Biden admin.’s top scientist mistreated staff but will not be let go.
QUICK FACTS:
- A White House review found evidence that top scientist Dr. Eric Lander violated its “Safe and Respectful Workplace Policy,” but the administration plans to keep him on the job after giving him counseling, The Associated Press reports.
- A total of fourteen current and former Office of Science and Technology Policy staffers who worked under Lander described a toxic work environment, according to Politico.
- An internal review last year, prompted by a workplace complaint, found evidence that Lander, the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and science adviser to Joe Biden, bullied staffers and treated them disrespectfully.
- Lander’s behavior is at odds with Biden’s day-one directive that he expected “honesty and decency” from all who worked for his administration and would fire anyone who shows disrespect to others “on the spot.”
- A two-month investigation found “credible evidence” that Lander—a key player in the pandemic response—was “bullying” toward his then-general counsel, Rachel Wallace, according to a recorded January briefing on the investigation’s findings, Politico notes.
- Polito goes on to report Christian Peele, the White House’s deputy director of management and administration for personnel, said that the investigation also concluded that there was “credible evidence of disrespectful interactions with staff by Dr. Lander and OSTP leadership,” according to the roughly 20-minute briefing, which included a representative of the White House Counsel’s office.
- There was also “credible evidence” that Lander had spoken “harshly and disrespectfully to colleagues in front of other colleagues,” Peele said.
- “The investigation found credible evidence of instances of multiple women having complained to other staff about negative interactions with Dr. Lander, where he spoke to them in a demeaning or abrasive way in front of other staff,” Peele went on.
- In an office of roughly 140 people, 14 current and former OSTP staffers who worked under Lander this past year shared similar descriptions of a toxic work environment where they say Lander frequently bullied, cut off and dismissed subordinates.
- Nine of those current and former OSTP staffers said Lander yelled and sometimes made people feel humiliated in front of their peers. Most were granted anonymity because they feared retaliation from Lander, Politico reports.
WATCH WHEN BIDEN SAID HE’D FIRE DISRESPECTFUL EMPLOYEES “ON THE SPOT”:
WHITE HOUSE ONLY GOES EASY ON LANDER:
- The White House said senior administration officials had met with Lander about his actions and management of the office. It said Lander and OSTP are required to take certain corrective actions as part of the review.
- “White House leadership met with Dr. Lander to discuss the seriousness of the matter and the President’s expectation that all staff interactions be conducted with respect,” the White House said. “We take this incredibly seriously and we are taking swift action to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”
BACKGROUND:
- On Friday, Lander issued an apology to staffers in his office, acknowledging “I have spoken to colleagues within OSTP in a disrespectful or demeaning way,” AP notes.
- “I am deeply sorry for my conduct,” he added. “I especially want to apologize to those of you who I treated poorly, or were present at the time.”
