Jared Kushner's coronavirus task-force has blundered through the health crisis and hamstrung his ability to fight the pandemic, a whis...
Jared Kushner's coronavirus task-force has blundered through the health crisis and hamstrung his ability to fight the pandemic, a whistleblower has alleged.
The former insider complained the president's son-in-law's group is under-qualified and under-resourced to command such influence over the White House's response.
Inexperience has led to a string of missed opportunities, particularly in botched efforts to stockpile personal protection equipment, they claim.
The group of private sector workers came from companies such as Google and Goldman Sachs with the idea that their dealmaking expertise would help provide masks, gloves, ventilators and other needed equipment.
Instead they achieved little - and found themselves dealing with a 'VIP list' of Donald Trump's cronies and Fox News stars, one of whom - Jeanine Pirro - called repeatedly to demand 100,000 masks for a New York hospital.
The whistleblower has now made an official complaint to the House Oversight Committee, seen by the Washington Post.
They are the latest administration official to gripe that Kushner has parachuted a handful of his young friends and associates into key roles, in scenes which have been likened to a 'frat party'.
Jared Kushner's coronavirus taskforce has blundered through the health crisis and hamstrung the Unites States' ability to fight the pandemic, a whistleblower has alleged
An official compared Kushner's team to a 'frat party.' Its members include Brad Smith, a fellow Harvard grad, and Jared's former college roommate Adam Noehner
Kushner has drafted two dozen volunteers from various private consultancy firms to oversee critical jobs during the health emergency.
But the whistleblower, who quit their volunteer job, submitted a complaint which read: 'I believe we are falling short. I am writing to alert my representatives of these challenges and to ask that they do everything possible to help front-line health-care workers and other Americans in need.'
Of especial concern was the mishandling of the nationwide call to arms to help shore up the supply of PPE.
Kushner's volunteers were tasked with sifting through offers from companies to manufacture the gear and select the best ones.
But the group was prioritised leads from conservative journalists sympathetic to the president, with suggestions they were not chosen on merit, the complaint alleges.
And because the group tried to contact supplies using their personal email addresses, they received few responses.
Kushner defended his volunteers and said in a statement to the Post 'this program sourced tens of millions of masks and essential PPE in record time and Americans who needed ventilators received ventilators.'
But the New York Times reports that this group was responsible for the now notoriously bungled $69million ventilator contract.
In late March, Trump tweeted to urge businesses to 'start making ventilators now!'
Yaron Oren-Pines, founder of networking solutions company Legasus Networks, then replied to Trump's Tweet saying: 'We can supply ICU Ventilators, invasive and noninvasive. Have someone call me URGENT.'
Two of Kushner's volunteers forwarded the lead to federal officials, the Times reported, and New York awarded Oren-Pines a $69million contract to make 1,450 ventilators - zero arrived.
Kushner, a senior adviser who has the president's ear, was also seen as a surprise choice to take charge of the White House's crisis response as he lacks any notable health procurement experience.
On the VIP list: The New York Times and Washington Post reported that Fox News star Jeanine Pirro demanded 100,000 masks for a New York hospital and kept contacting the taskforce until they arrived, while Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade got in touch with 'tips'
Another 'VIP': Charlie Kirk, of pro-Trump group Turning Points USA was another Trump crony logged on the taskforce's VIP list
White House adviser Jared Kushner attends a teleconference with governors at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters From left, President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx and Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health and Kushner on March 19, 2020 in Washington, DC
The figures he has involved in order to expedite requests for equipment include friends and associates from his time as a senior White House aide and as a player in New York real estate.
They include Kushner's former roomate Adam Boehler, the head of an international finance agency, and Brad Smith, who leads an innovation center at the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services.
According to his CMS bio, Harvard grad Smith 'was the Co-Founder and CEO of Aspire Health, which he grew from an idea into the nation's largest home-based palliative care provider operating in 25 states and over 70 cities.'
The paper also identified software entrepreneur Nat Turner as part of Kushner's improvised team.
The whistleblower also revealed how the team had a 'VIP list' of Trump cronies and Fox News stars who got in touch either with 'tips' on where to get PPE - or to demand them.
The New York Times reported that the 'VIP list' - which the White House claimed not to know about - included Judge Jeanine Pirro, the Fox News Saturday evening host, Brian Kilmeade, of Fox & Friends, former Apprentice star turned 'Women for Trump' organizer Tana Goertz, and Charlie Kirk, of pro-Trump group Turning Points USA.
The group endured repeated contact with Pirro until 100,000 masks were sent to a New York hospital she wanted them for.
It also dealt with a Scranton cosmetic dentist and Mar-a-Lago member called Albert Hazzouri who claimed he could get ventilators from Mexico and dropped the president's name during repeated phonecalls. None resulted in the purchase of any equipment.
When the New York Times contacted him a man claiming to be his brother denied the dentist had name-dropped the president.
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