Trump’s response to whistleblower interview on ’60 Minutes’ included tagging Maine Sen. Susan Collins
Collins, who faces reelection in 2020, has advocated for whistleblowers in the past.
Related Links
In response to a “60 Minutes” interview with whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright, President Donald Trump tagged Maine Sen. Susan Collins in one of a series of tweets on Sunday.
Trump’s social media activity following the CBS program was spurred by Bright’s continued criticism of the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Bright, formerly the head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), testified in front of a House of Representatives committee on May 14 about what he believes has been an “incoherent” government strategy.
He reiterated this view on 60 Minutes.
“I am frustrated at a lack of leadership,” Bright told reporter Norah O’Donnell. “I am frustrated at a lack of urgency to get a head-start on developing life-saving tools for Americans. I am frustrated at our inability to be heard as scientists. Those things frustrate me.”
“We don’t yet have a national strategy to respond fully to this pandemic,” Bright added.
“We don’t yet have a national strategy to respond fully to this pandemic,” says government scientist Rick Bright, who filed a whistleblower complaint charging the government’s response to coronavirus has been slow and chaotic. https://t.co/U1L3I1AiXS pic.twitter.com/AdEI5ZUQwp
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) May 17, 2020
Bright, who was appointed the head of BARDA in 2016 by then-President Barack Obama, was reassigned in April amid the pandemic to the National Institutes of Health. According to Bright’s 89-page whistleblower complaint, he believes his opposition to Trump administration officials’ push for broader usage of unproven drugs as COVID-19 treatments led directly to his removal from BARDA.
Trump responded Sunday night by echoing his initial reaction to Bright’s testimony, calling him “disgruntled.”
In a follow-up tweet, Trump called whistleblowers a “racket” that “needs to be looked at very closely.” He then tagged Collins, saying “I hope you are listening.”
Collins, a Republican, has advocated for legislation on behalf of whistleblowers in the past, and recently broke with the president over his decision to fire Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community (Atkinson oversaw the Ukraine-related whistleblower complaint made against Trump which led to the impeachment inquiry in the House). Collins called the firing “not warranted.”
In November, Collins will face what increasingly appears to be a difficult re-election campaign. Her decision to vote to vote to acquit Trump of both articles of impeachment during the Senate trial in February drew further further scrutiny.
Watch the entire “60 Minutes” interview with Bright:
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com