FactCheck.org’s COVID-19 Project is Funded by Foundation That Has 15 Percent of Its Assets in Johnson and Johnson Stock
Evan James
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A FactCheck.org project addressing common COVID-19 “misconceptions” owes its existence to a philanthropic organization that has around 15 percent of its assets tied up in Johnson & Johnson stock.
The top of the project homepage reads as follows: “SciCheck’s COVID-19/Vaccination Project is made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the foundation.”
Interestingly enough, Rep. Thomas Massie (KY-04) has discovered that 15.9 percent of the foundation’s assets consist of Johnson & Johnson common stock. Out of $11.9 billion in assets, nearly $1.9 billion has been invested in J&J. The figures come from a 2019 financial statement:
The president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is Richard E. Besser, who was the former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and chief health and medical editor at ABC News.
Near the top of its homepage the foundation makes it clear that they “stand in solidarity with those fighting for racial justice and speaking out against anti-Black racial violence and White supremacy.”
“Bless your heart if you think factcheck.org is an unbiased source of vaccine information,” Massie tweeted.
In related news, the CDC and FDA recently rescinded its pause on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccination will now be accompanied with a warning that it could cause blood clotting in adult women under the age of 50.
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