Jared Kushner, a limp, damp string bean of a man who delights in inserting himself into leadership situations where he ends up failing spectacularly, has in recent days been singing the praises of the Trump administration’s abysmal response to the covid-19 pandemic, declaring it a “great success story.” Perhaps he was thinking of his shadow coronavirus task force, which was charged in part with procuring enough medical supplies for our country’s medical facilities. Based on reporting from the Washington Post and the New York Times, we now know that his task force was not only wildly incompetent but riddled with cronyism, doling out special access and favors to esteemed allies like Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and Fox News host Jeanine Pirro. What a success.
, we now know that his task force was not only wildly incompetent but riddled with cronyism, doling out special access and favors to esteemed allies like Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and Fox News host Jeanine PirroKushner, according to reporting, recruited people exactly like him—“young volunteers” who were “drawn from venture capital and private equity firms,” in the words of the—to staff his task force, which should have been the first sign that this effort, like so many others he...
Let’s see how turning this incredibly important work over to a team of Ivy League bros turned out. From theMany of the volunteers were told to prioritize tips from political allies and associates of President Trump, tracked on a spreadsheet called “V.I.P. Update,” according to documents and emails obtained by The New York Times. Among them were leads from Republican members of Congress, theand a former “Apprentice” contestant who serves as the campaign chair of Women for Trump.
Trump allies also pressed FEMA officials directly: A Pennsylvania dentist, once featured at a Trump rally, dropped the president’s name as he pushed the agency to procure test kits from his associates.In one case, Jeanine Pirro, the Trump stalwart and Fox host, repeatedly contacted task force members and FEMA officialsMs. Pirro did not respond to emails seeking comment.
Mr. Kushner’s volunteers passed the tip to federal officials who then sent it to senior officials in New York, who assumed Mr. Oren-Pines had been vetted and awarded him an eye-popping $69 million contract. Not a single ventilator was delivered, and New York is now seeking to recover the money.
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