Thread by @RepMaloney

Today, @VetAffairsDems Chair @RepMarkTakano and I released our findings on one of the most alarming & unlawful episodes of the Trump era by 3 Trump associates.

They tried to exert improper influence on the VA to implement a "hugely profitable" scheme.👇
newsweek.com/trumps-mar-lag…

First off, some background info on the law: The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) requires groups advising the executive branch operate with transparency and a balanced approach. 2/20

The Mar-a-Lago Trio refused to comply with this law and, with the knowledge of Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump (using a personal email account), and other top White House advisors, hid their efforts to influence VA policies from public view. 3/20

President Trump formed an advisory committee made up of Ike Perlmutter, Marc Sherman, and Dr. Bruce Moskowitz to “transform the VA” in early 2017. 4/20

The Trio was informed by multiple federal officials that their work constituted an advisory committee, which is subject to FACA. 5/20

On January 25, 2017, the VA Office of General Counsel attorney assigned to work on FACA matters wrote to then-VA Secretary nominee David Shulkin that “it appears FACA may be implicated” by the Trio’s formation. Mr. Shulkin forwarded the email to Dr. Moskowitz the same day. 6/20

Assistant to the President Reed Cordish wrote in an email to Mr. Perlmutter in April 2017, “to do what you outlined below you will need to form a FACA group” and to “have your attorney reach out to WH Counsel Stefan Passantino (copied) to start that process.” 7/20

Mr. Perlmutter asserted in response, “The good news is that we have been advised that FACA does not apply because we are not a formal group in any way.” 8/20

Documents show that President Trump and senior WH officials empowered this group of secret advisors.

Kushner introduced Mr. Perlmutter to the Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Digital Service the day before Trump’s inauguration. 9/20

Kushner wrote that Mr. Perlmutter “is going to help us fox [sic] the VA. He is someone we trust 100%.” 10/20

Documents reveal the Trio also actively sought to conceal their activities. 11/20

Documents show that the Trio developed and implemented a range of plans to overhaul the VA and sought to outsource VA functions, including by monetizing VA patient data through the development of a commercial platform for veterans’ medical records. 12/20

The Trio held discussions on behalf of the federal government with Johnson & Johnson, Apple, and CVS Health after being introduced by Ivanka Trump (utilizing her personal email account) and Jared Kushner to the CEOs of each company—Alex Gorsky, Tim Cook, and Larry Merlo. 13/20

The Trio worked with Sec Shulkin to award a consulting contract to Terry Fadem, the fmr president of Moskowitz’s nonprofit foundation, to explore monetizing VA patient data. Fadem proposed that patient data “be leveraged into hundreds of millions in revenue.” 14/20

Dr. Moskowitz stated that “J&J, CVS, and Apple all wanted the database” and that J & J “want[s] the VA databank and biobank which will be hugely profitable to them.” 15/20

According to a presentation prepared by J & J, a next step was to “Work through legal barriers on getting access to VHA EMR [Veterans Health Administration Electronic Medical Records] databases.” It is unclear what steps, if any, the VA took to implement this initiative. 16/20

In March 2017, Perlmutter sent Kushner an agenda for a meeting with President Trump that included the “Technology Transfer and Economic Benefits of Licensing” — the proposal to monetize veterans’ data. Kushner responded, “Great — he is excited for your dinner together!” 17/20

Documents also show the Trio sought to exert dominance over White House staff charged with implementing policies for veterans. 18/20

Documents obtained by the Committees show that the Trio also sought to use their roles to promote their personal agendas. 19/20

The Trio broke the law as is, but their unethical actions also highlight the need to strengthen FACA.

My Federal Advisory Committee Transparency Act would make these sorts of committees more transparent and accountable. We must pass this bill to prevent future abuses. 20/20

You can find @OversightDems and @VetAffairsDems complete findings here:
oversight.house.gov/news/press-rel… 21!