ABC News
Over the last decade, federal officials misappropriated millions of dollars designated for biomedical research, including vaccine research, emergency preparedness for public health threats like Ebola, Zika -- and now, COVID-19 -- according to the findings from an investigation into a whistleblower complaint to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, shared with ABC News. The Health and Human Services Department's inspector general conducted the investigation, overseen by the Office of Special Counsel. The whistleblower, who chose to remain anonymous, alleged that the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response tapped into those funds earmarked for scientific advancement under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority in the years leading up to the coronavirus pandemic -- dollars "intended for the development of public health countermeasures," -- and instead used them to pay for "myriad unrelated expenses, including the removal of office furniture, administrative expenses, news subscriptions, legal services, and the salaries of personnel who did not work for BARDA," the inspector general report found.