GOP candidate for governor, physician Scott Jensen speaking with anti-vaccine group founded by doctor charged in Jan. 6 Capitol attack

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GOP candidate for governor Scott Jensen is slated to participate in a virtual event with a group that strongly questions COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness and was founded by a doctor arrested for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Simone Gold, a physician who founded America’s Frontline Doctors, tweeted on Mondaythat Jensen is among speakers for a July 27 livestream hosted by her group. 

“Don’t miss the critical information you need to navigate the deception and confusion of the Chinese Coronavirus lockdowns and the derelict public health response,” an event flyer says. “Content will include brilliant and ethical doctors speaking truthfully and delivering the verified science and data.” Continue reading.

DFL DeBrief: The Anti-Vax Quack Running for Governor

DFL Debrief

Dr. Scott Jensen is a Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota and a total quack. The crew discusses Jensen’s candidacy, the efforts by Republicans in St. Paul to delay passage of a budget bill, and the future of voting rights legislation in Washington D.C.

Listen here: https://dfldebrief.buzzsprout.com/1789166/8762584-the-anti-vax-quack-running-for-mn-governor

If you like the show, be sure to tell your friends and rate and review on Apple Podcasts! You can submit trivia answers or any feedback you have to podcast@dfl.org.

Articles referenced this week:

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ICYMI: Scott Jensen Signs Petition That Compares Vaccination Effort To Nazi Medical Experimentation, Claims He Never Read It

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Jensen claims he never read the petition despite being the first-named plaintiff 

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Yesterday it was reported that gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen joined a group of right-wing physicians, COVID-19 conspiracy theorists, and Capitol insurrectionists to try and block the use of the COVID-19 vaccine in kids, despite claiming he only read 10 of the 80 pages. 

“The petition, which includes several passages written in all-caps with exclamation points, alleges a widespread collusion of national media outlets to suppress information, challenges both the official COVID-19 death and case counts as “false,” and compares the nationwide vaccination effort to Nazi doctors convicted at Nuremberg for experimenting on imprisoned Jews, Poles and Russians without their consent. But Jensen said he didn’t read all that.”

“When I submitted the affidavit, the petition wasn’t done,” he said. “I never saw the full petition until a week ago. I have not read the entire 80 pages. I read the first 10 pages, I think.”

And despite befriending the group’s leader Simone Gold “about a year ago, Jensen also claims he did not know that Gold was among those who stormed the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection and faces charges for her involvement. 

Not only has Scott Jensen joined a fringe group of doctors and insurrectionists to spread dangerous misinformation, but after being called out he claims he never even read the petition he signed onto – which would not be an acceptable excuse for a middle school student’s missing book report,” said DFL Party Chairman, Ken Martin. “It’s laughable that Scott Jensen thinks that excuses his spreading of dangerous misinformation about the vaccine. Real leaders take responsibility for their actions, but Scott Jensen is clearly incapable of that. Once again, Jensen is demonstrating why the people of Minnesota cannot trust him to lead our state.

If I were a patient of Scott Jensen’s, I would find a new doctor immediately,” added Martin. “No one wants a physician who reads part of their lab work before making a diagnosis.”

BACKGROUND 

The 80-page petition also falsely claims that the vaccine is an “experimental biological agent,” that it’s more dangerous than COVID-19 itself, that hydroxychloroquine is a miracle treatment for COVID-19, and that vaccinated children are at risk of spreading the vaccine to unvaccinated children. 

Scott Jensen has made a name for himself as a COVID-19 conspiracy theorist, has spread misinformation about COVID-19posted anti-vaccine videos on social media, and was kicked off TikTok for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. 

ICYMI: Scott Jensen Joins Capitol Insurrectionists And Right-Wing Doctors To Block 12 to 15 Year Olds From Getting Vaccinated

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Yesterday it was reported that gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen joined America’s Frontline Doctors, a group of right-wing physicians and COVID-19 conspiracy theorists, as well as Capitol insurrectionist Simone Gold, to try and block the use of the COVID-19 vaccine in 12 to 15-year-olds.

The CDC recommends that “everyone 12 years and older should get a COVID-19 vaccination to help protect against COVID-19.”

The 80-page petition falsely claims, among a slew of other COVID-19 conspiracy theories, that the vaccine is an “experimental biological agent”, that its more dangerous than COVID-19 itself, that hydroxychloroquine could be used to treat COVID-19, that the vaccine should be “strongly discouraged” for anyone between the ages of 20 to 69, and that vaccinated children are at risk of spreading the vaccine to unvaccinated children. 

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Gubernatorial Candidate Scott Jensen And Other GOP Legislators To Raise Money For Woman With Warrant For Her Arrest

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Jensen and other GOP Legislators will appear at a fundraiser this weekend to raise money for an Albert Lea woman who faced an active warrant for her arrest for violating COVID-19 restrictions. 

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA  – This weekend, gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen and other GOP legislators will speak at a fundraiser for Lisa Hanson, an Albert Lea wine bar owner who had an active warrant for her arrest and facesnine misdemeanor criminal counts, for violating COVID-19 restrictions. The fundraiser is to “support her legal fight”. 

Scott Jensen has made a name for himself as a COVID conspiracy theorist, has spread misinformation about COVID-19posted anti-vaccine videos on social media, and was recently kicked off Tik-Tok for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. 

