On Wednesday, a handful on Florida Democrats sent over a letter to Governor Ron Desantis expressing “grave concerns” about his recent decision to hire sports blogger Kyle Lamb as a data analyst for the state.
They say he’s an unqualified conspiracy theorist, claiming he’s been spreading harmful theories about COVID19.
“This is a man who should have never been hired in the first place,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Broward County, said. “It is inexplicable and the Democratic members of the Congressional Delegation, we're outraged.”
In the letter, they tell the Governor that Lamb should be removed from the job.
“Given that Lamb is an unqualified conspiracy theorist, his role as a member of your COVID-19 response staff is inexplicable and grossly irresponsible, we call on you to immediately remove Lamb from this critical role," the letter read in part.
“Where is the responsibility?” demanded Schultz. “How did the Governor hire a sports blogger, conspiracy theorist who admittedly has no scientific background whatsoever or any expertise at all to be a COVID-19 and policy analyst?”
While Lamb respectfully declined our interview request, his attorney Scott Essad gave us a statement staying in part:
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“As to the Congresspeople, I think it’s sad that a bunch of politicians - given that THEY all do pretty well for themselves financially - would take it upon themselves to try to strip a low-level, entry position guy of his employment for saying the same sorts of things on Twitter that a substantial portion of the country has also said in the past eight months. They’re using him to make political hay, as politicians always do. What a bunch of goofs.”
All of this is coming as the virus is ramping back up nationwide. Florida added another 5,600 new COVID cases Thursday.
At a news conference Thursday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said he’s hoping to convince Desantis to revise his order and allow the cities to issue fines again for mask violations.
“I’m putting together a graph that indicates how the numbers have gone down since we implemented a mask in public rule with the hopes of being able to convince him, with the hopes, that we can begin to fine again,” said Suarez.
NBC 6 reached out to the Governor’s Office for a comment on the letter from the Democrats, but they have not responded.
