who said he could provide more than 1,000 ventilators. Mr. Kushner’s volunteers passed the tip to federal officials who then sent it to senior officials in New York, who assumed Mr. Oren-Pines had been vetted and awarded him an eye-popping $69 million contract. Not a single ventilator was delivered, and New York is now seeking to recover the money.” [New York Times, 5/5/20]
Watchdog Said Money For Kushner’s “Project Airbridge” May Have Been Better Spent On Other Covid-19 Initiatives
Watchdog Said Kushner-Run Project Airbridge “Appears To Have Had Little Impact In Reducing Critical PPE Shortages For Healthcare Workers Who Needed Supplies Most.” “A new watchdog report says that FEMA didn’t provide sufficient oversight for Project Airbridge, an initiative started early in the pandemic by the Trump administration to mitigate medical supply chain issues and deliver personal protective equipment to locations in need that Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner played a big part in. While acknowledging the initiative was a ‘potential solution’ for the crisis the Homeland Security inspector general report said, ‘FEMA went from concept to implementation of Project Airbridge in about one week, without assessing the capacity of the distributors’ commercial supply chains.’ Also, the project ‘appears to have had little impact in reducing critical PPE shortages for healthcare workers who needed supplies most,’ said the report. ‘The project’s $238 million may have been better spent on other COVID-19 initiatives.’ FEMA leadership agreed with the IG’s recommendations, but disagreed with some of its alleged characterizations. FEMA announced in June 2020 it was phasing out Project Airbridge.” [Government Executive, 2/10/23]
FEMA Inspector General On Project Airbridge: “The Project’s $238 Million May Have Been Better Spent On Other COVID-19 Initiatives.” “We understand the need to mitigate supply chain disruptions. However, FEMA still had a responsibility to spend funds on verified needs. Although airlift initiatives move items quickly, they are not justified when inventory growth exceeds distribution rates. During Project Airbridge, the distributors’ supply chains were functioning, they had significant PPE inventories, and they imported more PPE than Project Airbridge. FEMA should have implemented better controls to assess and adjust operations based on distributors’ inventories and supply lines, but it did not. Additionally, Project Airbridge appears to have had little impact in reducing critical PPE shortages for healthcare workers who needed supplies most. Only one of the six distributors satisfied the MOA minimum 50 percent compliance requirement of total shipments. Thus, the project’s $238 million may have been better spent on other COVID-19 initiatives. FEMA should leverage lessons learned from this audit when contemplating and undertaking future private-government partnerships.” [FEMA, Inspector General, February 2023]
The Trump Administration Awarded Large Covid-19 Contracts To Untested Companies And Firms With Connections To The Trump White House
HEADLINE: “Documents Show Trump Officials Skirted Rules To Reward Politically Connected And Untested Firms With Huge Pandemic Contracts” [ProPublica, 3/31/21]
Trump White House Advisor Peter Navarro Reportedly Verbally Awarded A $96 Million Deal For Respirator To A Company With Trump Connections And Later Pressured FEMA To Sign The Contract. “A top adviser to former President Donald Trump pressured agency officials to reward politically connected or otherwise untested companies with hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts as part of a chaotic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the early findings of an inquiry led by House Democrats. Peter Navarro, who served as Trump’s deputy assistant and trade adviser, essentially verbally awarded a $96 million deal for respirators to a company with White House connections. Later, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency were pressured to sign the contract after the fact, according to correspondence obtained by congressional investigators. Documents obtained by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis after a year of resistance from the Trump administration offer new details about Navarro’s role in a largely secretive buying spree of personal protective equipment and medical supplies.” [ProPublica, 3/31/21]
Trump White House Advisor Peter Navarro Reportedly Pressured The Biomedical Advanced Research And Development Authority (BARDA) To Award A $354 Million Contract To A Untested Pharmaceutical Company. “In another communication, Navarro was so adamant that a potential $354 million contract be awarded to an untested pharmaceutical company that he told the top official at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, ‘my head is going to explode if this contract does not get immediately approved.’ Navarro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.” [ProPublica, 3/31/21]
