White House Derides Investigation That Exposed Drug Testing On Vets As ‘Irresponsible Reporting,’ ‘Awful’
White House Derides Investigation That Exposed Drug Testing On Vets As ‘Irresponsible Reporting,’ ‘Awful’
Today, the Washington Times reported on the results of a joint investigation with ABC, which concluded that “mentally distressed veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are being recruited for government tests on pharmaceutical drugs linked to suicide and other violent side effects.”
In studies with the anti-smoking drug Chantix, for example, the VA “took three months to alert its patients about severe mental side effects.” In today’s press briefing, however, White House spokesperson Tony Fratto called the investigation “irresponsible” journalism, complaining that he “had to watch” the “awful” reporting:
I saw the reporting in your paper and on I think it was ABC this morning. I thought actually some of it was some of the most — certainly at least what I saw on television this morning was some of the more irresponsible reporting that I’ve ever seen, in terms of taking what this one — the experience of this one veteran and trying to leave the impression that this was a situation for all veterans. [...]
And to try to imply that — and, in fact, not even imply. I see the words scrolled on a television screen this morning that the V.A. is using our veterans as guinea pigs, I thought was one of the most awful things I’ve ever had to watch on television.
Watch it:
If Fratto read the story instead of simply catching the scroll on a television screen, he’d know that thousands are potentially affected. Roughly nearly 1,000 veterans were enrolled in anti-smoking studies, with 143 using Chantix; 21 veterans reported “adverse effects,” including one who suffered suicidal thoughts.
Furthermore, the VA and other agencies are currently conducting 25 tests on 4,796 veterans, “more than half of whom are just returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Fratto also praised the “wonderful leadership” of VA Secretary James Peake, who recently said that concerns about post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans are “overblown“.
Transcript:
FRATTO: I don’t know if the president’s seen it. I saw the reporting in your paper and on I think it was ABC this morning. I thought actually some of it was some of the most — certainly at least what I saw on television this morning was some of the more irresponsible reporting that I’ve ever seen, in terms of taking what this one — the experience of this one veteran and trying to leave the impression that this was a situation for all veterans.
We’re in a difficult position of being able to comment on this case because of the privacy concerns of the veteran in question and the other veterans in this program, but I could tell the V.A. is doing everything they can to be mindful of the safety of these veterans in all their programs and try to help them.
This is the Veterans Administration, under wonderful leadership by General Peake, Secretary Peake, who’s interested in the health and safety of these veterans that are under his care. And every other member of that V.A. system is the same.
And to try to imply that — and, in fact, not even imply. I see the words scrolled on a television screen this morning that the V.A. is using our veterans as guinea pigs, I thought was one of the most awful things I’ve ever had to watch on television.
These are people who care for our veterans. They care for the troops that have been out there every day fighting for this country. And they’re interested in their safety.
Remember, this is a program dealing with former soldiers with PTSD, and it’s a smoking cessation program, and they’re interested in helping these veterans. So that’s my reaction to it.
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Gawl Danged Messengers anyway. Shootem.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:02 pm…one of the most awful things I’ve ever had to watch on television.
He must have missed the last couple inaugurations.
I guess ‘attack the messenger’ works so well that they don’t need to change that. Pathetic.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:07 pmWait – this was in the Wash. Times, which the GOP is always citing (like Fox News). The paper is owned by Moon, same guy the GOP crowned as king of whatever. How could this report be wrong?
June 17th, 2008 at 5:08 pmmake no mistake, Big Pharma are drug dealers, like any columbian cartel…mess with them your your peril, thier viscious..
June 17th, 2008 at 5:11 pmWhy not just be honest? They should quote John Belushi from his role in Animal House:
June 17th, 2008 at 5:13 pm“Face it; you fu(ked up! You trusted us!”
Yet another new low from the “Honor and Dignity” administration.
Impeach Pelosi, Cheney and Bush and Save the Constitution.
Lost in Fratto’s histrionics of course was any semblance of an explanation as to why any competent doctor would prescribe a drug with a disclosed side effect of suicidal ideation to a patient diagnosed with PTSD. This could be an instance of cold hearted, sinister experimentation on wounded veterans. Knowing this administration’s track record it could also be a result of bribes (oops, campaign contributions) to the Republicans from the manufacturer and/or its lobbyists. It could also just be more Bushie incompetence. Anyway, score one for the moonies.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:14 pmHow long do these guys get to ride on the “we support the troops” bus until someone throws them under it???
