The brother of a senior adviser to Joe Biden doubles as a lobbyist for a drugmaker under federal investigation for allegedly overhyping its role in Operation Warp Speed.
Jeff Ricchetti, the brother of proposed White House senior counselor and former Chief of Staff to then-Vice President Joe Biden Steve Richetti, was hired by the firm Vaxart to lobby on “legislative and regulatory policies regarding oral vaccine development and funding.”
Vaxart is attempting to develop an oral vaccine for COVID-19, an effort that garnered scrutiny from federal investigators and the Securities and Exchange Commission after accusations the firm overhyped its involvement in President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed.
Vaxart serves as Jeff Richetti’s first new disclosed client since the announcement of his brother’s potential new role in the White House. The disclosure, filed December 15th, however, places the effective registration date two days before the election.
Jeff Ricchetti has cashed in on a potential Biden presidency, “signing eight new clients since Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee, five of which are pharmaceutical companies,” according to Politico.
“The firm has already pulled in more money in the first three quarters of 2020 than it did in all of 2019, though revenue is significantly less than in the early years of the firm, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics,” Politico adds.
