Throughout the pandemic that's killed nearly 600 thousand Americans and upended daily life in the United States, a number of Republican lawmakers openly flouted CDC guidelines as they dismissed the severity of the virus.
Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was called out by fellow Senators last year, when he roamed the Capitol and even worked out at its gym while waiting for virus test results—which would later be positive. This past December, Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida faced backlash for proudly attending a young Republican gala in New Jersey. There were nearly 200 people at the maskless event.
Now, Scott MacFarlane of NBC Washington reports that a former aide to Republican Congressman Doug Lamborn (R-CO) is accusing Lamborn of similar recklessness in court.
The aide, Brandon Pope, filed a 16 page complaint in a U.S. District Court accusing Lamborn of jeopardizing his staff by exposing them to the virus. The complaint also accuses Lamborn of inappropriate favors and gifts to family and friends, like letting his son sleep in a storage unit of the Capitol basement for weeks at a time.
Pope further says Lamborn exposed him to the virus, with Pope noting that he tested positive on November 19, only one day after learning Lamborn had tested positive. Pope was soon dismissed from his position, a move he believes occurred because he voiced concerns about the staff's safety.
News of the complaint made waves on social media.
Wow another Republican grifter. Really is anyone surprised?https://twitter.com/macfarlanenews/status/1392944519411286027\u00a0\u2026— Szetta (@Szetta) 1621090556
There are some truly insane people working within our government. Unbelievable stuff in this lawsuit that I\u2019m sure is probably totally accurate. Sigh. We\u2019ve got to get this republicans who endanger public health out of office.https://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews/status/1392944519411286027\u00a0\u2026— Jackie Pepper \u270a\ud83c\udffd\u262e\ufe0f\ud83c\udf0a (@Jackie Pepper \u270a\ud83c\udffd\u262e\ufe0f\ud83c\udf0a) 1621004149
Typical GOP malfeasancehttps://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews/status/1392944519411286027\u00a0\u2026— Allen Thayer (@Allen Thayer) 1620999956
People were especially disgusted at allegations that Lamborn let his son live in the Capitol basement.
Wait... what???https://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews/status/1392946933728169984\u00a0\u2026— Joy-Ann \ud83d\ude37Reid (@Joy-Ann \ud83d\ude37Reid) 1620940103
Pardon me but what the hirsute tap dancing FCK is going on here????https://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews/status/1392946933728169984\u00a0\u2026— Charles P. Pierce (@Charles P. Pierce) 1620958657
The corruption never ends.https://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews/status/1392946933728169984\u00a0\u2026— JeanJ (@JeanJ) 1620991383
HE DID WHAT NOWhttps://twitter.com/macfarlanenews/status/1392946933728169984\u00a0\u2026— Morgan L. Stringer, Ace Associate (@Morgan L. Stringer, Ace Associate) 1620943298
This is real weirdhttps://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews/status/1392946933728169984\u00a0\u2026— mask masky mcmaskersen (@mask masky mcmaskersen) 1620940433
What was he getting into during that time? This seems very illegal to me.https://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews/status/1392946933728169984\u00a0\u2026— Leeanne C. (@Leeanne C.) 1621018943
Lamborn has yet to comment on the accusations regarding his son, but has denied that Pope's firing was due to speaking out on safety protocols.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram