Donald Trump Sent CIA to Outbid Rival Nations on PPE, Former Top U.K. Aide Says On 5/26/21 at 10:14 AM EDT The former chief adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that ex-President Donald Trump sent the CIA in order to obtain Protective Personal Equipment (PPE) ahead of other countries during the coronavirus pandemic. Dominic Cummings made the claim while giving testimony to British lawmakers on a joint committee reviewing the U.K.'s coronavirus response on Wednesday. Cummings, who left Downing Street in November 2020 after a bitter split with Johnson, said the U.K. had been lagging in its efforts to get essential equipment and that the British Department of Health's PPE procurement process was "completely hopeless."