A trove of 848 pages of documents was obtained by government watchdog group Judicial Watch
By By Fred Lucas | 22 January 2021
FOX NEWS — California Gov. Gavin Newsom held back details from the public and lawmakers about a $990 million state N95 mask contract with a China-based firm scrutinized by Congress.
But now, a trove of 848 pages of documents is available to the public, obtained by government watchdog group Judicial Watch. The documents provide details on how the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services selected BYD to make 300 million face masks for protection against COVID-19, a virus that originated in Wuhan.
Earlier this year, state legislators tried to press Newsom to provide details about the deal, as one senior Democratic lawmakers called the deal “murky.”
The documents — mostly emails — show the role of lobbyists in arranging the deal and that California deviated from normal procedures in awarding the contract.
“It would surprise Americans to see how a major Chinese company can so easily access government officials,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told Fox News. “I would think the California legislature would be interested in how this happened.”
Newsom signed a second deal with BYD in July, this time for 400 million masks with a $316 million price tag. […]
Post a Comment