[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/jim_mattis.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]The Warrior Monk has left the building, to paraphrase what was said post-performance of Elvis (birthday, 8 January). Yes, James Mattis, General, USMC (ret.), has finally resigned from the Theranos Board of Directors, which was reorganized last month [TTA 3 Dec]. According to the Wall Street Journal relying on its usual ‘persons close to the matter’, he “left Theranos partly because he believed he was no longer a good fit after a broader board overhaul”.

In preparation for Senate hearings on his Secretary of Defense nomination, which begin 12 Jan, Gen. Mattis resigned from all corporate boards save General Dynamics, which was retained as to not be presumptuous of confirmation. His confirmation is more complicated than usual because he requires a Senate waiver of the seven years post-retirement requirement. Even with this, his confirmation is expected, and the resignation from the Theranos board mitigates a sticky set of questions.

The WSJ article rehashes in some detail the 2012 review of the Theranos lab which Gen. Mattis proposed while head of Central Command (CENTCOM), which ultimately was derailed at Fort Detrick, home of the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. However, reports are that little money was actually expended and Gen. Mattis accepted the decision.

Theranos, having shuttered its labs, is appealing the regulatory sanctions, including CMS’ ban on Elizabeth Holmes’ operating labs, and is reportedly cooperating with a myriad of civil and criminal investigations, both by an alphabet soup of Federal agencies (CMS, DOJ, FDA, SEC) and state regulators.

If the WSJ article is paywalled, search on the headline “Trump Defense Nominee James Mattis Resigns From Theranos Board”. Also MarketWatch. See here for the 30 previous TTA chapters in this Continuing, Consistently Amazing Saga, including Theranos’ annus horribilis (Ch. 30) and the law firm feeding frenzy (Ch. 29). Hat tip to reader Bill Oravecz.