June 17th, 2008 at 5:15 pmHmmm…too wordy. Let’s tighten that language up a bit:
“White House Derides Anything that Exposes Truth As ‘Irresponsible Reporting,”Awful”
June 17th, 2008 at 5:15 pmI agree, this truth is awful to hear and the truth is that just about anything to do with this misadministration is pretty awful, and that’s the truth!
June 17th, 2008 at 5:18 pmHe must not watch fox ‘news’. Those ‘reporters’ are constantly promoting stories that are categorically false, i.e. Obama’s anything but a Christian. No fuss raised over that network of lies. Of course, I wouldn’t expect them to get their panties in a wad over the GOP TV.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:21 pmThis is a bonanza for the drug companies, and has an eerie reminder of the Tuskeegee project post WWII.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:23 pmTony got it wrong, Sgt Friday got it right – “Nothing but the facts Maam.”
June 17th, 2008 at 5:26 pm“I thought was one of the most awful things I’ve ever had to watch on television.”
It’s like Rumsfeld, who said that the problem was that everyone has these little cameras taking pictures of everything. The torture did not bother him. It was photographing the torture and creating a record of it that was so awful.
Seeing Fratto doing press conferences is the worst thing I’ve seen on television.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:27 pmIf Fratto read the story instead of simply catching the scroll on a television screen
Why?
It’s a whole lot easier to simply shoot the bearer of any uncomfortable fact(s).
Plus, it doesn’t require the ability to read -which is why it’s Bush’s favorite MO.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:30 pmThe issue is clinical, i.e. Tony Fratto has nothing worthwile to contribute on the matter. Let’s hear from a doctor on the Institutional Review Board that approved the study and from the lead clinician monitoring patient care.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:31 pmNext they will claim exposing using our veterans as guinea pigs somehow emboldens the terrorists.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:32 pmI thought was one of the most awful things I’ve ever had to watch on television.
It was pretty awful. Unfortunately this clown thinks it’s awful because it is blowing the whistle on the Bush Crime Family. I would think it was awful because it is just an awful thing to do to our soldiers.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:32 pm“mentally distressed veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are being recruited for government tests on pharmaceutical drugs”
This is Support For The Troops(TM), Republican style.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:32 pm15. rogerse Says:
I’m a little confused by this troll. It posts things that back up the story that it is responding to. What’s up with that?
June 17th, 2008 at 5:34 pmThe Bush gangsters are all worthless, lying, war-mongering traitors.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:34 pmBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
15. rogerse Says:
I’m a little confused by this troll. It posts things that back up the story that it is responding to. What’s up with that?
he’s on chantix.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:38 pmTony — you apparently have a lot to learn about being a Bushco mounthpiece. Here’s a tip for you. Before you craft the lies, find out exactly what the media are saying. Don’t just rely on a few bits and pieces. Listen, watch, and read the entire story. That way you can make up your lies to at least sound plausible, and you can keep from looking like a total fool.
You are improving in one area, however. And that is when you rail against the media, keep things as vague as possible. Just accuse your enemy of being wrong (without any specifics), and defend your own side with vague praise (also without any specifics). Your claims of “irresponsible reporting” on the part of the media and “these are people who care for our veterans” on the part of the V.A. accomplished this very well.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:40 pmThis Administration’s attitude towards vets and active duty personnel is mind-boggling, this is just the latest in a disgraceful history.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:42 pmAlthough they use them at every opportunity as photo ops and political propaganda. They almost show a disdain for them when it comes to health issues and spending money on them.
They have no problem with contractors defrauding the government for billions of dollars, but when it comes to the enlisted personnel they cry poverty.
I guess they don’t want to take money away from the Bush base, “the haves and have-mores”
Bushworld logic:
Extend educational benefits to all veterans… oooohh no… no, no, no… can’t do. Sorry. Tough luck.
Use the same veterans as guinea pigs so Big Pharma can make more money?
Perfectly ok.
Plus the usual non-denial denials everything, and smear of critics.
(How this administration can still get 25% approval rate simply boggles the mind)
June 17th, 2008 at 5:46 pmIs the general consensus within the ThinkProgress community (or at least those that have responded to this thread) that these trials are a prototypical example of poor Bush policy? I’ve read the story at Washington Times (all 8 pages of it) and read most of the comments here and I fail to see how this particular clinical trial is any different in scope, methodology and consequence as any other run-of-the-mill clinical trial. And I say this without having much knowledge at all about the protocols. I’m just not understanding the correlation between a Bush spokesperson, a clinical trial and the Tuskeegee (sp?) crimes.
