Elizabeth Warren's New Target: 'Egregious' Conflicts of Interest in Trump's COVID-19 Response

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is leading a group of Democratic lawmakers in an investigation of what they describe as “egregious” financial conflicts of interest in the Trump administration’s coronavirus response, citing top officials’ financial stake in companies involved with the all-important effort to find a COVID-19 vaccine.

In two new letters sent to the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services, the lawmakers singled out Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed, the administration’s breakneck effort to develop a COVID-19 vaccine or treatment, and Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, the leader of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Both Slaoui and Short have key roles in the coronavirus response effort while holding stock in companies whose values could soar from the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to public reporting and financial disclosures.

The two letters — written by Sens. Warren and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) — call on Dr. Slaoui and Short to comply with federal conflict-in-interest laws and, in Short’s case, respond to questions about any decision-making he has participated in that involved companies in which he has a financial stake.

Last month, the administration unveiled its plans for Operation Warp Speed, saying they hoped to have a vaccine ready by January 2021. But if officials involved in that project have financial stakes in companies racing to develop a vaccine, it raises questions about whether those same officials could influence the research and trial process in a way that benefits them financially. There is no clear public evidence of this to date, but the appearance of conflicts of interest is enough to raise alarms among government watchdog groups and members of Congress.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/elizabeth-warren-trump-covid-19-vaccine-pence-operation-warp-speed-1016548/