Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a new three-week COVID epidemic order on Sunday to combat a massive surge in new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
Whitmer, who was recently the target of a murder/kidnap plot by a pro-Trump militia who it was discovered wanted to execute her on live TV, was immediately attacked by White House COVID adviser Scott Atlas on social media.
Atlas tweeted: “The only way this stops is if people rise up. You get what you accept. #FreedomMatters #StepUp“
Atlas later claimed: “Hey. I NEVER was talking at all about violence. People vote, people peacefully protest. NEVER would I endorse or incite violence. NEVER!!”
Whitmer told CNN's Wolf Blitzer: “”We know that the White House likes to single us out here in Michigan, me out in particular. I'm not going to be bullied into not following reputable scientists and medical professionals. [We consult] people that actually have studied and are well respected worldwide on these issues, not the — not the individual that is doing the President's bidding on this one.”
Atlas has no experience in infectious diseases or epidemiology and in August pushed Trump to embrace a herd immunity strategy to combat the pandemic, which would allow the coronavirus to spread through most of the population.
