Lawyers representing Dr. Rick Bright, a vaccine expert ousted from the Department of Health and Human Services, say federal investigators suggest he was wrongfully removed.
The Associated Press reports the lawyers said Investigators with the Office of Special Counsel found "reasonable grounds" that Bright was punished by getting moved to a different job with the National Institute of Health.
Bright's lawyers say the Special Counsel determined that the transfer violated the Whistleblower Protection Act. The action was taken after Bright spoke out against the malaria drug touted by President Trump as a potential COVID-19 cure.
Bright's lawyers say federal officials recommended he be reinstated for 45 days as the investigation continues. The Special Counsel declined to confirm that.
The president said he doesn't know Bright. Yet he called him a "disgruntled employee" whom he "hadn't heard great things about."
Bright has been invited to testify in front of a House committee next week.
