Former Google CEO Wielded ‘Unusual Level Of Influence’ Over Biden Science Office, Flew Offical On Private Jet
- June 25, 2023
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt reportedly held an “unusual level of influence” over the Office of Science and Technology (OSTP), flying one of Biden’s top science advisors to a posh resort on a private jet, according to a Fox News report.
Internal White House emails revealed Lander and his family were flown via private jet to the Yellowstone Weekend Summit in July 2021, a private event hosted by Schmidt. The trip was managed by Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic enterprise founded by the former Google CEO in 2017. Though a spokesman for Lander told Fox News the White House had approved the trip and that Schmidt Futures had been reimbursed for the travel expenses incurred, Protect the Public Trust (PPT) Director Michael Chamberlain deemed the trip inappropriate, Fox News reported.
“Inappropriately taking private or charter flights for travel has been the undoing of more than one high-ranking official in the Executive Branch,” Chamberlain told the outlet. “The personnel and resources that have flowed into OSTP from a handful of wealthy, powerful individuals and organizations should give the American public pause to consider whether the factors driving that generosity may not be altogether altruistic.”
Since the Biden administration has made a “very public commitment to putting science above politics and has talked a lot about adherence to its scientific integrity policies,” Chamberlain argued, the incident only serves to heighten the public’s skepticism of the administration’s motivations as, at the time of the trip, Lander was reportedly crafting Biden administration policies for the OSTP.