Ousted HHS official files whistleblower complaint on coronavirus response

A top Health and Human Services official who says he was shoved out of a key coronavirus response job for pushing back on "efforts to fund potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections" filed a whistleblower complaint Tuesday charging "an abuse of authority or gross mismanagement" at the agency.

In his complaint, Dr. Rick Bright, who until last month was the deputy assistant HHS secretary for preparedness and response and the director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, described a chaotic response to the virus at HHS.

The chaos was fueled largely by "pressure from HHS leadership to ignore scientific merit and expert recommendations and instead to award lucrative contracts based on political connections and cronyism," the complaint says.

Bright filed the complaint with the Office of Special Counsel. NBC News has reached out to an agency spokesperson for comment.