Scott Powers
Florida’s new Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo did not treat COVID-19 patients at UCLA as he has asserted, charges a report that aired Monday night on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.”
The liberal show’s host, Maddow, said the show’s staff spoke with four UCLA sources, whom she did not identify, who disputed Ladapo’s statements that he was a frontline doctor there treating COVID-19 patients during the coronavirus crisis.
The 12-minute segment began with Maddow recapping the controversies surrounding the right-wing “America’s Frontline Doctors” group, of which Ladapo was a member, as well as some of his other controversies, including refusing to wear a mask in the office of Democratic Sen. Tina Polsky, a cancer patient.
Maddow’s report then challenged his claimed credentials as a frontline COVID-19 doctor at UCLA’s flagship hospital before his selection by Gov. Ron DeSantis to become Florida’s Surgeon General in September.
“We have new reporting tonight that calls that into question,” Maddow declared.
Maddow said her show’s staff repeatedly tried to get information about Ladapo’s UCLA tenure from the university, but UCLA officials would not respond. She also said staff sought response from Ladapo, but the Florida Department of Health also would not respond. So it called and emailed colleagues and co-workers at UCLA, and communicated with many.
“Four of these sources tell us that before that (America’s Frontline Doctors) press conference he took part in on the steps of the Supreme Court in July, 2020, in which he billed himself as one of America’s frontline doctors, our sources who worked beside him at UCLA tell us that they do not believe Dr. Ladapo had actually treated COVID patients at all at UCLA,” Maddow said.
“They also said that his numerous op-eds (columns published in newspapers) greatly mischaracterized the type of work that he was doing during the pandemic,” Maddow added.
She said her show also obtained scheduling documents from UCLA covering the period from June 2019, through September 2021. The documents showed numerous UCLA doctors assigned to treat COVID patients at various times, but never Ladapo.
She specifically cited one Ladapo op-ed column, published in USA Today on March 24, 2020, in which he wrote that he had “spent the past week taking care of patients with COVID-19 at UCLA’s flagship hospital.” She said the scheduling records for that month do not show Ladapo ever treating anyone in the hospital’s COVID-19 unit.
Neither the Florida Department of Health nor the Executive Office of the Governor immediately responded to a Florida Politics inquiry Tuesday morning about Maddow’s report.
Maddow also said Ladapo’s appearance at the America’s Frontline Doctors press conference in July 2020, “ignited conversations inside of UCLA about his work and how his actions were affecting the reputation of UCLA and its hospital.”
30 comments
PeterH
November 9, 2021 at 1:03 pm
Why would Ron DeSantis hire a knowledgeable competent Surgeon General? DeSantis needed a drone to perpetuate his corona virus misinformation myth. Is anyone surprised?
Tom
November 9, 2021 at 8:20 pm
Hi. Peter h.
How’s Lincoln h predator org?
Nice butt kicking in VA.
How’s McAuliffe ?
How’s it being known for racism ?
Youngkin win big. All that money you spent wasted. Peter H did u recommend tiki torches?
LMAO. The Republican vote total in
N J and VA, extrapolated wins 50 house seats. Enjoy
Captain Howdy
November 10, 2021 at 9:19 am
LOL they deleted my earlier comment but CAPTAIN HOWDY ABIDES.
Captain Howdy's OWNER
November 9, 2021 at 3:46 pm
Sweetiepie. You got nothing. You regurgitate stale Faux Noise vomit from a decade ago. Run along now and salute your Hitler photo, little MAGAcunt!
Captain Howdy
November 9, 2021 at 5:31 pm
Hi Alex. Did you have a hot date with Rachel Maddow 2nite?
DaJuan Hayes
November 9, 2021 at 6:09 pm
Is this the same Joseph Ladapo who keeps preaching the Gospal of Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine? The darling of Dennis Prager and other right-wing radio talk show hosts? The guy who signed the “Great Barrington Declaration” that would have us pretend that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about?
You can have him.
Tom
November 9, 2021 at 8:56 pm
If maddowless inked this, it’s as credible as the fake Russia, Russia Bull Jive.
Maddowless had nothing to offer.
