Jared Kushner put a dozen young volunteers in charge of finding PPE. It went poorly, 1 reports.

Jared Kushner
(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

The team of private-sector and government allies White House adviser Jared Kushner assembled in March to refill coronavirus-depleted federal stockpiles of masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment included a dozen or so young volunteers recruited by Kushner from private equity, venture capital, and consulting firms. These volunteers, mostly in their 20s and some straight out of college, "had little to no experience with government procurement procedures or medical equipment," The New York Times reports.

"The nature and scale of the response seemed grossly inadequate," one former volunteer, who sent a whistleblower complaint to the House Oversight Committee on April 8, told the Times. "It was bureaucratic cycles of chaos." The small team worked "12+ hour days, seven days per week, but frankly has little to show for it," the complaint said. Key elements were confirmed by the Times and The Washington Post, which first reported the whistleblower's letter Tuesday afternoon.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.