America’s Frontline Doctors is a right-wing organization founded in July 2020 and is known for spreading dis- and misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. They encouraged the use of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to prevent and treat COVID-19. Their website even offers instructions on obtaining telehealth appointments to obtain those prescriptions.
Dr. Simone Gold, the founder of America’s Frontline Doctors, spoke at the January 6th rally before she joined Trump supporters in storming the U.S. Capitol building. Being arrested for her involvement in the events of January 6th hasn’t slowed Gold’s efforts. She’s now working to stop the vaccination of children against COVID-19. Under Gold’s leadership, America’s Frontline Doctors has filed a temporary restraining order in federal court asking a judge to halt the Emergency Use Authorization of COVID-19 vaccines.
The lawsuit is filled with conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccine and even compares the vaccination effort to Nazi doctors convicted in the Nuremburg trials. Additional reporting by Mother Jones states that “the lawyers back up their dubious claims in the filing with such references as links to LewRockwell.com, a website founded by a former staffer for the former Texas congressman and doctor Ron Paul (R) that’s run articles suggesting that the HIV virus does not cause AIDS.”
So, what does all of this have to do with Minnesota, home of the Mayo Clinic and countless health technology firms? Well, Scott Jensen, conservative candidate running for governor of Minnesota, who has claimed to “quietly” be a member of America’s Frontline Doctors, has joined in this lawsuit. When asked about the contents of both the lawsuit and the involvement of the organization’s founders in the January 6th insurrection, he said he didn’t even read the whole thing before signing on, and that he wasn’t aware of Gold’s involvement in storming the U.S. Capitol. Apparently he missed all the national news coverage of Simone Gold standing in the Capitol Rotunda shouting into a bullhorn.
That Scott Jensen has affiliated himself with such an organization, quietly or otherwise, should be unsurprising as he has built his profile through frequent appearances on Fox and other outlets downplaying COVID-19 in what Kaiser Health has called “The Lie of 2020.”
We’re so close to beating this virus. The last thing we need right now is right-wing groups like America’s Frontline Doctors and Scott Jensen spreading COVID conspiracy theories and misinformation.
