Of course, the story ultimately blames Trump-----He Had Never Sold a Ventilator. N.Y. Gave Him an $86 Million Deal. - The New York Times

He Had Never Sold a Ventilator. N.Y. Gave Him an $86 Million Deal. - The New York Times:

• An engineer landed one of the state’s biggest coronavirus-related contracts after FEMA volunteers forwarded his name.

"The offer to the Federal Emergency Management Agency sounded promising: A Silicon Valley engineer said that he could deliver thousands of ventilators from manufacturers across China to help hospitals treat coronavirus patients.

...“And the engineer, Yaron Oren-Pines, had no apparent background in procuring medical equipment.

Federal officials passed on the vendor’s information to senior officials in New York and, within days, the state struck a deal to buy 1,450 ventilators from Mr. Oren-Pines for $86 million, one of the largest contracts for medical supplies since the outbreak.

The deal, however, began to unravel as quickly as it had come together.

...But interviews with state and federal officials, as well as emails obtained by The New York Times, underscore how the challenges of a pandemic may have clouded a decision that placed millions of taxpayer dollars at risk...
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