U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis is declining to comment on the alleged $700 million fraud at Theranos, much of which occurred while he sat on the blood-testing company's board of directors.

• Mattis joined the Theranos board after retiring from the military in 2013, and left after being nominated by President Trump.
• Statement from Mattis spokeswoman Dana White, who declined to elaborate: “Secretary Mattis was struck by the promise of technology and was looking for any technology solution to save lives on the battlefield.  He resigned his position on the Theranos board on Dec. 16th prior to his confirmation.”