Did Washington decline buying PPE because of bad optics for Governor Inslee?

An odd story came out this week on The Seattle Times that seemed on the surface to be an “exposé” on Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s dealing with a cousin who wanted to sell the state personal protective equipment (PPE) in the early stages of the coronavirus crisis. But it was conspicuously devoid of attention to real issues in how the Governor handled the situation. Instead of being an “exposé,” it seemed like it was running cover for the Governor’s actions.

The headline seemed damning. “Gov. Inslee connected personal contacts with Washington state officials in hunt for coronavirus supplies.” But even the headline was a nicer version of reality. It wasn’t “personal contacts” as most would picture them. It was a first cousin, someone who shared the Inslee name. It’s the type of omission that mainstream media—especially at the local level in far-left cities like Seattle—often use to cover for mistakes made by Democrats.

The elephant in the room that does get mentioned in the article is the fact that Mark Inslee, the Governor’s first cousin, was trying to sell the state PPE from Greater China Industries, a Bellevue-based importer whose CEO, Ben Zhang, is a supporter of the Governor to the tune of $6800. Mark Inslee made sure to remind the Governor of this fact in communications to his personal email account.

An hour later, Gov. Inslee forwarded the email to Washington state’s head of emergency management. “This is my cousin who is a reputable business person, even though he bears the name Inslee,” the governor wrote from his personal email account. “Just providing this info to you to use as you deem fit.”

So far, so good. It’s light on the nepotism. He notes that the supplier he’s forwarding is his cousin and does not appear to be pressuring for a deal to be made. In a standard situation, it is likely the Governor would have told his cousin to go through proper channels, but the coronavirus crisis has forced many, including Washington, to abandon the use of proper channels for the sake of expediency. If the story ended here with the state declining to make a deal with Greater China Industries, everything would have been in order.

But it didn’t end there.

The story in The Seattle Times continues from there to explain how the Governor and his wife were flooded with communications from various acquaintances who were offering contacts across the globe to help supply PPE. The state was one of the first to get hit by the coronavirus and there were concerns that hospitals would be overrun by patients. Potential shortages of PPE were some of the biggest potential roadblocks if cases of COVID-19 surged. One of the most important pieces of PPE for which the state is suffering a shortage is surgical gowns.

Washington state hustles for masks, gowns, and gloves, but is millions short of what it wants

On a sunny day earlier this month, Larson had 250 pounds of medical supplies in the back of a Cessna 182 bound for rural hospitals in eastern Washington. Once he gets cruising, he turns on ’80s music: Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, maybe some U2.

Larson volunteers for the Washington State Hospital Association, which has started importing masks for healthcare facilities across the state.

But this is a stopgap measure. Getting adequate supplies of personal protective equipment remains a problem in Washington state. The goods are important to protect healthcare workers – and an indication of whether the state can reopen.

And so, the state is accepting large donations and contracting with importers and manufacturers retooling their operations. But so far, that hasn’t been enough.

Mark Inslee’s company offered to sell the state 200,000 hospital gowns at a low cost. It seemed like the deal would go through; as of the end of April, the state had only been able to order around 109,000 and needed many more. It wasn’t the price or their company’s ability to fulfill the order that came into question. The decision to not order the gowns came down to political optics.

A few days later, Mark Inslee proposed a deal for surgical gowns that came closer to fruition. Inslee’s price sheet said that an order of 200,000 gowns would cost  $1.7 million, or $8.35 each, including shipping and other costs. Elena McGrew, a procurement team member, told a colleague she was considering placing an order with Greater China but she wanted to hold off because of a “conflict” concerning Mark Inslee, according to an internal chat record.

“In cases where there may have been appearance of a conflict, that certainly would be raised,” DES spokeswoman Linda Kent wrote in an email.

Mark Inslee said in an interview that someone from the state told him the political “optics” wouldn’t look good if the state placed an order through him, because he is related to the governor.

If anyone other than Governor Jay Inslee’s cousin had brought the deal for the desperately needed PPE to the state, it’s likely they would have ordered it. But protecting the Governor’s reputation superseded the need for life-saving equipment. Now, the shortage continues.

Check out the NEW NOQ Report Podcast.

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