CNN’s Bill Weir attempted to score some political points against GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week by ridiculing the state’s COVID-19 policies.
The tactic backfired, however, when DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw got the last word.
According to Fox News:
On Wednesday, the CNN anchor and chief climate correspondent did some editorializing on Twitter in an attempt to bad mouth Florida lawmakers’ decision to not preorder COVID-19 vaccines for very young children, while other states did.
Weir tweeted, “49 states preordered COVID vaccines for kids under 5 so they’ll be ready as soon as there is FDA approval. Take a guess which state did not.”
Weir subsequently linked to an article from the Miami Herald, which reported that “Florida missed a Tuesday deadline to request delivery of COVID-19 pediatric vaccines for children under 5, guaranteeing a delay in access for parents across the state, according to two U.S. government sources.”
The piece also indicated that “All other 49 states placed pre-orders” for the vaccines and that Florida hospitals and health centers “will not have access during this time and will remain without supply until Florida places an order.”
DeSantis’s spokesperson shot back a crippling response to Weir’s tweet. “The state everyone is moving to?” Pushaw asked, invoking the reality that despite media attacks, Florida is one of the country’s hottest spots for domestic migration.
Here’s the original Twitter interaction:
49 states preordered COVID vaccines for kids under 5 so they’ll be ready as soon as there is FDA approval.
Take a guess which state did not.
— Bill Weir (@BillWeirCNN) June 15, 2022
Pushaw went on to defend the DeSantis administration’s approach to mandating COVID-19 vaccines for the state’s youngest citizens.
"Doctors can get it. Hospitals can get it. But there are not going to be any state programs to get covid jabs to infants and toddlers and newborns. That's not something that we think is appropriate. So that's not where we're gonna be utilizing our resources." – @GovRonDeSantis
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) June 16, 2022
Follow @FLSurgeonGen @HealthyFla & @JeremyRedfernFL for sane, non-corrupt, evidence based public health guidance! https://t.co/CWhixqMjH4
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) June 16, 2022
DeSantis has also come to his spokesperson’s defense, including earlier this month, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday defended his press secretary, Christina Pushaw, after The Washington Post reported that Pushaw this week registered as a foreign agent because of previous work for the former president of the country of Georgia.
The Post report said Pushaw “belatedly” registered as a foreign agent of Mikheil Saakashvili after working for Saakashvili from 2018 to 2020.
The Post quoted Pushaw’s attorney as saying that the U.S. Department of Justice had contacted Pushaw to inform her of a requirement to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Here’s a clip of the Florida governor addressing the vaccine issue this week:
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