White House trade adviser Peter Navarro called Dr. Rick Bright, a top vaccine researcher, a “deserter” in the war against the coronavirus Sunday.
“The tragedy, is George this man has talent, he’s a smart man. We could have used him on the battlefield. He’s not there now and it’s because of decisions that he made,” Mr. Navarro said on ABC News “This Week.”
“They’re putting him in diagnostic testing. Why shouldn’t a vaccine expert be working on vaccines?” he added.
Mr. Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), told Congress Thursday that top officials at the Department of Health and Human Services ignored his early warnings about needing a vaccine and issues with the supply chain.
He also filed a whistleblower complaint — which includes information related to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Mr. Navarro — claiming he was demoted out of retaliation for pushing back against research the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, an existing malaria drug that the president touted but has since toned down.
Mr. Navarro, who did pass along some of Mr. Bright’s concerns and ideas in those early months, said everything he did was transparent with the White House task force on the coronavirus.
