Its good to know you're no longer disputing the allegations that Ms. Jones not only did not have the access to the data she claimed she was being "forced to alter", but that she actually caused the crashing of the official portal AND was disclosing private data in violation of personal data protection policy, and then left with an email blast to the whole department in a tizzy as she was fired.
And that none of her claims were accurate.
Now that we agree on that, we can talk about Christina Pushaw.
Except I don't believe anything you state above. It is all bunk. Can we ask why DeSantis is hiring a press secretary that has an outstanding restraining order against her.
I guess I have to read that National Review thing now...
Desantis hires a woman charged with violating a restraining order against me as his new press secretary, at the same time a smear piece from the Nationalist Review is released.
https://rebekahjones.substack.com/p/i-guess-i-have-to-read-that-national?r=gc2sd
What a week.
On Monday, Desantis
hired a new press secretary - the woman who is being
criminally charged with violating a temporary restraining order I was
forced to take out against after she repeatedly
harassed and stalked me online. Her trial is set for next month. Her only previous job experience was doing PR for the
totalitarian ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, and writing a
failed hit piece on me on an alt-right blog, followed by nearly
three months of online stalking and harassment.
You can view a record of Pushaw’s now-deleted tweets from April 1 - 23, 2021 as a PDF here or download as an excel file here.
Tuesday, May 18, also happens to be the anniversary of the day I was told I could
either resign with a small settlement (and agree not to sue) or I would be fired I was given until May 21, 2020 to make a decision.
You can read the separation letter from my position as Environmental Scientist and Specialist in Public Health, which notably states I was fired for no cause,
here.
But let’s rewind a few days - back to Wednesday, May 12, 2021.
While heading to the studio to shoot for an
upcoming documentary about misinformation and anti-science campaigns in the USA during COVID-19, I got a notification that Jeb Bush had retweeted a National Review article that looked nearly identical to a tabloid article published a year ago by the Daily Mail.
I read a few lines -
mostly salacious, highly-sexualized language about how I had somehow tricked the entire world to believe some vast conspiracy against a corrupt governor- chuckled a bit, and then went back to work.
On at least four occasions the Desantis administration has tried to ‘cancel’ science and the information I provide by releasing these alt-right blog pieces, filled with flagrant lies and failed attempts at character assassination.
First they went after me, my family, and even my children, publishing their names, birthdates and even photographs in The Daily Mail. Disgusting and vile tactics that were rightfully decried from both sides of the aisle.
But this isn’t even the first time the National Review published this article - they first released it in February, and along the way have essentially been pushing the same narrative.
But it never works. They can’t get it to “stick.”
Every single time, people see through the speculation, innuendo and complete lack of evidence provided by these libelous smear jobs.
I don’t doubt this one will be forgotten, too.
After all, the timing of the article against current events - political and economic - begs the question …
Why am I such a threat to Desantis’ re-election, and way lay it on so thick now?
Is he worried I’m running for Governor of Florida?
Is this about my meeting with Rep. Jamie Raskin last week, and how we’re organizing briefing committees to Congress about what happened?
Is it the movie deals, the book deal, my working on campaigns of people looking to unseat him?
Or is it simply that he’s mad the press never “moved on” like he hoped they would?
While I’m flattered that the GOP-disinformation network thinks one girl with a laptop is capable of duping the entire medical,
academic,
professional, and
media establishments in a matter of months, I’m merely one small voice among a
sea of folks who have come forward about the sickness and death caused by Desantis’ failed COVID-19 policies.
Staff from the
Florida Department of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Administration, the
Department of Corrections, and other state agencies, have been coming forward with information about the
secrecy and spin pushed by Desantis’ administration since before I was ousted for wanting to file a whistleblower complaint.
And have continued to shine a light on his failings throughout the pandemic
despite his threats and intimidation.
The bravery of state employees who have leaked reports to the press, spoken on the promise of anonymity, and put their careers on the line should not be diminished by those with no first-hand knowledge or experience of what has gone on inside state government the last 17 months.
My issues with how the state was presenting COVID-19 data to the public were specific, nuanced, and clearly outlined in the
Whistleblower complaint I filed with the state more than 10 months ago.