Anyone wanna help clarify this for me?
Cheers
June 17th, 2008 at 5:47 pmso weren’t the side-effects known before this trial, and if so..
June 17th, 2008 at 5:55 pm… the Bush Admin. and VA knowingly administered suicide-inducing medication to our combat veterans… Yes, it would appear that is the case, rogerse- thanks for confirming the ‘awful’ truth and ‘irresponsible’ leadership for what it is… a disgrace.
BrakTalk
Not sure if you are serious or not but the significance from my perspective is that the VA started using a drug only recently approved by the FDA to provide smoking cessation in patients diagnosed with PTSD, continued the prescriptions after being notified by the FDA in November that an abnormally high rate of suicidal thoughts resulted from taking that drug (not a good thing for someone with any mental health issue I suspect) and continued even after the business press published a reference to the warning in January. The following month one of our veterans taking the drug almost got ventilated by the cops, possibly (they probably will never know for sure) because of said side effect. Not drawing any connections to past examples of misuse of troops by this or any other administration but it doesn’t look like good policy based on what we know now.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:08 pmOn the other hand i kind of figured RogerTroll would blame the troops like the Republicans always do. I may be in the minority but when a veteran suffering from a combat-related psychiatric condition receives prescription medications from the VA and relies upon the wisdom of the VA medical staff in determining the efficacy of said medication, I have a hard time buying the argument that it is the fault of the veteran for not tracking down possible side effects.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:12 pmA Tony Fratto presser was one of the most awful things I’ve ever had to watch on television.
There. Fixed it for you.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:12 pmI know how dangerous Chantix is first hand.. My fiance is dead because of chantix.
The white house reaction is sickening … but expected. It seems more and more evident that our govt is wrapped around big pharma’s finger (probably the middle one)… who is really leading our country? it seems like drugs (pharmaceuticals) and oil to me.
Why is this drug on the market? and why isn’t Pfizer being investigated for their negligence? Who in the white house owns Pfizer stock??? Why don’t they care about our troops… maybe next time they can test chantix on their employees… or better yet, government officials…
Yes, cigarettes kill people… but at least there is a warning on the side of the pack and everyone knows they are bad… but they don’t make people suicidal and psychotic like chantix does.
an apology would be nice… no one should have to go through the grief I’ve had to endure… especially not our veterans. shame on Pfizer, shame on the VA and shame on the White House
June 17th, 2008 at 6:14 pmAnyone wanna help clarify this for me?
Cheers
As the soldiers complained about certain issues (pain, headache, stop smoking, stress, fatigue, etc) the military prescribed the psychoactive drugs as a treatment. The drugs prescribed were not made for indications such as pain and such. They are drugs meant to control and maintain psychological balance and limit ‘out of control’ thoughts (suicide being most prevelant). These soldiers were given drugs which were not created for their complaints.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:17 pmFor really disgusting and irresponsible reportage, he should watch tapes of his and/or Tony Snow’s news spins!
June 17th, 2008 at 6:21 pmsaddened,
June 17th, 2008 at 6:46 pmI can never know what the extent of your grief is, but, Chantix kills in months, cigarettes take years – still, the best option is cold turkey. My son was on Chantix for one month and we noticed instability and told him to cease. How this drug ever passed clinical trials mystifies me.
Speaking of press secretaries — anyone seen Tony Snow lately?
June 17th, 2008 at 6:56 pmGet this my peeps,
<#27 BrakTalk says:
“I’ve read the story at Washington Times (all 8 pages of it) ” There’s your first problem…yep! The RePugniScum Rag of Record! Washington Times? Hahaahahahha!!! That’s the Moony paper!!! The owner thinks he’s Jesus Christ reincarnated. Give me a break!!
Quoting more crap:
“I fail to see how this particular clinical trial is any different in scope, methodology and consequence as any other run-of-the-mill clinical trial.”
Well, here goes Biff (STAY AWAKE), here’s the diff!!
“In studies with the anti-smoking drug Chantix, for example, the VA ‘took three months to alert its patients about severe mental side effects.’”
3 MONTHS!!! REPEAT THAT — 3 MONTHS!!!! ARE THEY KILLING RATS OR CARING FOR VETERANS????!!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
June 17th, 2008 at 7:06 pmGeez Tony, If you want really awful examples of reporting you should turn around and look at the crap this administration has produced and put out as “actual”news stories to and for the main stream media which were actually aired in some “markets” as “real” !
