Gardner Refuses To Rate Trump’s Botched Coronavirus Response As More Reports Show Trump’s Delays Hampered Response
In Videoconference, Gardner Dodges Question Before Abruptly Ending Call
Denver, CO - Speaking to a business group late last week, Senator Cory Gardner dodged the question and abruptly ended a videoconference after he was asked to rate President Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Gardner ducked the question saying, “I think it’s important to not look and try to provide some kind of a grade” -- despite in-depth reporting on the Trump Administration’s failures to prepare for the virus and experts like Dr. Fauci saying that implementing mitigation efforts like social distancing earlier would have saved lives. Recent reporting revealed that the campaign arm for Senate Republicans, which Gardner chaired during the 2018 election cycle, circulated a memo to GOP Senate candidates this month advising them not to defend Trump when discussing the public health crisis.
Read the exchange here: “Asked to Rate White House Coronavirus Response, Cory Gardner Refuses”
Yesterday, the Colorado Sun reported that Gardner is “regularly speaking with Trump” throughout the pandemic. Gardner has yet to hold the president accountable for his botched response to the pandemic, instead continuing to defend a president who proclaimed that Gardner has been with him “100%” the same February week White House public health experts concluded that containing the virus would require “lock[ing] down the country.”
Gardner’s latest dodge was the same day that the Colorado Sun, NBC News, and Colorado Politics all reported that Gardner refused to answer questions about Trump appearing to prioritize personal and political connections in allocating supplies.
Colorado Democratic Party Chair Morgan Carroll:
“As more reports pour in on the Administration’s failures, Senator Gardner still refuses to hold President Trump accountable, even after Trump said Gardner has been with him 100% of the time the very same week his White House failed to act on public health experts’ reports. While Coloradans work vigilantly to abide by the necessary public health recommendations, Senator Gardner refuses to hold President Trump responsible for his dismissal of health experts’ recommendations and the devastating consequences of his inaction.”
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