Prof. Richard Painter Quoted by AP About HHS Aid’s Potential Conflict of Interest 

Professor Richard Painter, S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law, was quoted by the Associated Press about special government employees who do not have to provide full disclosures about their private businesses. One such employee is Calley Means who, in his role as a top aide to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has used his position to attack the nation’ leading physician groups, federal agencies, and government scientists claiming they only protect their own interests. But Means has his own financial stake in the health industry. His online platform, Truemed, offers dietary supplements, herbal remedies, and other wellness products. Some of its vendors are supporters of Kennedy’s movement which downplays the benefits of prescription drugs, vaccines, and other tested medical products. Unlike presidential appointees and other senior officials, special government employees are temporary staffers who do not have to leave companies or sell investments that could be impacted by their work. Also, their financial disclosure forms are shielded from public release. Prof. Painter said, “It’s a big problem.” He and other experts have raised alarms over the administration’s actions to dismantle the government’s public integrity guardrails.