When in fact they were nothing short of Propaganda! Recent example, the Fake FEMA PRESS Conference and the “Force Multiplier” Generals as tools of the pentagon sent to be talking heads on the “news” shows.
Now that’s AWFUL!
June 17th, 2008 at 7:41 pm@DixieBlood – “Quoting more crap…”
How civilized.
You know not whom you speak with and I find your comments a bit presumptuous as to my reasons for querying. I’m simply trying to break it down and get to the crux of the issue and the subsequent furor (I’ve since discovered Obama has weighed in on the issue).
Not sure what you are implying about my apparent “mistake” for reading the Washington Times story. It’s the main source of this story and subsequent commentary? Why wouldn’t I read it?
My perspective was seeking to understand why this clinical trial rises above others (there are plenty of questionably executed trials) that have nothing to do with Veterans per se. The tragedy of course would be if indeed there was negligence on the part of the V.A. but I would argue that the tragedy here is a breach of trust, not necessarily attributed to a particular policy. Figures on budgetary priorities would have served this story well and made it much stronger. Perhaps there will be still.
And if I’m not mistaken, there was only one cited instance of a participant of this trial that suffered from the suicidal ruminations that are attributed to the drug in question…out of between 950-100 (I can’t remember the exact number off-hand…984 maybe?).
I understand it a bit better after going off and reading a bit more but as it was initially presented, I wasn’t convinced that there was a direct link between policies and a V.A. that has a long history of less than stellar treatment of those under its care. It appears the main problem here is the latency with advising the current participants of the trial with regards to it adverse psychotic effects. Understood…no thanks to DixieBlood. ;)
June 17th, 2008 at 8:51 pmOnce again, it’s not the actual DEED that’s awful – it’s the fact that we found out about it and that we’re talking about it…
Vicious degenerate, despicable barstids. Just like the Nazis, only worse: Big Pharma is experimenting on our soldiers.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:02 pmrogerse Says:
I think the vets knew, atleast if they did the slightest reseach, so they just risked it for the money…
You stupid flucking troll. I suppose you use the same logic for the soldiers who are returning from their stint in Bush’s Folly in a coffin… “well, they knew the risks but did it for the money.”
Your statement here is the single most offensive post I’ve ever seen from you. The VA doctors who prescribe the drugs are required to disclose the possible side effects to the patients. But with a huge pool of Pharma lab rats at their disposal, and the obvious kickbacks received, why rock the boat?
I believe you owe our troops an apology.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:03 pmFratto is a sick puppy.
Being part of all the criminal escapades and law breaking olympics of this Adm himself.
Tony Fratto, your not above the law !
June 18th, 2008 at 2:17 am.
SO,
IT’S NOT HATING THE TROOPS WHEN THE WHITE HOUSE DOES IT?
.
June 18th, 2008 at 3:20 amRemember, Human testing without adequate safeguards is not irresponsible.
Exposing it is irresponsible.
BTW – safeguards for human testing is something that is an ethical imperative and proceedures are extremely well documented.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:39 amBrakTalk = MORON!!! AND TROLL!!!
June 19th, 2008 at 6:58 pmBrakTalk,
YOU STUPID MORON!!! WHAT DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE SOURCE OF YOUR STUPID RACIST, RELIGION CRAP NEWSPAPER OF SOURCE!!!!!!
” There’s your first problem…yep! The RePugniScum Rag of Record! Washington Times? Hahaahahahha!!! That’s the Moony paper!!! The owner thinks he’s Jesus Christ reincarnated. Give me a break!!
LET ME REPEAT MYSELF FOR YOU, YOU MORON!!!!!
” There’s your first problem…yep! The RePugniScum Rag of Record! Washington Times? Hahaahahahha!!! That’s the Moony paper!!! The owner thinks he’s Jesus Christ reincarnated. Give me a break!!
And again.
” There’s your first problem…yep! The RePugniScum Rag of Record! Washington Times? Hahaahahahha!!! That’s the Moony paper!!! The owner thinks he’s Jesus Christ reincarnated. Give me a break!!
Again!!
” There’s your first problem…yep! The RePugniScum Rag of Record! Washington Times? Hahaahahahha!!! That’s the Moony paper!!! The owner thinks he’s Jesus Christ reincarnated. Give me a break!!
June 19th, 2008 at 7:01 pm