The Trump Administration Awarded A $3 Million Contract For Former Deputy Chief Of Staff Zach Fuentes’ New Company, Which Used It To Provide Masks Unsuitable For Medical Use To Navajo Nation Hospitals And Masks That Were Not The Type Specified In Procurement Data. “A former White House aide won a $3 million federal contract to supply respirator masks to Navajo Nation hospitals in New Mexico and Arizona 11 days after he created a company to sell personal protective equipment in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Zach Fuentes, President Donald Trump’s former deputy chief of staff, secured the deal with the Indian Health Service with limited competitive bidding and no prior federal contracting experience. The IHS told ProPublica it has found that 247,000 of the masks delivered by Fuentes’ company — at a cost of roughly $800,000 — may be unsuitable for medical use. An additional 130,400, worth about $422,000, are not the type specified in the procurement data, the agency said.” [ProPublica, 5/22/20]
The Trump Administration Paid $7.3 Million To Recently Formed Company Headed By An Ex-Telemarketer Accused Of Fraudulent Practices To Create Test Tubes And The Company Provided Tubes Made For Bottling Soda, Which Were Unusable. “Since May, the Trump administration has paid a fledgling Texas company $7.3 million for test tubes needed in tracking the spread of the coronavirus nationwide. But, instead of the standard vials, Fillakit LLC has supplied plastic tubes made for bottling soda, which state health officials say are unusable. […] The Federal Emergency Management Agency signed its first deal with Fillakit on May 7, just six days after the company was formed by an ex-telemarketer repeatedly accused of fraudulent practices over the past two decades. Fillakit has supplied a total of more than 3 million tubes, which FEMA then approved and sent to all 50 states. If the company fulfills its contractual obligation to provide 4 million tubes, it will receive a total of $10.16 million.” [ProPublica, 6/18/20]
The Trump Administration Awarded A Company With No Experience Selling Medical Equipment, No Supply Chain Expertise, And No Credit A $34.5 Million Contract To Supply VA Hospitals With N-95 Masks – The Deal Fell Apart. “It remains a mystery why the CEO of Federal Government Experts LLC let me observe his frantic effort to find 6 million N95 respirators and the ultimate unraveling of his $34.5 million deal to supply them to the Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, where 20 VA staff have died of COVID-19 while the agency waits for masks. It’s also unclear why the VA gave Stewart’s fledgling business — which had no experience selling medical equipment, no supply chain expertise and very little credit — an important contract. Or why the VA agreed to pay nearly $5.75 per mask, a 350% markup from the manufacturer’s list price. In the end, after ProPublica asked questions about the deal this week, the VA quickly terminated it and referred the case to its inspector general for investigation.” [ProPublica, 5/1/20]
Clients Of Trump-Connected Lobbyists Reportedly Received Up To $10.5 Million Of Covid-19 Response Spending During The Trump Administration. “The need for oversight of Trump administration coronavirus spending has reached an inflection point.[1] Over the past few weeks, there have been reports that 27 clients of Trump-connected lobbyists have received up to $10.5 billion of that spending;[2] that beneficiaries have also included multiple entities linked to the family of Jared Kushner and other Trump associates and political allies;[3] that up to $273 million was awarded to more than 100 companies that are owned or operated by major donors to Trump’s election efforts;[4] that unnecessary blanket ethics waivers have been applied to potential administration conflicts of interest;[5] and that many other transactions meriting further investigation have occurred.[6]” [Brookings Institution, 7/22/20]
Up To $273 Million Of Trump-Era Covid-19 Relief Spending Was Awarded To More Than 100 Companies That Were Owned Or Operated By Major Trump Campaign Donors. “The need for oversight of Trump administration coronavirus spending has reached an inflection point.[1] Over the past few weeks, there have been reports that 27 clients of Trump-connected lobbyists have received up to $10.5 billion of that spending;[2] that beneficiaries have also included multiple entities linked to the family of Jared Kushner and other Trump associates and political allies;[3] that up to $273 million was awarded to more than 100 companies that are owned or operated by major donors to Trump’s election efforts;[4] that unnecessary blanket ethics waivers have been applied to potential administration conflicts of interest;[5] and that many other transactions meriting further investigation have occurred.[6]” [Brookings Institution, 7/22/20]