In 2017, James Mattis was the former Defense Secretary. Associated Press/JacquelynMartin
James Mattis was called to the stand Wednesday during Elizabeth Holmes' fraud trial against Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.
He shared details about Theranos' military pilot project and said that he had invested $85,000 in Theranos.
The ex-defense secretary said Holmes was also his "sole" source for information on Theranos.
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James Mattis, former US Defense Secretary, has disclosed how much he spent on now-defunct startup Theranos for blood-testing.
Wednesday's fraud trial against Elizabeth Holmes founder of Theranos was started by Mattis. He testified that he had invested almost $85,000 in Theranos, which is a significant amount for someone who has worked for 40 years in government, according to Wall Street Journal reporting.
Mattis also remembered the moment Holmes asked him for his membership on Theranos's board. He said that he had warned Holmes not to ask him to join Theranos' board. Holmes stated that she values diversity among board members.
After leaving active duty in 2013, Mattis joined the board. Mattis claimed he was paid $150,000 per year to be on the board. He stated that he joined the board because he wanted to "have skin in this game".
Retired four-star general said Holmes was his "sole" source for information about the company. As evidence, he showed several emails between Holmes and Mattis. They also showed them two talking about plans to test Theranos' technology in the military.
Mattis wrote Holmes in late 2011 that he was trying to find a way for Holmes to use his device as a quick 'pilot project', or proof of principle, to speed its entry into our forces.
Holmes replied later, "It's on us to drive forward and get a pilot. We will do everything necessary to make it happen, and we will work through this process.
Mattis stated that he didn't know that certain Theranos tests were being performed on third-party machines instead of the company's Edison machines when he joined. Mattis started to question Edison's effectiveness after the Wall Street Journal published an explosive investigation into the limits of Theranos tests.
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According to the Journal, he stated that he was unsure of his beliefs about Theranos at one point. "Looking back, I am disappointed at the lack of transparency...I didn't understand why we were so surprised by these fundamental issues."
Mattis is just one of the more than 200 potential witnesses to the trial.
Business Insider has the original article.
