The claim
1. Michael A. McManus is a director at vaccine manufacturer Novavax.
2. McManus worked under Ronald Reagan.
3. He was involved in drug and arms trafficking before his time at Novavax.
4. The vaccine therefore comes from proven criminals.
Our conclusion
1. Michael A. McManus is not a director of Novavax, but merely an independent officer on Novavax's Audit and Compensation Committee.
2. Yes, he actually worked in the Reagan White House from 1982-1985.
3. It could not be proven that he was involved in drug and arms trafficking.
4. He has not been charged to date and McManus was never in a position to produce a Covid vaccine.
How do the allegations come about?
The vaccine manufacturer Novavax produced a protein-based vaccine against the corona virus. At a Corona rally in Winterthur on October 2, 2022, a Corona opponent claimed in a lecture that the “director” of Novavax, Michael McManus, was involved in drug and weapons trafficking. “The vaccine comes from proven criminals,” he argued. What is behind the spectacular claims?
The argument
In one picture, McManus is shown shaking hands with Ronald Reagan. This picture was presented as evidence by the speaker. “We are dealing here with old, proven, established mafia,” says the speaker. He claims that Ronald Reagan came to the presidency through the mafia and was involved in corruption, drug and arms trafficking. When Reagan was charged with corruption, he was acquitted due to lack of evidence and the case was dropped after the start of his term as president. Therefore, it cannot be proven at this point whether the charges are justified.
So what does the Reagan story have to do with McManus?
McManus actually served in the White House from 1982 to 1985 as deputy chief of staff and later as assistant to Reagan. However, no evidence could be found that either he or Reagan were involved in drug and arms trafficking. In addition, no charges have been found against Novavax's McManus and it turns out to be a conspiracy theory.
Is McManus actually a director at Novavax?
No, this claim is also demonstrably incorrect. The director of Novavax is Standley C. Erck. McManus is and never was the director, but is currently only an independent “Class III director” on the “Securities and Exchange Commission” – an audit and compensation committee. Admittedly, his LinkedIn profile puts his career higher in this regard than is true.
The 2015 indictment of a McManus
In fact, there is an article where a Michael McManus was arrested and charged with drug possession. However, he was only 36 years old in 2015, as reported. However, McManus - an independent employee on the Novavax audit committee - was born on March 11, 1943 and was therefore already 72 years old at the time. It can therefore be ruled out that the person arrested was the Novavax audit committee employee.
Mixture between fact and fiction
So it turns out that, as is so often the case, this is a mixture of facts and fiction that creates fakes and conspiracy theories. Perhaps the speaker and Corona opponent in question has seen the 1995 film “The Usual Suspects” too often. Because there is a film character in the drug world with the same name.
Conclusion
Michael A. McManus, born in 1943, is not the director of Novavax. He only serves on Novavax's Audit and Compensation Committee. Even though he served in the White House under Ronald Reagan, no evidence of his involvement in drug and arms trafficking has been found. Additionally, he has not yet been charged with drug possession. The accusation turns out to be a conspiracy theory.
Source:
Reaganlibrary, Novavax, LinkedIn, Manchester Ink Link , Reaganlibrary
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