Special Report: Former Labradoodle breeder tapped to lead U.S. pandemic task force

[mcar]

Special Report: Former Labradoodle breeder tapped to lead U.S. pandemic task force

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On January 21, the day the first U.S. case of coronavirus was reported, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services appeared on Fox News to report the latest on the disease as it ravaged China. Alex Azar, a 52-year-old lawyer and former drug industry executive, assured Americans the U.S. government was prepared.

“We developed a diagnostic test at the CDC, so we can confirm if somebody has this,” Azar said. “We will be spreading that diagnostic around the country so that we are able to do rapid testing on site.”...

Shortly after his televised comments, Azar tapped a trusted aide with minimal public health experience to lead the agency’s day-to-day response to COVID-19. The aide, Brian Harrison, had joined the department after running a dog-breeding business for six years. Five sources say some officials in the White House derisively called him “the dog breeder.”...

Harrison, 37, was an unusual choice, with no formal education in public health, management, or medicine and with only limited experience in the fields. In 2006, he joined HHS in a one-year stint as a “Confidential Assistant” to Azar, who was then deputy secretary. He also had posts working for Vice President Dick Cheney, the Department of Defense and a Washington public relations company.

Before joining the Trump Administration in January 2018, Harrison’s official HHS biography says, he “ran a small business in Texas.” The biography does not disclose the name or nature of that business, but his personal financial disclosure forms show that from 2012 until 2018 he ran a company called Dallas Labradoodles.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-hhschief-speci/special-report-former-labradoodle-breeder-tapped-to-lead-u-s-pandemic-task-force-idUSKCN2243CE

[Funtatlaguy]

1. Sounds qualified. Bark twice if you need a ventilator.

[mcar]

3. ...

[Cha]

6. Oh no..

not suppose to laugh but I couldn't help myself!

[brer cat]

7. ...

[Initech]

11. Shhh!!!! The dog is barking!

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. The newest Brownie

[EarlG]

4. Eerily familiar, isn't it?

Before joining FEMA, Brown was the Judges and Stewards Commissioner for the International Arabian Horse Association from 1989-2001. After numerous lawsuits were filed against the organization over disciplinary actions that Brown took against members violating the association's code of ethics,[11] Brown resigned and negotiated a buy-out of his contract.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_D._Brown

[qwlauren35]

5. If that's not white privilege

I don't know what is.

[mcar]

16. The epitome of white privilege

[mopinko]

8. it'd be one thing if he bred an actual dog breed.

the poor dude who started that whole doodle shit has repented.
if he bred boxers, maybe. or malinios. but doodles?
srsly, where is the bottom of this barrel? china?

[Initech]

9. Why don't they ask actual public health experts?

[Stuart G]

10. Absolute...MUST READ......Alex Azar, minimal public experience..but read it all...??incredible..

Harrison...dog breeder ??

[underpants]

12. Just asked about at presser. Trump played dumb.

I saw this post and misread it and thought it was satire. Wow, it’s not.

Sounds like Brownie all over.

[dalton99a]

13. A dog breeder replaced an experienced hospital executive with decades of experience in public health

[mcar]

18. Heckuva job

[llmart]

14. Wait a minute...

I thought Jarhead was in charge?

I am so confused.

I truly thought this was an Onion article.

[Solly Mack]

15. From "Heckuva job" to "Who's a good boy?".

Damn

[tblue37]

17. And heckuva job Brownie judged horse shows. nt

[raccoon]

19. Sounds like something out of Carl hiaasen's books. Nt

[mcar]

21. Doesn't it?

[ismnotwasm]

20. Honestly thought this was satire

Looked at the link, and thought, “that’s funny, I don’t think Reuter’s has anything like that....Still, I was convinced it was satire. Finally opened the link.

God help us all.


I have a friend who breeds and shows English Bulldogs. Wins a lot. Maybe she can be the next director of Health and Human services or something

[mcar]

22. I did a story about a local kennel club once

That qualifies me for a cabinet post, right?

[eppur_se_muova]

23. I actually skipped over the word "breeder", so I was particularly nonplussed ...

Special Report: Former Labradoodle tapped to lead U.S. pandemic task force

[Gothmog]

24. I love my dog breeder but not that much

Link to tweet