Posted on 03/30/2020 5:39:30 AM PDT by Kaslin
The incident suggests the Michigan governor’s office is either over its head in handling the pandemic, purposefully playing politics during the crisis, or both.
Last week, a lawyer reportedly serving as a special counsel to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer published a leaked letter that falsely indicated a shortage of ventilators and intensive-care beds at the Henry Ford Health System had forced staff to leave some Wuhan virus patients to die. While the hospital has since made clear that it has ventilators and beds at all of its Michigan locations, the incident suggests the governor’s office is either over its head in handling the pandemic, purposefully playing politics during the crisis, or both.
The rumor-mongering began sometime Thursday when Nicholas Bagley, a University of Michigan Law School professor, tweeted an except of an internal document drafted by Henry Ford Health Systems.
“Patients who have ventilator or ICU care withdrawn will receive pain control and comfort measures,” Bagley wrote, above a picture of the letter. Soon after, Kasie Hunt, NBC News’ Capitol Hill correspondent, retweeted Bagley’s tweet to her 490,000 followers, telling them, “It is happening here, in America. Doctors here are having to decide. ‘Patients who have the best chance of getting better are our first priority.’”
Andy Slavitt, the former Obama administration acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or “Ex-Obama health care head,” as he describes himself on Twitter, pushed the story to his 370,000 followers, with some added flourish: “A major hospital in the Midwest has reached its limit on ventilators minutes ago. They are handing out forms saying that only those ‘with the best chance of survival’ will get care. Others will be getting pain medication.
The story had gone viral. Then, shortly before midnight, Bagley deleted his tweet, telling followers he was “going to take this down until it can be independently verified.” Bagley added “the memo is circulating among doctors, but Henry Ford apparently can neither confirm nor deny it yet.”
Not long after Bagley deleted the leaked letter, the Henry Ford Health System responded on Twitter that “with a pandemic, we must be prepared for worst case,” adding that the hospital group had “crafted a policy to provide guidance for making difficult patient care decisions,” but with the “hope never to have to apply them.”
The Henry Ford Health System responded more fully to media outlets, explaining, as the Detroit News reported, that the “letter was in preparation for a ‘worst case scenario,’ but has not been enacted as policy.” Brenda Craig, a spokeswoman for the hospital system, also noted, according to the Detroit News, that they have “not reached capacity at any of its locations, nor has it reached the limit on ventilators at any of its hospitals.” Craig added that “the letter is part of a larger internal document that unfortunately was shared publicly.”
Then came the closing line in the Detroit News’ coverage of the incident: “Bagley, who has since removed the document from Twitter, occupies ‘a temporary position as special counsel in the Michigan governor’s office to aid in the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic’ as of March 21, according to an automatic response from his UM email.” My request to his UM email after the Detroit News article published, however, did not generate this automatic response.
This detail changes the complexion of the incident. What could have easily been scored as just the latest example of fake news made viral by social media now raises myriad questions and concerns about Whitmer’s coronavirus response.
Whitmer spokeswoman Tiffany Brown confirmed that Bagley is currently serving as a special counsel to the governor. Brown also told me that “the letter, which had already been widely circulated and posted on social media, was shared with him in his personal capacity – not obtained through any work for the Governor’s Office.”
While that fact is reassuring, of equal concern is why Bagley posted the letter on Twitter. Did he truly believe the Henry Ford Health System had no ICU beds or ventilators available? Did he believe the policy detailed in the letter had already gone into effect? If so, why take to Twitter instead of immediately informing his colleagues in the governor’s office of the problem, given his reported position as special counsel to Whitmer is “to aid in the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic?”
Bagley did not respond to multiple phone and emails messages seeking comment, but it seems unfathomable to think that Whitmer’s special counsel would read about the crisis and not immediately raise red flags with the Michigan coronavirus task force.
But if Bagley had informed his colleagues about the letter, that would be even more disconcerting, because it would mean they didn’t know whether the Henry Ford Health System—the second largest medical system in Michigan—had run out of ICU beds and ventilators.
Whitmer’s coronavirus team should know exactly how many hospitals have reached capacity and have run out of ventilators, and should be prepared to marshal the necessary resources or arrange for any needed transfer of patients to other hospitals. No member of the governor’s team should opt for pushing public panic instead of finding a solution.
On the other hand, if Bagley knew the Henry Ford Health System letter presented a worst-case-scenario plan and that the policy had not been implemented, why would he plant the narrative that the hospital system was out of ICU beds and ventilators and patients were being left to die? Was Bagley playing politics with the coronavirus, much as Whitmer has been over the last month by complaining about the lack of federal aid when she failed to file the federal emergency management forms required to obtain a declaration of a major disaster?
Either way, Bagley’s conduct created unnecessary panic, raises more concerns over Whitmer’s handling of the crisis, and suggests an unhealthy dose of politics is in play in the swing state of Michigan.
