Operation Warp Speed director Dr. Moncef Slaoui said on Wednesday that he had resigned at the request of President-elect Joe Biden.
Operation Warp Speed, first announced in May, is the Trump administration’s plan to coordinate with federal and private entities to rapidly develop and distribute safe COVID-19 vaccines to all Americans.
“As you know, I very much support this next government and really, of course, the operation and its mission,” Slaoui told CNBC on Tuesday. “And I will do everything I can to help them succeed. As part of that process, which I understand, they asked me to resign from my position as … main scientific advisor.”
He added that “he will support the leadership that” the Biden government “will put into practice” and that he and the next government “have found a contractual agreement” that allows him to resign from January 21.
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“As I said, in fact, in early December, before any vaccines were approved, that once two vaccines were approved and two drugs were approved … it would probably be time for me to move on and get back to my life. private and private business, “said Slaoui
The doctor went on to say that he extended his term “to support the new team as they arrive”.
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Slaoui said he submitted his resignation to the Trump administration on Tuesday and thanked “the opportunity to help our country and our people, as well as the people of the world,” he said.
Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed, speaks at the White House’s Rose Garden on Friday, November 13, 2020 in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)
The administration hired Slaoui as a contractor instead of a private employee. Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized him for his financial ties to GlaxoSmithKline and Moderna, according to NPR.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told NPR that the doctor resigned from his seat on Moderna’s board and sold his shares in the company, but did not give up his shares on GlaxoSmithKline because it is his savings for retirement.
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The spokesman added that Slaoui is “invaluable to the Board of Directors’ decisions, but does not commit the government to any financial obligations. Operation Warp Speed’s investment decisions are recommended and approved by Operation Warp Speed’s Board of Directors. (BoD) weekly. “
In an e-mailed statement to NPR, Slaoui said he “accepted this role out of a commitment to public health and in helping our nation and the world to control this deadly pandemic.”
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“Throughout my career, I have always maintained myself to the highest ethical standards, and that did not change when I took up this role. HHS career ethics directors determined my contractor status, divestments and layoffs brought me into compliance with the rules of the department ethical standards, “he said.