House majority leader responds to lawmaker’s bizarre anti-vax rant directed at health department
MINOT, N.D. — This morning my email box lit up messages from people in state government forwarding me copies of a late-night email from Rep. Jeff Hoverson, a Republican from Minot.
Hoverson, a member of the Bastiat Caucus who recently had to miss an anti-vaccine rally he helped organize because he came down with COVID-19, sent the missive at 12:42am with the subject line, “stop listening to Pfizer.”
“How many serious vaccine injuries is this going to take to stop you from pushing this on young people,” Hoverson wrote before exhorting Department of Health staff to watch a video, posted by a politician from New Zealand, purporting to show a link between vaccines and heart attacks.
“Not the vaccine? Okay, so the guy I know of in Minnesota? (one of many) is in his 40’s. Now in a study at Mayo. Has to have a heart difib for life. He is pissed off because Someone convinced him to get vaxxed,” Hoverson continued (the erratic capitalization and adventures with grammar are in the original).
“Please deal with the science, not the hype and fear. Please deal with reality, not the free money You are developing a cult-like following,” Hoverson, a Lutheran pastor, continued.
For what it’s worth, Hoverson was missing in action during yesterday’s session. I called him, and he told me he was taking a break due to his COVID-19 symptoms.
