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The Wikipedia page of President-elect Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 czar Jeff Zients has been cleaned of anything that might present him as not progressive enough, Politico first reported.
Zients, a business and management executive, was hired Thursday to serve as the White House COVID-19 coordinator. Zients will be responsible for overseeing vaccine deployment and mobilizing economic aid, among other priorities.
Under President Obama, Zients served as Director of the National Economic Council and Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Democratic consultancy firm Saguaro Strategies has scoured the page over the summer and fall as Zients’ profile rose after joining Biden’s transition team. The company made the changes using the name “Saguarostrat”, with the intention of cleaning up anything that could be politically damaging. A Saguaro Strategies staff member confirmed to Politico that the Wikipedia account is linked to the company. After Politico contacted, the username was changed to Cactus78910.
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A chief executive of former President Obama’s employment council remarked that he thought Zients, then one of Obama’s top aides, was a Republican, his Wiki page used to read. The section has been deleted.
Politico reports that a section – where Zients praised management consultancy Bain – has been removed, but as of this writing, it has returned. Zients reportedly “fell in love with Bain’s culture, teamwork… and analytical rigor,” the section reads.
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The firm also added that Zients had left Facebook “because of differences with the management of the company in terms of governance and its policies on political speech.” Zients has never said this publicly.
At the top of the section on Zients ‘role in supporting the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which saw opposition from the left, the firm added Zients’ argument that it was “the most progressive trade deal that ever existed ”.
As of this writing, this section has been removed.
Zients’ promotion of TPP quotes him: “[t]that the TPP is a tax cut… it lowers tariffs and eliminates trade barriers. “
A sudden cleanup of someone’s Wikipedia page is not uncommon for people looking for a high-profile article. In June, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s Wikipedia page was cleaned up more than any other vice-presidential candidate and the majority of the edits were made by one person, The Intercept reported.
WestExec Advisors removed mention of its China-related work from its website just before Biden became the nominee. Several of Biden’s cabinet picks have worked for the company, including its co-founder, Anthony Blinken, who is the candidate for secretary of state, and former WestExec manager, Avril Haines, who is the candidate for post of director of national intelligence.
Web records show that as late as July, the company was touting its success in helping U.S. research universities accept donations from China, expand foreign research collaboration, and welcome foreign students into programs. keys to STEM while remaining a “trusted partner for (Department of Defense) – sponsored research grants.” “
In early August, the company said it had helped a leading US pharmaceutical company and a multi-billion dollar US technology company gain access to the Chinese market.
Both references were deleted in early August
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