I hate to go back in a time machine, but wow, 2 100 plus story buildings with thousands and thousands of people collapsed from a horrific attack by a monstrous enemy...
And Rudy ALWAYS sounded calm.
He never said this might be a result or that might be a result.
He spoke as if it were any other day in his voice and It Made Me feel like it wasn’t the end of the world.
He wasn’t a conservative but he was a great leader and All of these dem governors and that moron Wilhelm could have learned a thing or 2 about how to handle a crisis from him.
Now Rudy loyally follows another natural leader in POTUS Trump.
A man who DOES, he doesn’t just talk.
What a refreshing change.
Suggests?? She is a Half Wit! A left-wing, liberal, no-nothing, half-wit whom we Michiganders have to suffer with for two more years.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is playing politics with all of this. She is running for Vice President.
The early line on her was that she was competent and capable. We are learning otherwise in real-time. This and the Chloroquinine decision should be disqualifying.
The problem is that these political people live in their bubble, and they believe whatever advances their cause. They see a memo talking about a future policy, and fill in the blanks to determine that it is happening currently and that it is all President Trump’s fault. Those assumptions are necessary to advance their political position, and advancing their political position is central to their lives, so the assumptions are made.
The classic example of this is the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. The Democrats really, sincerely believed every word of Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony. Not because it was remotely provable or even plausible, but because it was necessary. As the stories got more and more outlandish, they believed each, in turn, because they needed them to be true in order to attain their political goals.
From the outside, it looks like cynical lying and advancing false stories. But when you talk to Democrats, they really did believe those stories were true. Similarly, Republicans rejected every story out-of-hand, because it was necessary for us that they be false.
Turns out, we were right, in that particular case.
No, we don’t.... when this is over we recall her dumb ass...
How long has #HalfWhitmer been in office?
I view this as the equivalent of Yelling FIRE in a Crowded Theater, and they should BOTH Be charged with MULTIPLE FELONIES for this egregious act.
Sorry but anyone who votes Democrat deserves whatever happens to them.
Governor, Andrew Cuomo vs. POTUS, Donald J. Trump......who has served the State of New York better?
Trump - The Naval Hospital Ship “Comfort” 1000 beds
- US Military builds 2700 bed hospital in Javits
Center
- US Military builds four hospitals in the boroughs
of Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island
- Respirators, Ventilators, Facemasks, Personnel
Protection Clothing
What has Democrat Party, NY Governor, Andrew Cuomo done for New York? “Zippo, Zero, Nothing, but useless blabber and BS!!! Thank you, POTUS, Trump and may God Bless you!!! Cuomo, Biden and the Democrats...not so much!!!
:: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is playing politics with all of this. She is running for Vice President. ::
If true, then we Michiganders must work diligently to make this happen. She can’t campaign as VP-select and Gov in the days of Corona.
She’ll have to quit as MI.Gov if Biden picks her and she wants the opportunity.
:: Sorry but anyone who votes Democrat deserves whatever happens to them. ::
So, wetgundog is not as good a patriot as you, since people he doesn’t even know voted for a Democrat?
You certainly are in this Constitutional Republic thing for long haul, aren’t you?
Your “patriotism” exists below pond scum.
My sister in law works at a high up level at Henry Ford.
My wife and I will ask.
BTW..one of the best, if not thee best medical outfit I have ever seen.
No doubt that the aura of virtue radiates around you. Still would you ever want or trust someone who votes Democrat in the fox hole next to you? Face it. There no longer exists a consensus of values in America. Neo pagan earth worship, drug use, hedonism and decadence has been embraced by a near majority of the population. Democrats do not get elected in a political, cultural or social vacuum. You can embrace your delusional concept of “patriotism”. But if examine carefully the ideals and values of the Democratic Party, the celebration of the American nation and its heritage are not on their list. No. A pandemic will not “bring us all together”. Try to think and reason clearly.
I believe 2018....
She’s got...” HILLARY EYES “.
Last week, a lawyer reportedly serving as a special counsel to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer published a leaked letter that falsely indicated a shortage of ventilators and intensive-care beds at the Henry Ford Health System had forced staff to leave some Wuhan virus patients to die... The incident suggests the Michigan governor's office is either over its head in handling the pandemic, purposefully playing politics during the crisis, or both.
What's the lawyer's FR nick? /rimshot
:: the aura of virtue radiates around you ::
That’s “CORONA of patriotism radiates”, socialist.
KeK
Deliberate corruption with this and the cure.
Democrat mass murder.
The fact that Governor Gretchen (half-)Witt-more has forbidden the use of the now approved treatment drug hydroxychloroquine from use in the entire state of Michigan would add more context to the story. I appreciate that this fact is unrelated to the story, but the context would indicate intent rather than incompetence to these officials.
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