I think we have no choice but to assume that Rudy smells money:

Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney, is urging the Food and Drug Administration to fast-track clinical trials of an experimental stem cell therapy in Covid-19 patients, prompting fears of political meddling in a scientific process meant to protect patients.

In recent days, Giuliani has used his Twitter account and podcast to tout the stem cell treatment being developed by a New Jersey biotech company, Celularity, despite scant evidence to date that its therapy will benefit Covid-19 patients.

The company is currently seeking permission to start a clinical trial for the treatment. Giuliani, for his part, has been critical of the FDA, accusing it of standing in the way of important treatments.

“The general reputation of the FDA — and I don’t mean to be critical at a time like this — but it is very slow,” Giuliani said in an interview on his podcast with Bob Hariri, Celularity’s founder and CEO. “I have represented pharma companies and it was my observation that they took forever in situations where people are dying. Come on, let’s go. Let’s move.”

Later on Twitter, Giuliani said Celularity’s therapy, CYNK-001, has “real potential” and “trials need to be EXPEDITED.” In a response to a tweet from one of his followers, Giuliani replied, “Let’s hope FDA can recognize that their cumbersome process designed to keep us safer, if it is not altered dramatically in times of great need, can result in unimaginable loss of human life.”

Experts fear his argument could resonate with Trump, who has not only made Giuliani a close confidant but has long expressed impatience with the FDA’s drug approval process. Giuliani could not be reached for comment.

“There is a real risk for any biomedical scientist or company to engage with someone like Giuliani, who is so intensely political,” said Paul Knoepfler, a stem cell researcher at the University of California, Davis. “You could imagine Trump retweeting Giuliani about the stem cell treatment or even mentioning it verbally at a briefing. That could do a lot of harm.”

In an interview, Hariri said he had no intention of currying Trump’s favor or circumventing the FDA when he sat for a videotaped interview with Giuliani that was posted to his website on March 28.

“Rudy and I are old friends and he truly cares about what’s happening to New York City right now. He was simply curious about what we’re doing to help patients with Covid-19, and I didn’t think twice about his audience for his podcast,” said Hariri.