Even as deadlier new variants of the virus that's killed over 600 thousand Americans continue to emerge, right-wing media outlets and even Republican elected officials continue to encourage conspiracy theories and hesitation against the lifesaving vaccines, which have been proven safe and effective.
Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said he's "suspicious" of the effort to vaccinate everyone in America. Far-right Congresswoman and prominent conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has told a range of lies regarding the vaccines, including the absurd claim that they've killed thousands of people. Republican lawmakers have universally decried the Biden administration's effort to enlist volunteers in under-vaccinated communities to go door-to-door with information on how and where to receive a vaccine.
Given the GOP's bulwark against saving countless lives through vaccination, journalists have asked multiple GOP lawmakers whether they've been vaccinated.
Congressman Ronny Jackson—Trump's disgraced onetime Secretary of Veterans Affairs—was the latest to be asked the question, and he quickly changed the subject to Democrats.
Watch below.
Jackson said:
"I think you as a press have a responsibility to ask questions of the Democrats as well. How many of the Democrats are willing to say whether or not they've been vaccinated?"
He then pointed to the Texas state legislators, currently in Washington to deny Republicans in the Texas statehouse a quorum in the ongoing special session. Six of these vaccinated legislators tested positive for the virus. Jackson baselessly suggested they could be lying about their vaccination status.
As for Jackson's question on why the media doesn't ask Democrats about their vaccination status, that's because they already answered this over two months ago.
CNN reported in May:
"Democratic lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have a 100% vaccination rate against Covid-19, a CNN survey of Capitol Hill found this week, significantly outpacing Republicans in the House and Senate and illustrating the partisan divide over the pandemic."
Many of these Democratic members of Congress even publicly received the vaccine, such as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who livestreamed her vaccination.
People didn't hesitate to point this out to Jackson.
Every single Democrat \u2014 both in the House and the Senate \u2014 has already said that they're vaccinated.https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1418204208650625024\u00a0\u2026— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1626966019
Every Democrat in the House and Senate has told CNN that they are vaccinated. They had all disclosed this by May. https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/14/politics/democrats-vaccination-rates-house-mask-rules/index.html\u00a0\u2026https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1418204208650625024\u00a0\u2026— Daniel Dale (@Daniel Dale) 1626961935
*raises hand* \nWe did ask. \nAnswer: All of them. \n\nHere you go:\nhttps://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/05/14/politics/democrats-vaccination-rates-house-mask-rules/index.html?__twitter_impression=true\u00a0\u2026https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1418204208650625024\u00a0\u2026— Kristin Wilson (@Kristin Wilson) 1626973786
CNN reported *two months ago* that every House Democrat had been vaccinated, after contacting their offices to ask. One of the worst "whatabouts" I've ever seen here https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/14/politics/democrats-vaccination-rates-house-mask-rules/index.html\u00a0\u2026https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1418204208650625024\u00a0\u2026— Dave Weigel (@Dave Weigel) 1626962078
All of them, you quack.https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1418204208650625024\u00a0\u2026— Reed Galen (@Reed Galen) 1626971861
The answer is simple, Ronny: all of them. 219/219 of Democrats in Congress have been #vaccinated.https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1418204208650625024\u00a0\u2026— No Dem Left Behind (@No Dem Left Behind) 1626965708
His Democratic colleagues further confirmed this.
Literally all of us. https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1418204208650625024\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/1SxKLPnShx— Rep. Jimmy Gomez (@Rep. Jimmy Gomez) 1626962059
Asked & answered, months ago: "Congressional Democrats have a 100% vaccination rate" https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/14/politics/democrats-vaccination-rates-house-mask-rules/index.html\u00a0\u2026https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1418204208650625024\u00a0\u2026— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@Rep. Eric Swalwell) 1626980597
Every single Democrat serving in Congress has confirmed that they are vaccinated. https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/14/politics/democrats-vaccination-rates-house-mask-rules/index.html\u00a0\u2026https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1418204208650625024\u00a0\u2026— Rep. Don Beyer (@Rep. Don Beyer) 1626961396
What's unclear is why Jackson is so hesitant to answer.
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