Whistleblower Alleges Former Google CEO Has Unprecedented Sway Over White House Science Office
SUSPICIOUS
An investigation by Politico reveals that multibillionaire and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has had unprecedented authority over the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Emails obtained by Politico reveal that Schmidt and his charity, Schmidt Futures, have funded the payrolls of science department employees, including Chief of Staff Marc Aidinoff, a setup that White House watchdogs have flagged as potentially unethical. “I and others on the legal team had been noticing a large number of staff with financial connections to Schmidt Futures and were increasingly concerned about the influence this organization was able to have through these individuals,” former science general counsel-turned-whistleblower Rachel Wallace, who filed a formal complaint in March, told Politico. The White House maintains that its relationship with the tech billionaire is not out of the ordinary.