To the editor:
Does it matter if a U.S. Congressman had COVID-19? Does it matter if that congressman kept it secret for nearly four months?
Those are the questions that ran through my head last month when Rep. Trey Hollingsworth announced on Facebook that he’d had COVID-19 back in March. And the conclusion I came to was yes, it absolutely matters.
You might remember Mr. Hollingsworth’s comments about the pandemic from mid-April. (I know, it feels like a lifetime ago for me, too.) In a series of revealing interviews with WIBC, Hollingsworth said that when compared against economic decline, the loss of human life was the "lesser of two evils.” It was his job to put on his "big-boy pants" and "get Americans back to work," he said.
The congressman framed his decision like this: "In the choice between the loss of our way of life as Americans and the loss of American lives, we have to always choose the latter."
When I heard those comments I was outraged. I still am. But what’s truly unconscionable is that never once did he mention having recently had COVID-19 on the show. At the time, our representative had a strong reason to believe he’d already had the virus and thus had the antibodies to protect himself — there would be no risk to reopening the economy for Mr. Hollingsworth. And yet he said nothing during the interview. I wonder why.
Here’s what really bugs me: Representative Hollingsworth still isn’t taking this seriously. Just last month, a journalist said on Twitter Hollingsworth did not put on a mask until he got to the floor of the Capitol. Antibodies or not, part of his job is to set an example. He could have done that.
Instead he posted on Facebook a picture of himself giving “convalescent” plasma with the caption: “America will prevail, and each of us has a role to play.” As if Mr. Hollingsworth is some sort of American hero. Give me a break.
In the coming months, our congressman will be faced with some critical choices that will personally affect Hoosiers’ lives in this time of great crisis, such as the decision whether to extend unemployment benefits, for instance. More than 200,000 Hoosiers have filed first-time unemployment claims since March, according to a Thursday report in the Indianapolis Business Journal, and the pandemic is not relenting. I’ll be honest with you: based on what we’ve seen of his leadership so far during this pandemic, I’m truly worried for those who are struggling right now.
Because when faced with the choice between protecting constituents or protecting himself, Mr. Hollingsworth has shown that he will always choose the latter.
Andy Ruff
Bloomington, Ninth District Democratic Nominee for Congress
