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U.S. probes claim that its drug companies funded Iraq terror attacks

Johnson & Johnson is one of the five defendants listed in the lawsuit. Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Safe Kids Worldwide

The Department of Justice is investigating claims from a lawsuit that five big drug and medical device companies operating in Iraq provided free medicine and supplies to the government while knowing they "would be used to underwrite terrorist attacks on American troops." the New York Times reports.

The details: The lawsuit — filed on behalf of American troops who sustained injuries or were killed between 2005 and 2009 — targets Johnson & Johnson, General Electric, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Roche Holding A.G., the Times reports. It alleges the free goods provided by the companies to the Iraqi Ministry of Health were sold "on Iraq's black market to fund" attacks on U.S. forces. The plaintiffs have also alleged the defendants made cash payments through their use of local scientific bureaus.

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1 hour ago - Economy & Business

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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

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Why it matters: Despite being propped up by an extraordinary amount of fiscal stimulus and support from central banks, the state of the global economy remains fragile.

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Scoop: Gina Haspel threatened to resign over plan to install Kash Patel as CIA deputy

CIA Director Gina Haspel. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

CIA Director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in early December after President Trump cooked up a hasty plan to install loyalist Kash Patel, a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), as her deputy, according to three senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the matter.

Why it matters: The revelation stunned national security officials and almost blew up the leadership of the world's most powerful spy agency. Only a series of coincidences — and last minute interventions from Vice President Mike Pence and White House counsel Pat Cipollone — stopped it.

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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

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