Ernst has stood by her demonstrably false claims – refusing to explain or apologize for alleging that health providers are purposefully overcounting deaths and cases for profit
Iowans have yet to hear any explanation or apology from Senator Ernst two days after her comments in the Waterloo Courier sparked local and national headlines with news she peddled debunked QAnon-backed conspiracy theories accusing Iowa frontline health workers of maliciously inflating COVID-19 data in order to profit.
When asked yesterday to clarify her derogatory comments, Senator Ernst refused to denounce her remarks and did not walk back her insulting claim that health care providers are purposefully overcounting cases and deaths for profit.
On top of it all, Senator Ernst failed to show any signs of remorse for throwing Iowa’s frontline workers under the bus in order to downplay her failure to respond to the pandemic. Ernst’s comments earned strong rebuke from Iowa health care workers and infectious disease experts, calling them “disgusting,” “painful,” and “incredibly insulting and infuriating.”
Senator Ernst owes it to Iowa frontline workers and families who’ve lost loved ones to explain her deeply disturbing and disqualifying comments. Ernst must answer these questions:
- Will Senator Ernst apologize to Iowa health professionals and frontline workers for demonizing and slandering their life-saving work in order to downplay the human toll of the coronavirus?
- Where did Senator Ernst hear “on the news” the debunked conspiracy theories, and why is she peddling unfounded conspiracy theories when she has access to extraordinary amounts of health information and data?
- Why does Senator Ernst refuse to support a statewide mask mandate – going against the recommendation of the White House coronavirus task force and expert analysis that it would save lives?
- If Senator Ernst claims to support frontline workers, then why did she vote twice against paid sick leave and oppose jobless benefits for Iowans who lost their jobs due to the pandemic?
- Will Senator Ernst denounce the QAnon movement and their dangerous and corrosive influence that’s spreading throughout her political party?