A government official who accused the Trump administration of failing in its coronavirus responsibilities has stepped down and said he was forced to resign.
Lawyers for whistleblower and vaccine expert Dr. Rick Bright said he had been demoted at the National Institutes of Health, where he was transferred in March this year after being booted out as director of a biodefense agency.
The scientist alleged the Trump administration's response to the health crisis was chaotic and slow and concentrated on politics not health. Bright filed a 300-page whistleblower complaint earlier this year.
According to his lawyers Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, Bright was forced to quit his post at NIH because "he can no longer sit idly by and work for an administration that ignores scientific expertise," CBS News quoted them saying.
Banks had no choice but to leave because he can't work with an administration that "disrespects scientists, resulting in the sickness and death of hundreds of thousands of Americans," the report added.
A representative for NIH, in response to Bright's departure, confirmed he had "resigned, effective today," adding that the health agency "doesn't discuss personnel issues beyond confirming employment," Politico reported.
Bright, who headed the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, told members of the U.S. Congress in May he was sidelined after reducing the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.
Trump and his allies at the time touted the use of the antimalarial vaccine despite a lack of proof that it was safe and effective against the coronavirus.
Bright's lawyers said officials at the NIH disregarded a national coronavirus testing program Bright developed because the vaccine expert had become "politically noxious" within Trump circles. Trump has repeatedly criticized Bright - describing him as "disgruntled."
