Will Nursing Home Deaths Catch up to Whitmer like they did Cuomo?
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For almost a year, voices on the right have been trying to sound the alarm about Governor Andrew Cuomo’s mishandling of COVID. While mainstream journalists hailed him as the brave leader we all needed, and Dr. Anthony Fauci and Joe Biden lavished him with praise, the elderly were dying in nursing homes. Why Governor Cuomo decided to send patients with COVID to mingle with the most vulnerable population, instead of utilizing the hospital ship sent by President Trump or other means, we can only guess. But once it was undoubtedly an issue, he should have owned up to his mistake instead of hiding the true death total and threatening colleagues.
Now that our stunning and brave warrior journalists have defeated the orange monster and thrown him out of the White House, they are now free to cover stories they ignored. How long will it be before Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, gets a second look?
She, too, instituted an order to allow COVID patients into nursing homes, even incentivizing it. Some Michiganders are under the impression the policy was to allow the elderly to return to their own homes, but that’s not true. Nursing homes have been used as rehab facilities. In Detroit, a 75-year-old man was brutally beaten by a 20-year-old quarantined COVID patient, resulting in broken fingers, ribs, and jaw.
When the Michigan legislature tried to pass a bill banning placing COVID patients in nursing homes, Whitmer vetoed the bill. Whitmer wrote to lawmakers, explaining the bill was “based on the false premise that isolation units created within existing facilities are somehow insufficient to protect seniors.” The bill spearheaded by former State Senator Pete Lucido was tweaked, and a new bill was eventually signed by the governor a few months later.
Whitmer gained the attention of conservative commentator Steven Crowder, a former Michigander. He held a rally in October of 2020, demanding answers regarding nursing home deaths. At the time, The Detroit News reported that 34% of COVID-19 deaths were linked to nursing homes, which wasn’t that far off from surrounding states. However, Crowder contended that Michigan wasn’t including assisted living facilities, adult facilities, adult foster care, or homes for the aged. The purpose of the rally was to empower Michiganders to FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) Whitmer for answers. The search for the truth still continues.
Charlie LeDuff, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, announced last week on Twitter that he and the Mackinac Center is suing Whitmer over her lack of transparency. The Michigan legislature is also seeking answers, asking similar questions to Mr. Crowder.
Eyebrows also raised because ex-health department officials received separation agreements attached with cash and promises to be silent. Robert Gordon, a DC insider who did not have a background of health on his resume prior to his appointment by Whitmer, abruptly stepped down on Jan 22. He was paid $155,506. His deputy, Sarah Esty, also received a separation agreement.
Critics are calling the payment hush money, which Whitmer pushed back on during a press conference on Tuesday. "I really bristle at that characterization. It is the nature of a separation agreement, when someone in a leadership position leaves, is that there are terms to it and you can't share every term to it. That's simply what it is.”
Dennis Muchmore, the chief of staff under Governor Rick Snyder’s administration, said he didn’t recall similar agreements being signed under Snyder.
Michigan has faced tremendous lockdowns compared to neighboring states like Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana. Whitmer’s critics have argued that her lockdowns are not only oppressive; they don’t often make any sense. Whitmer’s advocates have been willing to cooperate and defend the governor under the presumption that she’s doing her best to keep us safe.
Whitmer should allow Michiganders to see the real data, and she should immediately release Gordon and other officials from their agreements.
Will Democrats turn on Whitmer as they eventually did with Governor Cuomo in New York? Only time will tell.
