In a letter to the editor published in the Wall Street Journal, American Federation of Teachers head Randi Weingarten leaps to the defense of her union, which is facing well-earned criticism after the latest report of how badly it failed students during the pandemic. Weingarten, predictably, implies critics of the union are attacking hardworking teachers rather than the special interests that forced teachers and students into crisis. But tucked amid Weingarten’s tired talking points is a relatively new one that deserves closer attention.

“No teacher I know enjoyed remote and hybrid learning,” said Weingarten, “which, pre-pandemic, was championed by Betsy DeVos.” The implication is startling. Weingarten admits remote learning during the pandemic was fundamentally flawed but then tries to equate COVID-19 Zoom school with longtime efforts by school choice advocates to bring more educational options to families before the virus even reached the United States.