Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer did an interview on MSNBC with a pillow featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci in the background.
“Kill me,” tweeted conservative commentator Caleb Hull, who shared a photo of the pillow in the background.
kill me pic.twitter.com/l2TB9o6cRu
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) March 23, 2021
Whitmer and Fauci have both been controversial figures throughout the coronavirus pandemic, in part due to clashes with Republicans.
Fauci had a famously rocky relationship with former President Donald Trump, while Senate Republicans such as Sen. Rand Paul have continuously grilled the infectious disease expert on his advocacy for a cautious approach to opening a country growing weary of pandemic restrictions.
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Whitmer has clashed with her state’s GOP-controlled Legislature over what have been some of the strictest virus restrictions in the country, drawing complaints from Republicans for her heavy-handed approach to the virus while mostly leaving the legislative branch out of the process.
The Michigan governor once again slammed the Michigan Legislature during her interview, accusing its members of putting people at risk by holding federal funds sent to the state hostage unless she agrees to give up some of the emergency powers she has used to make pandemic orders over the last year.
“I have been very clear throughout that I am not going to give up those powers. They are inherent to the governor’s office. Many governors over many years have used those powers to keep people safe. They were critical to our COVID response,” Whitmer said. “We need the Legislature not to play games here, to deploy these resources that have been sent to Michigan.”
Whitmer also accused Republicans of engaging in “partisan politics” after the Legislature sued for information related to the governor’s handling of nursing homes in the early days of the pandemic.
“This is sadly politics pervading our public health still,” Whitmer said. “We are not going to get distracted. I am going to stay focused on getting my state through this tough time and keep moving forward.”
Republicans have countered that the governor’s orders resulted in avoidable nursing home deaths.
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“Gov. Whitmer’s regional hub policy placed patients with and without COVID-19 in the same facilities and may have increased the death toll in those facilities,” state Sen. Jim Runestad said in a statement. “We need to know how this happened and why it was allowed to happen; we need to figure out why the data doesn’t add up. Grieving families are tired of the stonewalling. We need an investigation now, because families deserve answers.”
