EXPOSÉ: Leftist Media Botch Report about FL Surgeon Gen Recommendation
February 3, 2021 Updated 7:15 P.M. ET
TALLAHASSEE (FCV) – According to a letter Florida’s Voice obtained, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) supervisor Carol M. Mangione expressed strong support for Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo for a position as “a tenured professor of medicine” at the University of Florida. The letter throws into question a report from the Tallahassee Democrat showcasing Ladapo’s supervisor speaking ill of him for his position as Surgeon General.
“I am pleased to provide enthusiastic support for Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo’s application to the University of Florida School of Medicine as a tenured professor of medicine,” she said.
Before Governor Ron DeSantis (R) appointed Ladapo for the position of Surgeon General on September 21, 2021, his supervisor gave this letter of recommendation for Ladapo to use for his aspirations at the University of Florida on September 12th, 2021.
“In summary, Dr. Ladapo is an outstanding clinician scientist who is building a reputation as a nationally known researcher conducting important work in the area of evaluation of cardiovascular technologies and related areas of outcomes research for underserved populations,” she continued.
While the supervisor in the Tallahassee Democrat was cited anonymously, the letter suggests the supervisor in question is Mangione.
The comments on Ladapo after the announcement of his appointment by DeSantis seem to be a reversal from the supervisor’s letter of recommendation.
In the Tallahassee Democrat report, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s background investigation shows Ladapo’s supervisor bad-mouthing him for the position of Florida’s Surgeon General, claiming he “created a stressful environment” by questioning lockdowns and “‘COVID mania.'” However, they did not include the letter from Mangione.
Her comments on Ladapo’s qualifications to work with DeSantis as Surgeon General seem to be a reversal from her glowing recommendation letter to work at the University of Florida. DeSantis, a Republican, drew criticism from many so-called “experts” that were eventually proven wrong on the validity of lockdown policies.
Left-wing figures jumped on the supervisor’s comments against Ladapo as a smoking-gun of being disqualified from serving as Surgeon General, with Peter Schorsch, owner of Florida Politics, spreading the article despite the Tallahassee Democrat evidently not conducting full research of Ladapo’s qualifications.
Christina Pushaw, the Press Secretary for DeSantis, criticized the author of the Tallahassee Democrat report, Jeff Schweers, for not including the “glowing recommendation” of Ladapo in his story:
FCV reported on the supervisor’s comments against Ladapo being proven wrong, with a new study from Johns Hopkins University finding that lockdown policies did not work.
In the eyes of many conservatives, the botched attempt at fully researched and educated reporting from the Tallahassee Democrat is a continuation of a pattern of misleading narratives from left-wing media who attempt to smear Republicans like DeSantis for being anti-lockdown on COVID-19.
