A top health official turned whistleblower, Rick Bright, told a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee that without a science-based national response to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 could be the “darkest winter in modern history.”

“We have the world’s greatest scientists — let us lead. Let us speak without fear of retribution,” Bright said Thursday.

Bright was demoted last month from his post as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. He then filed a whistleblower complaint alleging he was retaliated against for warning Trump administration officials about mask shortages and drug concerns.

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