Trump's Covid lies were a tragedy. Were they also a crime?
Trump’s lies about Covid very likely killed Americans. Where's the accountability?
By Dean Obeidallah, MSNBC Opinion Columnist
Holding former President Donald Trump accountable must go beyond an impeachment for inciting the Capitol riot. It must also include a full investigation into potential crimes he may have committed, such as manslaughter (wait for my explanation on this one), in connection with the over 400,000 Americans who died from Covid-19 on his watch.
Trump knew Americans were relying on him to provide information to keep themselves and their families safe from the deadly virus. But still, he knowingly lied to the public about the risk of Covid-19. The most glaring example was one we learned about in September when the journalist Bob Woodward released audio tapes of his conversation last Feb. 7 with Trump. In that call, Trump told Woodward point blank that Covid-19 “is deadly stuff,” adding that it’s five times “more deadly” than “even your strenuous flus.”
Yet, weeks later, on Feb. 26 — with a nation desperate for information on this quickly spreading virus — Trump stood up in the White House, looked into the camera and lied to the public, saying, “I mean, view this the same as the flu.” This was days before the first American death from the virus was reported.
From there, Trump served up a buffet of lies about the risks of Covid-19, from repeatedly comparing it to the flu to a jaw-dropping one during his July 4 address to the nation in which he misled Americans with the false claim that “99 percent” of the cases were “totally harmless.”
How many of the over 400,000 Americans who died on Trump’s watch would still be alive if Trump had not intentionally misled the public about the deadly virus — likely because he believed it helped him politically?
Now, we’ve learned more from Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, who both served on the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Their statements provide additional evidence that Trump’s lies about the coronavirus very likely killed Americans — and signal that others in the White House may have committed similar offenses.
READ MORE 45's Covid lies were a tragedy. Were they also a crime? Trump’s lies about Covid very likely killed America
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Posted By: Dea. Ron Gray Sr.
Wednesday, January 27th 2021 at 7:47PM
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