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement:

“Since long before he announced his campaign for governor, Scott Jensen has pushed dangerous conspiracy theories even going so far as accusing our frontline medical providers of inflating the COVID death rate for their financial gain – it is hardly a surprise that he is now fundraising to support someone whose claim to fame is refusing to recognize the danger of this pandemic. Republicans like Scott Jensen cannot claim to support law and order while encouraging Minnesotans to break the law and put their communities at risk.

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Scott Jensen Refuses COVID Vaccine, Going Against Medical Consensus

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, physicians and DFL Party leaders criticized Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen for his making
false and misleading statements about the COVID-19 vaccine during a recent interview, including suggesting that those who’ve had COVID and those who are young and healthy do not need to be vaccinated.

During an interview with WCCO Radio on March 16th (roughly 14 minutes in), Jensen was asked if he was vaccinated and responded:

“No, I won’t be. I had COVID-19, I have antibodies. I have been donating my plasma for the purpose of treating people who are struggling with covid-19. The blood bank said that I’ve got the ideal set of antibodies so they have asked me to come back and give plasma. So, the science would not indicate that I should be vaccinated.”

A full transcript of Jensen’s answers on vaccination is available here. The idea that those who have previously been infected with COVID-19 do not need to be vaccinated is false. According to the Mayo Clinic:

“Getting COVID-19 might offer some natural protection or immunity from reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19. But it’s not clear how long this protection lasts. Because reinfection is possible and COVID-19 can cause severe medical complications, it’s recommended that people who have already had COVID-19 get a COVID-19 vaccine. If you’ve had COVID-19, you might delay vaccination until 90 days after your diagnosis. Reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is uncommon in the 90 days after you are first infected.”

The CDC has echoed that message. When asked who should be vaccinated, roughly 16 minutes into the interview, Jensen said he has not been recommending one third of his patients, particularly those who are “so healthy and so young” to be vaccinated.

Jensen has previously spread misinformation about COVID-19posted anti-vaccine videos on social media, and has made numerous appearances on anti-vaccine celebrity Del Bigtree’s web show.

Dr. Matt Klein, Internal Medicine physician and State Senator from District 52, released the following statement:

“It is again harmful and dangerous that Dr. Jensen continues to value his experience as a family physician more than the expertise of the overwhelming majority of virologists and public health experts across the country.

“As doctors, when we encounter an issue outside our area of expertise, it is our practice and our creed to seek the opinions of experts in order to provide the best possible medical advice. Time and time again, Scott Jensen has refused to do so and misled the people of Minnesota about the COVID-19 pandemic as a result. The people of Minnesota cannot afford to place a man like Jensen at the helm of our battle against this deadly virus and our recovery from it.”

Dr. Kelly Morrison, physician and State Representative from District 33B, released the following statement:

“Dr. Scott Jensen is misrepresenting the best available science about COVID-19 vaccination. It is irresponsible to suggest that young, healthy people should not be vaccinated. Anyone can catch and spread the virus to vulnerable communities or become seriously ill themselves. We know that pregnant people are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.  Those who are pregnant should consult with their provider about whether or not to be vaccinated. It is just not true that those who have had COVID-19 already do not need to be vaccinated. People who have had the virus before can catch it again and infect others, which is why the CDC recommends that those who have been infected before should get vaccinated if they are able.”

Dr. Aleta Borrud, a geriatrician from Rochester, released the following statement:

“By spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccination, Dr. Scott Jensen is undermining Minnesota’s efforts to put our state on a path to recovery at a moment when Minnesota is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases. He has been denounced nationally for falsely stating that COVID-19 deaths are inflated, attacking the integrity of our frontline medical providers, asserting they stand to gain financially by inflating death statistics. 

“This is an affront not only to those exhausted providers, working to save people’s lives, but also to the families who mourn the loss of loved ones and those suffering persistent COVID-19 symptoms. And he defies reality, continuing to assert the innocuousness of the coronavirus in the face of the deaths of over 6,800 Minnesotans and 536,000 US residents to this virus. He has put politics over science, defying the accepted body of medicine, spreading dangerous misinformation. We cannot allow him the power to put further lives at risk by giving him the top job in Minnesota.”

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement:

“Dr. Scott Jensen just cannot help himself. He spread misinformation about COVID-19 right after the pandemic first hit, he spread misinformation about COVID-19 the day his gubernatorial run became public, and now he’s spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.

“Jensen’s statements about the COVID-19 vaccine go against the recommendations of a vast majority of public health experts and risk driving up the already-high rates of vaccine skepticism among his fellow Republicans. Furthermore, it is deeply disturbing that Jensen would dismiss encouraging skeptics to get vaccinated as mere ‘pandering’ rather than an important measure to combat the pandemic that has already taken so much from so many. Minnesotans deserve leaders they can trust and that’s not Scott Jensen.”

DFL Party Responds to Scott Jensen’s Run for Governor

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA  – Today, DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement in response to failed one-term Republican state senator Scott Jensen’s run for governor of Minnesota:

“Scott Jensen is a dangerous COVID-19 conspiracy theorist who has been caughtspreading lies about the pandemic, palling around with anti-vaccine extremists, and downplaying the virus that has taken over half a million American lives. Numerous doctorspublic health officials, and independent fact-checkers have sharply criticized Jensen for peddling damaging disinformation and fanning the flames of conspiracy that have caused real harm across our state and country. We deserve honest leaders that will help us get through this pandemic, not quacks like Scott Jensen. The last thing Minnesotans need is someone like failed one-term state senator Jensen anywhere near the governor’s mansion, especially during times of crisis.”

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