5/1/20
Vladimir Zelenko, a doctor who has pushed hydroxychloroquine usage for coronavirus to the White House and on Fox News, now may have the Justice Department looking into his efforts, after conservative podcaster Jerome Corsi mistakenly sent a former Mueller prosecutor an email. Corsi -- who styles his name as "Dr. Corsi" because he has a political science degree -- sent an email on April 20 to those he calls his "tele-health" partners about public relations and business opportunities for Zelenko because of his work on hydroxychloroquine. Instead of emailing Zelenko, however, Corsi mistakenly copied federal prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky, a former special counsel's office investigator now based in Maryland. Zelinksy and his colleagues in special counsel Robert Mueller's office had considered charging Corsi with lying during the investigation into President Donald Trump's longtime friend Roger Stone. When Zelinsky responded to Corsi, asking him if he had a lawyer for the matter, Corsi said he realized Zelinsky must be investigating. It's unclear, however, what an investigation may be focusing on, or even if it's a serious inquiry. A spokesperson for the Maryland US Attorney's Office wouldn't confirm or deny the existence of an ongoing investigation. Zelinsky and Zelenko did not respond to requests for comment.
Zelenko has drawn attention in New York, in right-wing circles and from the Trump administration for experimenting with hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus. President Donald Trump has touted the use of the drug as a potential treatment. But the Food and Drug Administration has said the drug has not been shown to be "safe and effective" for treating the illness, and its usage for coronavirus patients has risks of severe complications, even death, the FDA has said recently. Zelinsky had been the lead prosecutor from the special counsel's office on Stone's case, and had stayed in Washington to try the case last year after Mueller's investigation ended. The Justice Department has focused on investigating a wide swath of crimes related to the pandemic, so far largely about fraudulent offers of vaccines and cures, as well as computer crimes, price-gouging and hoarding of supplies. Zelinsky hasn't appeared in any public active Covid-related cases yet, according to federal court records.