Eric Schmidt 's charity paid the salaries of twoBiden science advisors, Politico reports.- The ex-Google CEO's influence and tech ties reportedly raised red flags internally.
Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt's charity helped pay the salaries of two Biden science advisors, Politico reported Monday.
Schmidt Futures, the former top exec's charity, reportedly indirectly paid the salaries of two employees at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. One of the employees was Marc Aidinoff, who is now the chief of staff and one of the office's most senior officials, according to Politico.
More than a dozen science-office officials have been associated with Schmidt in some capacity, Politico reports.
"Significant" ethical concerns were raised because of Schmidt's other financial interests, which overlap with the OSTP. Schmidt has a stake in hedge fund DE Shaw, artificial intelligence startup Abacus.AI, and quantum tech firm Sandbox AQ. He also sits on the board of Rebellion Defense, a data-driven defense contractor, and Civis Analytics, a data-science firm that worked with Biden's 2020 campaign, according to Politico.
Politico obtained internal emails sent by the science office's then general counsel, Rachel Wallace, as well as other members of the legal team, that regularly flagged possible conflicts of interest involving Schmidt and Schmidt Futures.
Wallace told Politico that she and others on the legal team had noticed "a large number of staff" with financial ties to Schmidt Future and "were increasingly concerned about the influence this organization was able to have through these individuals," she said.
Schmidt's efforts aligned with his foundation's mission to "focus and mobilize these networks of talent to solve specific problems in science and society," a Schmidt Futures spokesperson told Politico.
An OSTP spokesperson told Politico that the office works with multiple outside groups and that OSTP staff members come from a range of backgrounds, including other federal agencies, universities, and other entities. The spokesperson said that the small office, which has a $5 million annual budget, had to move quickly to bring in experts to help it tackle major issues like climate change and future pandemics.
"As part of the onboarding process, OSTP's legal counsel reviews potential ethical conflicts and directs remedial actions or recusals," the spokesperson said.
Schmidt, who's worth over $27 billion, served as
Schmidt had close ties to the Obama administration, serving as a campaign advisor and contributing to fundraising efforts and landing a seat on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. In 2012, rumors swirled that Schmidt was in the running for a Cabinet job, but Schmidt said at the time that he had no interest in being a federal government employee.