Whistleblower's 'toxic work environment' may have more to do with his transfer than hydroxychloroquine opposition

There may be more to Dr. Rick Bright's story, Politico reports.

Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority who was leading the country's coronavirus vaccine development, filed a whistleblower complaint earlier this month claiming, among other things, that he was transferred to another position because he refused to cave to Trump administration pressure to push hydroxychloroquine, a potential, but unproven coronavirus treatment favored by the president.

But some current and former BARDA staffers have actually pointed to the institution's work environment as another possible reason for the move. "This type of abuse creates a highly stressful and toxic work environment that ultimately ruins productivity towards the BARDA mission," one staffer wrote in a complaint about Bright in August 2019, which was obtained by Politico. "I only feel relief once I leave for the day."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Another staffer told Politico "we would get yelled at when we didn't provide him with documents that didn't exist." Others ardently defended Bright's leadership.

Either way, the timing of the transfer seemingly lends credence to Bright's suspicions, but some officials told Politico there was a growing consensus among HHS leaders that Bright should move to a different role by late 2019.

Ultimately, Politico notes, there are several aspects of Bright's complaint, such as the White House's determination to rush hydroxychloroquine and dismissed warnings about mask shortages, that are beyond dispute. Read more at Politico.