California Republican Representative Devin Nunes has developed a reputation for being pretty dumb, evidenced previously by his often nonsensical defenses of President Trump during the House Impeachment Inquiry.
It was later revealed Nunes himself played a prominent role in Trump's corrupt "investigations" into political rivals, despite the fact that he was tasked with leading Trump's defense in the House of Representatives.
Now, America is faced with a new crisis: the rapid spread and public fallout connected to COVID-19, the Novel Coronavirus.
Public health experts everywhere are recommending social distancing to try and slow the disease. That means avoiding crowded public places like bars or restaurants.
But Nunes went on Fox News and gave the opposite advice.
Devin Nunes' coronavirus advice: Go out to restaurants and pubsyoutu.be
Nunes told Fox viewers to disregard the advice of healthcare professionals and go visit some local restaurants!
"Well, most importantly I think what the American people have to understand is we need to stop panicking here. There's no shortage of food in this country. People don't need to go to the store and fight over bottled water or toilet paper."
"There's a lot of concerns with the economy here because people are scared to go out. One of the things you can do, if you're healthy, you and your family, it's a great time to just go out, go to a local restaurant―likely you can get in easily."
"Let's not hurt the working people in this country that are relying on wages and tips to keep their small business going. Just don't run to the grocery store and buy $4,000 of food. Go to your local pub."
Twitter immediately took Nunes to task for his irresponsible rhetoric.
Nunes isn't the only GOP politician to put lives at risk by downplaying the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic.
Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas and President Trump himself have both attempted to reduce the political effects of the outbreak by suggesting it isn't a big deal.
The numbers don't lie, however.
Nearly 70 in the U.S. have already died from the disease and that number is likely to rise even faster if Americans don't practice social distancing for a significant period of time.
Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, emphasized how wrong Nunes' advice was to CNN:
"I would like to see a dramatic diminution of the personal interaction we see in restaurants and in bars. Whatever it takes to do that, that's what I'd like to see."
"Younger people should be concerned for two reasons: You are not immune or safe from getting seriously ill. So protect yourself. But remember: You could also be a vector or a carrier. ... That's why everybody's got to take this seriously."
Once this is all over, many will not be able to forget Devin Nunes' stunning lack of leadership in this moment of crisis.
Anyone still hoping for Nunes to redeem himself was going to be sorely disappointed today.
Sometimes being a leader means putting the safety of your citizens above all else. Hopefully Devin Nunes learns this someday.
The book Devin Nunes Had A Farm, a parody for adults, is available here.
