Appearing Friday on MSNBC, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Democrats will hold a hearing about the dismissal of Dr. Rick Bright, the government vaccine expert who alleges he was removed from his post due to his opposition to the promotion of hydroxychloroquine to treat the Chinese coronavirus.
A partial transcript is as follows:
ANDREA MITCHELL: Madame Speaker, when [President Donald Trump] suggested yesterday — he said, “We’ll have a cure soon,” but at the same time, according to an upcoming whistleblower complaint that we understand from Dr. [Rick] Bright, who was removed from his position in charge of the vaccination research effort, that he’s actually — according to this complaint and his version of it — he was removed from his job by pushing back against the recommendation from the president, the push to validate that malaria medication.
HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: My colleague Congresswoman Anna Eshoo of California is the chair of the health subcommittee of energy and commerce. It was her legislation that established part of that, that Dr. Bright was the head of. She and we all have respected and know his work and respected over time, and follow that work. She will be — I understand — will be having a hearing on the subject. And — and we have to get to the facts, as allegations are made. But this is — this is explosive. But again, we want to be hopeful for the American people and to kind of, along minimize the impact of what the president is saying. When he takes scientists out because they’re not quickly giving approvals to his preferred choice of medicines, that is a danger to our system.