Top Biden advisor could face ethics pressure as his brother lobbies for pharma firms

One of President-elect Joe Biden’s closest advisors could face pressure to recuse himself from working on some of the incoming administration’s key initiatives as his brother lobbies for at least two pharmaceutical companies.

Steve Ricchetti, who on Tuesday was named counselor to the president in Biden’s eventual administration, has a brother, Jeff, who was hired to lobby for pharmaceutical firms while Biden was running for president, according to disclosure reports. Ricchetti was Biden’s campaign chairman and previously his chief of staff.