Amazon is helping President Biden speed up the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, inviting questions about whether the offer was ever made to the Trump administration.
Amazon executive Dave Clark sent Biden the idea as soon as he took office in a letter Wednesday congratulating him on his inauguration.
“We are ready to leverage our operations, IT and communication capabilities and expertise to support your administration’s vaccination efforts. Our scale allows us to have a significant immediate impact, ”Clark wrote.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a briefing Thursday afternoon that “we had a lot of information, some privately, others publicly from a number of businesses and entities in the industry. private. And we certainly welcome that. And we will consider all these offers. ”
A reporter pressured Psaki about the timing of Amazon’s bid, wondering if the tech giant waited until Trump left office as “a political appeal … while lives are suspended.”
“I am not aware of the timing of when Amazon contacted me. That seems like a question to Amazon, “Psaki said.
Biden has made vaccine distribution one of his top priorities, vowing to distribute 100 million doses of vaccine in its first 100 days. The rate would slightly exceed Trump’s final week rate 912,497 doses given per day.
Trump has routinely attacked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post, and has asked the U.S. Postal Service to charge Amazon more for parcel delivery.
Clark, the Amazon executive who proposed Biden on the idea, was responsible for a December letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asking for help getting access to the vaccine for the company’s workers.
Clark wrote to Biden that Amazon’s help could change the game.
“Our scale allows us to have a significant immediate impact in the fight against COVID-19 and we are ready to assist you in this endeavor,” Clark wrote.
“Since the beginning of this crisis, we have worked hard to keep our workers safe. We are committed to assisting your administration’s vaccination efforts as we work together to protect our employees and continue to provide essential services during the pandemic. ”
The e-commerce and cloud computing giant has one of the most sophisticated distribution and shipping operations in the country.
Bezos bought the Washington Post in 2013 for $ 250 million. The newspaper had a full relationship with Trump, who called the newspaper “an expensive lobby for Amazon.”
The Trump Justice Department has investigated Amazon over its antitrust concerns.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin defended the investigation in a CNBC appearance in 2019, claiming that Amazon “destroyed the US retail industry”.
In a mid-2019 post, Bezos defended his ownership of the newspaper, writing: “My ownership of the Washington Post is a complexifier for me. It is inevitable that some strong people who experience the Washington Post news will mistakenly conclude that they are their enemy. “
He added: “My management for The Post and my support for its mission, which will remain steadfast, is something I will be most proud of when I am 90 and reviewing my life if I am lucky enough to live that long, regardless of the complexity it creates for me. ”
An Amazon spokesman did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on correspondence with the Trump administration and whether the company offered Trump support for the distribution of vaccines.
Arriving on NBC News, an Amazon representative said that the company was “in contact” with the CDC last month, but would not say if the company made the same openings to Trump.
In a tweet posted on Thursday afternoon, Amazon’s public policy team defended its behavior, saying: “Actually, I didn’t wait.
“We provided assistance to the Trump administration for vaccines, built new tools for researchers and public health officials, engaged in Operation Warp Speed in logistics, advised testing, and flew to China’s PPE when America needed it most. she.”