Biden's Science Advisor: Not One, but Two Scandals

American Thinker.com ^ | February 14, 2022 | Rajan Laad

[Kaslin]

Over the past year, the Biden administration has achieved an ignominious consistency of scandal and incompetence.

There are not one but two concurrent scandals involving the now-former director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Biden's top science adviser Eric Lander.

The first scandal is related to conflict of interest. Politico.com. reported that Lander had significant investments in one of the vaccine makers while he actively promoted COVID-19 vaccination in his official capacity.

Under the White House’s ethics agreement signed by Lander, he had 90 days to sell off his stocks after his appointment on May 28, 2021. During these 90 days, Lander had agreed he would “not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter that to my knowledge has a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of the entity until I have divested it unless I first obtain a written waiver... or qualify for a regulatory exemption.”

Last February, in response to Axios' question about the potential conflict of interest the White House claimed that “Lander is recused from particular matters related to any stocks he holds pending divestiture, including any such matters related to COVID vaccines'

The OSTP also dismissed questions regarding conflict of interest raised by Politico, claiming that “The law is clear -- and conversations and opinion pieces telling people they should get vaccinated during a global pandemic are not even close to an ethics concern”

However, Lander retained stocks of BioNTech SE worth $500,000 to $1 million until Aug. 5, while he promoted COVID-19 vaccines. BioNTech SE, the German biotechnology company and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine partner.

[Travis McGee]

[neverevergiveup]

The Ivy's (and not just the Ivy's) have way too many of these types. These are the self-promoters who use a university name to build their own personal empire - often using graduate students and post-docs as pawns in their machinations.

[Tupelo]

“A fundamental principle of ethics..............”

Surely, this guy is not talking about Washington politicrats.

[COBOL2Java]

Politico reported “In an office of roughly 140 people, 14 current and former OSTP staffers who worked under Lander this past year shared similar descriptions of a toxic work environment where they say Lander frequently bullied, cut off and dismissed subordinates. Nine of those current and former OSTP staffers said Lander yelled and sometimes made people feel humiliated in front of their peers.”

In other words, a male version of Heels-Up

[COBOL2Java]

The White House said Biden did not request Lander’s resignation.

Of course not. When Dr. Jill told him about Lander, Joe said no, he preferred butterscotch.

[COBOL2Java]

Why didn’t the Republicans either block Lander’s confirmation or raise objections when he was confirmed?

"What??? And go against the wishes of the Deep State???"