Fox News' Bret Baier says Dr. Bright testimony may be 'politically damaging' for Trump

Dr. Rick Bright, the ousted federal official who was formerly leading coronavirus vaccine development, on Thursday delivered testimony before Congress that, according to Fox News' Bret Baier, may be "politically damaging" for President Trump.

Bright testified before Congress after filing a whistleblower complaint alleging "cronyism" at the Department of Health and Human Services after being removed as director of its Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. In addition to urging the federal government to ramp up its response to the coronavirus pandemic to prevent more lives from being lost, he alleged in his testimony that the administration was not adequately prepared for the pandemic and that warnings from experts like him were "overlooked" as "pages from our pandemic playbook were ignored by some in leadership."

"This is significant testimony today," Baier said on Fox News. "He does have a lot of experience, and he's telling a story about not being prepared for this pandemic. This is potentially politically damaging for the president."

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Trump has dismissed Bright as just a "disgruntled employee," but Bright, Baier said, "is not discredited easily." The Fox News host added the testimony, which was of "substance," can be seized on by Democrats as an example of Trump "dropping the ball" on the crisis.

Bright has alleged he was removed from his position in part because he wouldn't back the Trump-touted hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment, and the Office of Special Counsel recently found "reasonable grounds" to believe his ouster was retaliatory.