The Trump administration paid a bankrupt company with zero employees $55 million for N95 masks

[Galraedia]

Source: Business Insider

The coronavirus pandemic has created a desperate clamber for vital medical supplies, like N95 masks, that has led the federal government to award massive contracts to third-party vendors to help fill the gaps.

In this chaotic effort to obtain supplies, the Trump administration awarded a $55 million contract to Panthera Worldwide LLC, a company with no expertise in the world of medical equipment, for N95 masks, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Panthera's parent company filed for bankruptcy protection last fall, and one of its owners last year said it'd had no employees since May 2018, The Post reported, citing sworn testimony. It's no longer listed as an LLC in Virginia, where its main office is, after fees went unpaid, the newspaper said.

Panthera, which describes itself as a tactical training company for the US military and other government agencies, has no record of producing medical supplies or equipment, The Post said.

Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/fema-paid-bankrupt-company-no-employees-55-million-n95-masks-2020-4

[Leghorn21]

1. Is this a subsidiary of Eric Prince's merc biz?

Arrgghh these fkn people

[ArizonaLib]

2. Was it Dick Cheney's company?

Seems like I remember his near bankrupt company getting the same treatment during 9/11.

[procon]

3. This is the new normal.

No one will stop him. The Dems can try, but really, why bother when any investigation will be squashed by AG Bill Barr.

That leaves the media, but let's face it, given everything Trump is doing, this is just chicken freed. I'm for all the investigative reporters who spend their time writing about Trump's evil deeds. Even if nothing ever comes from it, we will remember that Trump's mad house is the aberration

[ZZenith]

6. Bullshit.

It’s corruption and it’s going to be prosecuted.

Quit trying to normalize everything - it’s stale and transparent.

[procon]

8. Prosecuted?

When? Biden will pick his own battles, and he will have bigger fish to fry than chasing down every one of Trump's good ole boy network of creeps, cheaters and con men who got a dirty sweetheart deal in his corrupt administration.

We'll be lucky if we aren't in freefall going down the fathomless abyss of the Great Depression trench by that time. Fixing Trump's economic mess will first take rebuilding the entire US Gov't that Trump has salted to the bare earth.

[ZZenith]

10. That's why he'll have an Attorney General.

The Republican Party is about to get salted down to the bare earth, I hate to break it to you.

[lostnfound]

13. No it won't. Our "countrymen" are braindead dupes.

Putin’s bots will find a way to turn them into obstacles to cleanup

[Stuart G]

4. I think that this will be investigated some how, some where, and some time.

It might be the end of this administration. How did this happen, and who approved it.?

Many are so sure that nothing will be done, but often we are surprised. How many republican senators would it take to change this? You tell me?

Awarding a contract to a bankrupt company is illegal or is it?...What kind of business practice is that?

Anyway this one has just started. Time will tell.

______________________________________________________________________________
One more question...How did the Washington Post find out?

My guess is that an insider was so disgusted by this, that that person or persons went to the Post and told all..
....As I look back on Watergate, I recall that there had to be ....proof, total proof for the Washington Post to take this step and publish this...And you had better believe that the proof is there...Protect that proof, and protect the person who told about it.....K and R

[notdarkyet]

5. Trump probably pocketed most of the money.m. He's a lia. He's a thief and he should. Not be

Allowed near any more money. Crooks need to be tried and hung. The money should be clawed back.

[NBachers]

7. Put 55 million bucks into the washing machine, take out 25 million; where's the missing 30 million?

Maybe it was spent on the rotten, defective masks and ventilators that remained in the National Stockpie after it was looted. Then they were sent to "brokers" who sold them to desperate states.

The shipments of defective materials were then hijacked by FEMA and "disappeared" into another round-robin black hole.

The "disappeared" items were then sent back to "brokers" on an infinite loop of corruption and theft of our own hard-earned tax money.

[RussBLib]

9. this is probably just the beginning

all that money sloshing around

Trump's wet dream

sure would be nice to have some whistleblowers and oversight

[PufPuf23]

11. Posted this in the thread in GD and noone seemed to notice.

Business Insider article;

The Trump administration paid a bankrupt company with zero employees $55 million for N95 masks, which it's never manufactured

The Trump administration has awarded a $55 million contract for N95 masks to a bankrupt company with no experience in producing medical supplies.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency told Insider that the company, Panthera, is scheduled to deliver the masks on April 23.

Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the Washington Post something is "amiss" regarding this order.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-trump-administration-paid-a-bankrupt-company-with-zero-employees-2455-million-for-n95-masks-which-its-never-manufactured/ar-BB12JwUk

There is a link in the BI/MSN article to Panthera's website.

>>OUR MISSION

Panthera Training provides elite, scenario-based tactical, aviation and intelligence training and instruction for Defense Department, State Department, Federal Agency and Law Enforcement teams who operate in sensitive environments worldwide, to enable those teams to meet their mission goals and requirements.<<

The firm appears to be a security / mercenary training company, nothing about medical.

http://www.pantheratraining.com/

Did an internet search to find out more and this is what I found.

https://www.pantheramedical.com/

>>PANTHERA MEDICAL SANAYI.TR
Driven by Success

Panthera Medical researches, develops, designs and produces high quality medical disposable supplies. With 27+ years of experience, Panthera Medical offers innovative, complementary and economic solutions to the market.

Our founder began to improve infrastructure for the disposable medical supplies production in 1992, it was founded as a family company, with 25 employees, company pioneered in disposable medical products production of any material which has not manufactured in Turkey before. They had managed to be the first manufacturer of disposable medical supplies such as surgical drape, Microscope Drape and Camera Drape in Turkey and one of the few manufacturers in the world. After turned to a LIMITED organization in 2018, because of the other partners not being industrial origin, then increase in disposable medical supplies market was observed and with the thought of infection control will come to the fore, strategies have been created to re-enter the market.

Panthera Medical with 350 m2 closed area, 50 workers and 27 years of experience, had a small but fast entrance into sector. With the rapid increase of domestic sales, exports beginning in 2012 and ongoing increase, the need was felt to increase capacity.

Our human resources, our experience, our perfectionism and our entrepreneurial spirit are the most important assets we have.<<

So Panthera Medical is a company in Turkey that does manufacture medical supplies such as facemasks. There are no names or other specifics at the site.

Back in the GWB years there were pretty stinky business relations between GOP pols and enablers and Turkey.

Add: On farther thought seems like an Eric Prince / Blackwater type of operation.

[B Stieg]

12. The art of the fleece

takes one to know one...

[riversedge]

14. k and R

[McCamy Taylor]

15. I smell bribe money

[ck4829]

16. K&R