Trump attacks Merck exec for quitting council over Charlottesville

Merck & Co Inc Chief ExecutiveKenneth Frazier resigned from U.S. President Donald Trump'sAmerican Manufacturing Council on Monday, saying he was taking astand against intolerance and extremism.

Trump denounced white supremacists including neo-Nazis andthe Ku Klux Klan on Monday, and said racism, hatred and bigotryhad no place in America following a violent white-nationalistrally in Virginia.

Frazier, who is African-American, is the only CEO so far toleave one of Trump's advisory councils because of his reactionto the violence in Virginia. Prominent Democrats and Republicanscriticized Trump's response to the violence over the weekend.

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The gathering of hundreds of white nationalists took adeadly turn on Saturday when a car plowed into a group of
counter-protesters and killed at least one person.

Trump had said "many sides" were involved, drawing fire fromacross the political spectrum for not specifically denouncingthe far right.

"America's leaders must honor our fundamental views byclearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group
supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that allpeople are created equal," Frazier said in a statement
announcing his resignation.

Merck focuses onexperimental medicines

The son of a janitor, Frazier joined Merck as generalcounsel of one of the drugmaker's subsidiaries in 1992, workinghis way up to CEO of the company in 2011.

He made his name as the company's top lawyer, steering itthrough daunting litigation over Vioxx, its widely usedpainkiller that was withdrawn in 2004 after being linked toheart attacks.

Many observers thought Merck would eventually have to shellout $10 billion US or more to thousands of plaintiffs over thedrug's withdrawal. But Frazier's legal strategy led to a$4.85-billion settlement in 2007, allowing Merck to refocus onits pipeline of experimental medicines.

Frazier frequently made political contributions during the2016 election, donating to both Republican and Democraticmembers of Congress but no donations to a presidential candidateduring the year.

The political PAC maintained by Merck and funded throughdonations from Merck employees made over $1.1 million in
candidate contributions during the 2016 campaign but did notcontribute to Trump or his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton,according to documents filed with the Federal ElectionsCommission.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America,which represents the pharmaceutical industry and lobbies on itsbehalf in Congress, declined to offer a statement of support forFrazier or to comment on Trump'sreaction.

The industry's silence comes as Trump is finalizing anexecutive order on drug prices that would relax industryregulation and contains measures that, some say, would protectexisting drug prices or even increase them.

Individually, at least one CEO, John Maraganore of AlnylamPharmaceuticals, tweeted his support, saying he was
proud to stand with leaders like Ken Frazier.

Other top business leaders also spoke out in response to theviolence in Charlottesville, includingHewlett Packard Enterprises CEO MegWhitman, who ran for governor of California as a Republican in2010, andGoldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein.

Several executives from top U.S. companies have previouslystepped down from a number of presidential advisory councils inprotest to Trump policies, includingTesla Inc CEO Elon Musk,Walt Disney CoCEO Robert Iger andformer Uber Technologies Inc CEO Travis Kalanick.

The White House said Sunday that Trump's remarks condemningviolence at a white nationalist rally were meant to include theKu Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups.

Democrats and Republicans criticized Trump for waiting toolong to address the violence his first major domestic crisisas president and for failing when he did speak out toexplicitly condemn white-supremacist marchers who ignited themelee.

Trump on Saturday initially denounced what he called "thisegregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on manysides."

On Sunday, however, the White House added: "The president said very strongly in his statement yesterday that he condemnsall forms of violence, bigotry, and hatred, and of course thatincludes white supremacists, KKK, neo-Nazi, and all extremistgroups. He called for national unity and bringing all Americanstogether."