Lamborn dismissed pandemic as hoax meant to derail Trump’s reelection, ex-staffer says in sworn statement

Allegations that U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, fired a staffer successful retaliation aft the staffer sought to support himself and others during the pandemic are true, different erstwhile staffer said successful sworn statements filed Friday.

Those sworn statements travel from Joshua Hosler, erstwhile seat of the El Paso County Republican Party and erstwhile territory manager for Lamborn.

Attorney Les Alderman filed them successful national tribunal arsenic portion of Brandon Pope’s lawsuit against the eight-term congressman. Not lone does the suit allege  Pope was impropertly fired, but it besides claims Lamborn showed a “disregard for the rules” of Congress and a “recklessly self-serving approach to his position.”

Lamborn has denied the allegations and requested that the suit beryllium moved from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to the District of Colorado. A typical for Lamborn did not instantly connection a remark successful effect to Hosler’s sworn statements.

In his sworn statements to Alderman, Hosler — who declined to remark for this nonfiction — said Pope was nether his nonstop supervision and served arsenic a exemplary employee. Pope voiced his concerns astir Lamborn’s office’s “careless approach” to the pandemic often from March 2020 until helium was fired by Chief of Staff Dale Anderson that December.

Throughout that clip Lamborn referred to the pandemic arsenic a hoax “fabricated to derail then-President Donald Trump’s reelection bid” and Anderson called those acrophobic astir the microorganism “liberal sissies” who were overreacting, Hosler said successful the sworn statement.

Pope had suggested, Hosler said, that Lamborn’s offices should not beryllium afloat staffed, that immunocompromised employees should beryllium allowed to enactment from location and that the bureau should usage partitions to support staffers safe.

As Pope voiced his concerns, Hosler said Anderson — who has not responded to aggregate requests for remark — began to telephone the staffer “abrasive” and “belligerent,” and accused him of having an “attitude problem.”

Ultimately Lamborn and respective of his staff members successful Washington, D.C., tested affirmative for COVID-19.

“I was driving Congressman Lamborn erstwhile helium learned that his Deputy Chief of Staff had tested affirmative for COVID-19 and that further staffers were symptomatic,” Hosler said. “Upon learning this, the Congressman spoke to a doc wrong the Office of the Attending Physician, but the Congressman misrepresented the facts and falsely told the OAP doc that helium had not been successful adjacent interaction with his unit successful D.C. implicit the erstwhile respective days.”

In addition, aft aggregate radical tested affirmative successful October, Hosler said Anderson sent unit members location and told them not to archer anybody — including household members, friends oregon roommates — that they had been successful interaction with radical who had contracted the virus.

Pope powerfully objected, Hosler said, but Anderson ignored him.

Later that month, Hosler said helium began exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 and quarantined himself.

“Congressman Lamborn was upset that I was moving from home, and helium insisted that I effort to fast-track my trial results, due to the fact that my lack was someway interfering with his docket and question plans,” helium said.

Anderson fired Pope successful December, Hosler said.

“Because Mr. Pope had been a large employee, I judge that Representative Lamborn and Chief of Staff Anderson terminated Mr. Pope due to the fact that helium opposed the Office’s reckless attack to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Office’s refusal to instrumentality common-sense information precautions,” Hosler said successful the tribunal documents.

Hosler resigned from Lamborn’s unit successful January.

Alongside Hosler’s sworn statements, Alderman besides filed a question opposing Lamborn’s petition to relocate the lawsuit to Colorado.

While Hosler’s statements bash not notation Pope’s allegations that Lamborn utilized his bureau successful a self-serving manner, emails betwixt the congressman’s staffers — obtained by The Denver Post — showed staffers were asked to donate wealth for Christmas gifts and received notes astir moving idiosyncratic errands for the congressman’s wife, which is specifically prohibited successful the House Ethics manual.