INDIANAPOLIS – Attorney General Todd Rokita is fighting to expose COVID-19 misinformation and calling on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other agencies to provide transparency for the data used to make public health decisions.
In response to HHS’s Request for Information (RFI) regarding COVID-19 misinformation, Attorney General Rokita partnered with esteemed epidemiologists Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and Dr. Martin Kulldorff, Senior Research Fellow at the Brownstone Institute and former Professor at Harvard University School of Medicine to review the evidence and data behind COVID-19 recommendations and guidelines.
“The federal government must evaluate how misinformation from government agencies at all levels led to the adoption of extreme strategies that came at a high cost to life and liberty,” Attorney General Rokita said. “I believe in Hoosiers, and I believe they can be trusted with the facts to make informed decisions for themselves and their families. I truly appreciate Dr. Bhattacharya and Dr. Kulldorff for their expertise and leadership to expose the truth.”
“For two years, the government forced us to stay in our homes, cover our faces, and keep our kids home from school,” Attorney General Rokita said. “We were expected to blindly follow and obey these public health orders and not question the wisdom of unelected officials. Families across Indiana and across the nation demand the truth.”
The submitted response to HHS revealed misleading messages spread by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other non-elected health officials, including:
- Vaccines stop the spread.
- The eradication of COVID-19 is a feasible goal.
- There was no reasonable policy alternative to lockdowns.
- Mask mandates are effective in reducing the spread of viral infectious diseases.
- Mass testing of asymptomatic individuals and contact tracing of positive cases is effective in reducing disease spread.
- The reported number of COVID-19 deaths is accurate.
“The government spent close to $5 trillion fighting COVID-19, but still can’t provide Hoosiers with an accurate number of deaths or hospitalizations from COVID-19,” Attorney General Rokita said.
Attorney General Rokita has consistently defended liberty in the age of COVID-19 by leading the charge against President Biden’s unlawful mask and vaccine mandates. Now, he is determined to expose the facts surrounding inaccurate data on the numbers of deaths and hospitalizations related to COVID-19.
“We can’t improve our response to a future pandemic without an honest and accurate accounting of the number of deaths and hospitalizations inflicted by COVID-19,” Attorney General Rokita said.
