Texas AG Paxton to probe whether COVID vax makers misrepresented shot safety data

Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is set Monday to launch an investigation into whether Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson misrepresented the safety of their COVID-19 vaccines.

The probe, first reported by The New York Post, will reportedly center on possible violations of Texas' Deceptive Trade Practices Act and explore whether the pharmaceutical giants participated in gain-of-function research without the public's knowledge. 

Such research is valuable in its attempt to learn how a virus might morph and spread but is also risky. 

The Texas investigation also has the potential to change the standards of legal immunity that was granted to the manufacturers of the coronavirus vaccines, triggering class-action lawsuits from anyone harmed by the mRNA shots. 

"The catastrophic effects of the pandemic and subsequent interventions forced on our country and citizens deserve intense scrutiny, and we are pursuing any hint of wrongdoing to the fullest," Paxton told The Post.

"This pandemic was a deeply challenging time for Americans. If any company illegally took advantage of consumers during this period or compromised people’s safety to increase their profits, they will be held responsible."

Just The News reached out to Paxton's office Monday but did not receive an immediate reply to the request for further comment. 

The federal approval process for the vaccines' approval was expedited in the rush to get the vaccines to people as the potentially deadly virus spread.

"If public health policy was developed on the basis of flawed or misleading research, the public must know," Paxton also said.

He also argued Big Pharma had a "vested interest" in the success of the vaccinations because of the record profits it made.

"This vested interest … combined with reports about the alarming side effects of vaccines, demands aggressive investigation," Paxton said.

Paxton's probe follows reports this past weekend that Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel earned about $393 million in 2022 from stock options he exercised as he received a 50% raise. 

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