Trump admin illegally retaliated against pandemic whistleblower, reports say

Enlarge / Rick Bright, head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, listens during a House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on Thursday, March 8, 2018. In the background is Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (credit: Getty Images | Bloomberg)

The Trump administration is facing pressure from a federal watchdog agency to reinstate the whistleblower who President Trump claimed is "a disgruntled employee who's trying to help the Democrats win an election."

Rick Bright, an immunology expert who led the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) until he says he was forced out of his position, reportedly got good news from the US Office of Special Counsel, which is investigating his whistleblower complaint.

"A federal investigative office has found 'reasonable grounds to believe' that the Trump administration was retaliating against a whistleblower, Dr. Rick Bright, when he was ousted from a government research agency combating the coronavirus-and said he should be reinstated for 45 days while it investigates, his lawyers said Friday," The New York Times wrote.

Read 8 remaining paragraphs | Comments