Top Trump adviser pursued his own COVID-19 medical supply deals, documents show

A top adviser to former President Trump pursued his own ad hoc strategy for procuring key medical supplies after the president and others in the administration ignored his warnings and failed to implement a national strategy in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new documents released Wednesday by House Democrats.

In a memo dated March 1, 2020, former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro warned Trump of the urgent need to “MOVE IN TRUMP TIME” to “STAY AHEAD OF VIRUS CURVE.”

The memo was among the latest tranche of documents released by Democrats on the select committee investigating the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the memo, Navarro said there was “not enough movement” on key actions and urged the administration to invest in drug ingredients, especially those that could not be manufactured in the U.S., as well as rapid, handheld coronavirus tests.

Navarro criticized the speed of the administration’s response and noted that he had been focusing on ensuring sufficient personal protective equipment and procuring accurate diagnostics ever since the first news of a viral outbreak in China.

The fallout: Navarro wanted action, but President Trump had no interest. After being ignored, Navarro and other White House officials pursued their own strategies, bypassing federal procurement procedures and pushing federal agencies to issue noncompetitive contracts.

One notable example, Navarro gave a $765 million loan to Eastman Kodak to produce ingredients for generic drugs, despite the company having no experience making drugs. The loan was stopped about two weeks later amid an SEC investigation into insider trading allegations at the company,