Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims is pissed, and rightfully so.
Last night, the out lawmaker tore into Pennsylvania House Republicans in an 12-minute rant on Facebook Live, accusing them of covering up a lawmaker’s COVID-19 diagnosis as part of their effort to downplay the severity of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sims recorded the video inside his office in the statehouse last night then shared it across his social media channels.
In it, he rails against his GOP colleagues for not informing him or other Democrats that Republican Rep. Andrew Lewis had tested positive for coronavirus.
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To make matters worse, many of the people who weren’t informed had been in close contact with Lewis in the days leading up to his diagnosis, meaning they had likely been exposed to the virus and were deliberately not told.
“SHOCKED! I never thought I’d see a day like this,” Sims tweeted. “I’ve never felt more disgusted with government.”
SHOCKED! I never thought I’d see a day like this. I’ve never felt more disgusted with government. This is the link: https://t.co/eMqoNRbvqf
— Brian Sims (@BrianSimsPA) May 28, 2020
In the video, Sims labeled the Pennsylvania’s state government committee “the place where all of these f*cked up bills to pretend that it is safe to go back to work have been going.”
He continued by saying that “every day, the committee has met so that its members could line up and explain that it was safe to go back to work,” but “meanwhile, we are learning that during that time period, they were testing positive.”
Sims then called out Republican Rep. Russ Diamond, accusing him of “[leading] the charge to open up the state” while secretly quarantining for weeks for his own safety. “Russ diamond walked around the House floor every single day without a mask on,” Sims alleged.
Sims also revealed in the video that he is immunocompromised, making him more vulnerable to coronavirus, as a result of recently donating a kidney to save a person’s life.
“I didn’t donate my kidney to save somebody’s life so that I could die at the hands of Republicans who are being callous liars,” he fumed.
Sims concluded the video by demanding a full investigation by the state Attorney General and the Secretary of Health be conducted, as well as testing for all staffers, and the resignation of Republican House Speaker Mike Turzai and members of GOP leadership who withheld COVID-19-related information.
“You should be in jail!” he seethed.
Related: Brian Sims just put this homophobe on mega blast, says “This isn’t going to go well for you”
Chrisk
Today’s Republican most fundamental character flaw is a lack of compassion for others. When you understand that everything else that they do makes sense.
frapachino
Gee what a compassionate thing to say! Violent eye roll here!
curiobi
@Frapachino, people are dying. This is not a joke. Shame on you. And shame on those who were happy to hide they were infected while pretending everything was okay. People like you are the problem.
James
You hit the nail on the head. The GOP has long been insensitive, but it has escalated to sociopathic behavior of its elected leadership recently. It goes all the way up. Next step of this progression is psychopathic behavior and is not very far off….Their base just claps and cheers them on. Brian Simms should be in National politics. He is exactly what we need in the senate.
woodroad34
@curiobi please read the last sentence of Chrisk’s comment. He was surprised at the lack of empathy but felt everything else the GOP Reps did was okay. No, it’s not ‘okay’ to hide the status of the GOP Rep for political reasons and @frapachino called him out on @ChrisK’s lack of compassion (and weird empathy). All this on the heels of the New Mexico County Commissioner’s statement that the only good democrat is a dead democrat—to which, Trump agreed. That’s more than a lack of empathy, that’s sociopathic intimidation.
curiobi
@woodroad34 Stop trying to gaslight and DO NOT defend frapachino to me. People like you and him make me sick to my stomach, you have no compassion for the sick or the dying or those who have lost loved ones. I refuse to play stupid games. It is wrong not to inform people working with you that you are infected. Period. No excuses. Moving on.
D_Bro
Thank you Brian for showing your righteous anger! You have every right to be angry. You save someone’s life and the repugnicans endanger so many lives!
carlton
Once again the GOP is revealed as the party of death that started, at least, with HIV/AIDS and has continued in many different ways. We queer folks are, to them, nothing more than trash.
Aires the Ram
Oh where’s Cammie-girl when we need her?? She must have been getting her beauty sleep when all of this thread happened.