Each of those specific allegations
were proven – not just by me and my information as the head of the public data systems and the COVID-19 dashboard, but by the
Miami-Herald,
Florida Today,
The Tampa Bay Times, and further validated during the
whistleblower complaint investigation in
sworn affidavits by state employees.
Most of what has been alleged about Desantis’ failed COVID-19 response came
after I was ousted from my position, brought forward by brave state employees with information I no longer had access to – like
sudden gaps in reporting deaths leading up to the election and how state employees
were ordered not to even mention COVID-19 in the weeks leading up to the election.
The Orlando Sentinel had
to sue the state of Florida to gain access to the White House Task Force reports that showed much worse conditions for Florida than the Governor had led people to believe. That wasn’t my data, either, and I certainly wasn’t working with Trump's administration to smear Desantis.
Many in the press, state government and even my own lawyers believe I am naïve in believing a mix of incompetent sycophants and scared pacifists were responsible for the mishandling of the COVID-19 reopening in the state. I wanted to remain private.
I didn’t want to get into a feud with the Governor.
When the Governor chose to
out me to the world and launch me into quasi-celebrity status, he left me no choice but to speak out.
This imaginary grand battle between myself and Desantis is about as accurate of a portrayal of what’s happened this past year as the state’s positivity numbers (which is to say, not).
Comparing a scientist who reports data and advocates for transparency, with the man who runs one of the most populated states in the most powerful country on earth makes no sense.
I have no power.
I am nobody.
I’m just a scientist with a laptop and a commitment to facts, science, truth and transparency.
The Governor should take responsibility for his failed policies, for the
missed opportunities to protect Florida’s people from COVID-19, for
pushing out his own experts and
alienating his employees who became so desperate and afraid that they wrote a
public letter saying they felt their lives did not matter and that if they spoke up they would be fired just like I was.
DeSantis runs the state, not me, and his failing COVID-19 response was only ever mitigated by
local action and the collective efforts of science communicators like myself in ensuring the people of Florida knew what was going on and could make informed decisions about their personal safety.
For a brief overview of all of the unethical, immoral and possibly illegal actions of the DeSantis administration during COVID-19, with proof (that’s still a thing),
please read the article posted here.
Note: 99% has nothing to do with me.
I left the state in May 2020.
Desantis’ troubles only increased by several orders of magnitude after that, so making it seem like I am somehow the sole source of the data showing his failure seems like he’s trying to put everything bad ever said about him onto… me.
It seems I have managed to do something that few get the opportunity to do, though it was certainly never my intention – put cracks in the armor the GOP has spent decades molding, believing that they were invincible and no citizen, no “nobody,” could possibly breach their shield of power.
Despite the smear campaigns, the raid on my home, and even political imprisonment, I have not given up fighting for the people of Florida.
I’m a problem they can’t get rid of.
I’m a voice they cannot silence.
I’ve managed to go through their machine and come out the other side not tattered and torn, but stronger, more resilient, with more allies than ever before.
For now, I’m going to continue focusing on the science,
getting information to the people, and ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard.
I want to thank everyone for all their support this last year. My family and I have found love and grace in the public’s unwavering support, and it is because of you that I’m able to continue to
provide this information,
fight disinformation, and work toward a better future for all of us.
I still can’t wrap my head around why Desantis would hire my stalker, who is facing criminal charges in Maryland for violating a restraining order, as his press secretary, or why an outlet like the National Review would risk such a large libel suit to further Desantis’ baseless claims.
I can only think that this is yet another escalation on his part, and I fear for my safety, my family’s safety, and the safety of anyone who gets in his way.
If a girl with a laptop can bring down a corrupt governor, imagine how much we can change the world when we stand together.
(Move at above url -- Her post includes a point-by-point Debunking of the "Rebekah Jones, the COVID Whistleblower Who Wasn’t" article by Charles Cooke. Her outline includes ALL the text messages and documentation between her and other staff members showing she did not crash the dashboard, she never locked anyone out, and documented the state of Florida confirmed she acted appropriately throughout her entire employment including her last few weeks.)
