Delusional conspiracy theories that the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines, which have been proven to reduce the spread and severity of a virus that's killed nearly a million Americans, have taken hold of the right-wing.
Far-right Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin devoted an entire press conference to adverse effects supposedly caused by vaccines. Republican Congresswoman and prominent conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia suggested shooting volunteer liaisons going door to door with vaccine information.
Now, a Republican candidate for Wisconsin Attorney General, Karen Mueller, is promising to prosecute doctors for homicide, citing vaccines and claiming doctors intentionally withheld lifesaving treatments for profit. In recent comments to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Mueller (who has no medical experience) said she would've prescribed ivermectin—a drug lauded by the far-right as a treatment for the virus, though a recent extensive trial once again found it to be ineffective.
Mueller said:
“What I would do if I became Attorney General is I would open investigations into those deaths and if the facts were substantiated, I would probably bring charges against the people that were responsible for this. ... I am running for Attorney General because of potential homicides in hospitals, because of vaccines —so-called vaccines.”
It isn't the first conspiracy theory to which Mueller has subscribed. The conservative lawyer was a key player in then-President Donald Trump's efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election. Even now, Mueller is still fighting to decertify Wisconsin's 2020 electoral votes, which even some proponents of election conspiracies acknowledge can't be done.
Mueller's absurd comments were met with derision on social media.
The stupid is immensely strong right now. https://t.co/XJapkRZmSe
— fully vaccinated yourethepuppet (@mbroadhurst) April 1, 2022
https://t.co/bPPAfcWxaT pic.twitter.com/QBqwUhpYh6
— janetate (@janetate) March 31, 2022
These Qs need to check back into reality. They be crazy stupid. https://t.co/2DrjdZs0Ec
— Maxwins (@MaxwinsRacing) March 31, 2022
These clowns are exhausting https://t.co/XH0MmEhTuu
— Deborah Lake (@origami160) March 31, 2022
Totally insane. https://t.co/HWLeJSHvbw
— Todd Eberly (@ToddEberly) March 31, 2022
The worst people https://t.co/5fUNi1cqw8
— Dan Gleason (@DAN_GLEASON) April 1, 2022
Fantasies like Mueller's have become a defining characteristic of today's Republican party.
I’ll give you one guess what party they belong to. https://t.co/97wqdFPN6e
— Jason P. (@JasonPYYC) March 31, 2022
tRumpublicans are freakin' brain dead.
"...she’s running to prosecute doctors who didn’t prescribe ivermectin, an unproven anti-parasite drug primarily used on animals, to hospitalized Covid-19 patients who later died." #Wisconsin https://t.co/0NLwKBagLr
— Keith Klein (@WebForging) April 1, 2022
Karen Muller needs a shrink, not an elected office. https://t.co/1vsooIHIOT
— ImStartingOver (@I_start_over) April 1, 2022
The Wisconsin Republican primary will be held August 9.
