Does Sen. Amy Klobuchar Take Money From Drug Companies?

Bernie Sanders accustomed pharma executives' donations prior to new pledge

"Some money may need to exist returned," Sanders' campaign said.

Bernie Sanders chosen on his fellow Democratic presidential candidates Wed to reject donations from health insurance and pharmaceutical industry executives during what was labeled as a "major accost" in Washington, D.C., only an ABC News review of FEC records earlier in the solar day found that Sanders himself accepted some of the same types of donations earlier in the campaign cycle.

As part of Sanders' "No Health Insurance and Pharma Money Pledge," which his entrada previewed in a press release Wed forenoon ahead of the "Medicare for All" speech he delivered later on in the twenty-four hours, the senator promised "to not take contributions from the health insurance or pharmaceutical manufacture."

The pledge specifically identifies "contributions over $200 from the PACs, lobbyists, or executives of health insurance or pharmaceutical companies," excluding what it terms "rank-and-file workers employed by pharmaceutical giants and health insurance companies." It additionally provides a listing of "companies covered by the pledge," which are members of the America'south Health Insurance Plans clan and Pharmaceutical Inquiry and Manufacturers of America group.

In a review of Sanders' publicly available campaign donation information, ABC News identified at least three contributions of more than $200 from two private donors who could be considered executives at companies included on the list.

Ane of the individuals who gave to the Sanders entrada is Lynn McRoy, who identifies herself on her LinkedIn page every bit vice president and global medical lead, chest cancer at Pfizer. She's additionally identified as the chest cancer lead with U.S. Medical Affairs at Pfizer Oncology in an Oct 2018 press release. Pfizer is among numerous pharmaceutical companies on Sanders' list.

ABC News found at least four contributions from McRoy to Sanders thus far in 2019, including one of $500 and another of $250, which would exist in violation of the pledge if McRoy is considered an "executive."

McRoy's additional two donations, of $100 and $70, fall below the pledge's $200 threshold, though were given inside 8 and 3 days, respectively, of her $250 contribution on March 28.

Another donation of $1,000 came from Schiffon Wong, who identifies herself on LinkedIn as the executive manager, global evidence and value evolution at EMD Serono, a company covered on Sanders' list that describes itself as a "biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the U.Southward." Both EMD Serono and Merck are on Sanders' list.

In each instance, the job titles of the donors were provided in non-specific terms -- as "medical director" and "researcher" for McRoy and Wong, respectively. Such descriptors are common in FEC reports and both individuals disclosed their employers, as is required.

The Sanders campaign also received a contribution of $250 from Austin Kim, who is listed as the executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Acadia Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded company that produces a drug to care for Parkinson's disease-related hallucinations. Acadia is not, however, listed on the pledge'south list every bit it is non a member of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

In response to ABC News' inquiry virtually these contributions, the Sanders campaign said it will exist returning them and whatever other donations that don't meet the parameters of the pledge.

"This pledge was launched today with our full cognition that some money may need to be returned," Sanders entrada spokesperson Sarah Ford told ABC News. "We're glad to donate the three donations worth $2700 out of most $40 1000000 received since launch."

The entrada'south acceptance of donations from executives in an manufacture renounced by its candidate is similar to a situation Sanders' Senate colleague Cory Booker, D-Due north.J., plant himself in before this calendar month when he returned a donation from a pharmaceutical executive later on it was uncovered by ABC News. Booker returned a $2,800 contribution to his campaign from the executive vice president and chief compliance officeholder at Eagle Pharmaceutical, which had been accepted despite the senator's 2017 vow to no longer take money from pharmaceutical companies.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., another Democratic presidential candidate, who said in June during the party's beginning primary that big pharmaceutical companies don't "own" her, has too accepted nearly $30,000 from individuals affiliated with the industry this year, including more than $22,000 from executives and high-level officers of Minnesota-based pharma company Medtronic, FEC filings bear witness. Klobuchar has not said she would return the pharmaceutical money she received.

The motility by Sanders to disavow such loftier-dollar manufacture donations comes amongst a calendar week in which health care has become a focal point of the Autonomous presidential race. On Monday, old Vice President Joe Biden released a proposal to aggrandize the Affordable Care Human action and provide a public health intendance option, leading to criticism from Sanders, whose Medicare for All program would completely replace the private insurance industry and place all Americans on a government-run program.