Speaking to reporters at the White House Thursday and in an effort to distract from President Joe Biden's disastrous handling of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, Press Secretary Jen Psaki falsely claimed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hasn't encouraged people in his state to get vaccinated for the disease.
.@PressSec falsely accuses @GovRonDeSantis of "not exactly advocating for people in his state to get vaccinated." pic.twitter.com/HWLkdK4l7c
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 6, 2022
That statement is completely false. In fact, DeSantis was so efficient at getting vaccines in 800 Publix grocery stores around Florida, 60 Minutes launched a hit piece on him and accused his office of corruption. That story was also completely false and so riddled with errors even Florida Democrats came to DeSantis' defense.
A Democratic mayor in Florida is coming to the governor's defense following a 60 Minutes story on the state's vaccine rollout, alleging the show's reporting was "intentionally false."
60 Minutes on Sunday aired a story in which correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi reported on allegations that Florida's "vaccination rollout has favored the wealthy." It was critical of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for partnering with Publix to distribute vaccines, suggesting the move may have been influenced by the governor having received donations from the supermarket chain.
On Monday, Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner (D) defended DeSantis and slammed 60 Minutes over this story.
"The reporting was not just based on bad information — it was intentionally false," Kerner alleged, per Fox News. "I know this because I offered to provide my insight into Palm Beach County's vaccination efforts and 60 Minutes declined."
@60Minutes I said this before and I’ll say it again. @Publix was recommended by @FLSERT and @HealthyFla as the other pharmacies were not ready to start. Period! Full Stop! No one from the Governors office suggested Publix. It’s just absolute malarkey. https://t.co/obkqYcbrzt — Jared MASKowitz ?? (@JaredEMoskowitz) April 4, 2021
DeSantis' press secretary Christina Pushaw is pushing back with the facts.
Florida has a higher than average vaccination rate, and Miami-Dade County (main omicron hotspot in Florida) is 93% vaccinated — far higher than mandate dystopia NYC. People are still getting sick. @PressSec if you cared about saving lives — you wouldn’t ignore treatment. https://t.co/RPPmi9gYx0
— Christina Pushaw ?? (@ChristinaPushaw) January 6, 2022