As Peter Lucido – who left the state senate in disgrace following an investigation into his pattern of sexual harassment – continues to spread partisan smears about Governor Whitmer’s quick, decisive action to save lives during the pandemic, Michigan doctors are calling out his hypocrisy.
In fact, on December 18th, 2020 – before Lucido was sworn in as Macomb County Prosecutor – he was missing in action, as the Michigan Senate voted to appropriate crucial COVID-19 relief, which included more than $22 million for coronavirus response activities for testing of vulnerable populations in nursing homes and more than $3 million to reimburse hospitals for retaining COVID-19 positive skilled nursing facility residents, along with resources to help Care Recovery Centers for COVID-19 patients operated by skilled nursing facilities. Despite skipping this key vote, he had time to post a video as a state senator on his official Facebook page that same day.
Earlier that year, Lucido also voted against an amendment to boost grants to skilled nursing facilities by $100 million to help fight COVID-19.
Local Dr. Farhan Bhatti took to social media to criticize Lucido, noting: “From a medical perspective, this move appears to be purely partisan. As a state senator, Lucido didn’t even show up to vote for critical COVID-19 funding when we were counting on it for our patients. The ‘willful neglect’ appears to be on him.”
Another local doctor, Rob Davidson also recently called out Lucido, saying: “While he and his GOP colleagues resisted measures to decrease COVID spread and said it was no big deal, Whitmer followed CDC guidance, issued mask mandates and stay at home orders, and fought with Trump to get test supplies and PPE.”
“Disgraced former state Senator Peter Lucido is the last person any Michigander who cares about beating this virus should listen to. When it mattered most, he skipped out on passing COVID-19 relief that directly helped nursing homes, while his party consistently opposed commonsense and popular measures to save lives and help our economy recover, said Lavora Barnes, Chair of the MDP. “Lucido’s recent attacks against the governor are nothing more than pathetic, hypocritical smears from a partisan politician who even his own party investigated and punished for his pattern of deeply inappropriate sexual harrassment.”