PeterH
November 9, 2021 at 10:04 pm
Not vetting candidates is irresponsible DeSantis leadership……or should we say lack of leadership. It’s today’s Republican way of doing business. If Ladapo had any moral compass or decency……he would immediately resign.
Maddow doesn’t act alone……. she is not a Fox News reporter. You can bet that MSNBC lawyers have part two of this story …… waiting for another lie from this Florida deplorable administration
……come on DeSantis….. call MSNBC ‘fake news” …. So we can watch the next shoe fall. LOL
JP
November 9, 2021 at 11:22 pm
Yeah, yeah ….we all know how reputable Maddow’s reporting is …
Annie
November 10, 2021 at 12:40 am
Oh another tucker Carlson fan. Now THERE’S some reputable reporting. LMAO at you fools and your news sources.
Tom
November 10, 2021 at 7:21 pm
Melinda and Annie.
Respectfully, Maddox is the worst person on political cable t v.
That’s some company with the likes of Brianna Keller, Don Lamon, Jim Acosta, cooper Anderson, morning ho,ho hosts mika & joey.
She is liar, demented, conspiratorial queen, dishonest, and deeply flawed.
Need flash, she is a. Liar.
Feel free to watch a corner hustler. None of the non Fox shows are credible.
Enjoy the non Rachel maddoless.
Melinda Denham
November 10, 2021 at 2:41 am
You’ll take the word of a two bit Mango Mussolini and a helium voiced Florida muskrat as gospel, but not the word of a respectable journalist who actually went to the trouble of simply asking the man’s UCLA colleagues for confirmation of easily verified facts. It’s too bad logic and critical thinking aren’t the norm in the Republican Party.
zhombre
November 10, 2021 at 8:04 am
Rachel Maddow … respectable journalist? LOL! I suppose in your book, “logic and critical thinking” include anonymous sources, rumor, innuendo, tendentious opinions, sanctimony, and outright lies, all of which Maddow dishes out in spades. She was a great dispenser of Russian collusion propaganda, and that narrative is now falling apart as Durham proceeds with indictments. Do a little reading on the subject.
Melinda Denham
November 10, 2021 at 11:26 am
There’s opinion and there’s fact. If the man didn’t work with Covid 19 patients it shouldn’t be that difficult to verify one way or another. It doesn’t matter if Maddow or Tucker reports that bit of info. It only matters that there’s due diligence. I’m sorry you’ve fallen for the propaganda and lies of DJT and his enablers. I trust Maddow more than ever because the last administration forced the mainstream media to double and triple check sources.
zhombre
November 10, 2021 at 11:35 am
LOL! Yes they did a great job with the Steele Dossier.
Tom
November 10, 2021 at 7:30 pm
Yes Maddow less was credible on RUSSIA right.
She’s pathetic. The Steele dossier is a fraud, debunked. She fed it, hook line sinker. Total fraud, tool fake newsie.
She mislead people like you.
Your Hopeless.
How do you like the 30 yr high inflation? Bidens 38% approval, giggles Harris is 28%.
You have 50 new net Repub. coming to congress. New Senate.
Enjoy Maddowless.
Tom
November 9, 2021 at 11:57 pm
Maddow is a joke.
Russia, Russia, Russia.
Like I said if she’s on it, it’s fake news.
Light your touch.
Tom
November 10, 2021 at 7:58 am
You don’t know anything that was done or not peter h.
You are a joke, liar. Maddowless is a extremist and conspiracy theory monger. She openly peddled and perpetrated fake Russia news. Like standing on a corner for sale.
You and the rest of Lincoln cannot recover yourself from VIrginia debacle. New Repub. voter data proves it. Political avalanche coming.
Lincoln Racist snd losers. What a combo.
zhombre
November 10, 2021 at 9:02 am
Maddow standing on a corner for sale would attract zero customers.
Tom
November 10, 2021 at 7:10 pm
LMAO my conservative patriot!
FP Monitor
November 10, 2021 at 7:35 pm
It’s a big mistake is to respond to anything Tom posts. He’s an ignorant Trumpster hack simply looking for attention. Do yourself and all of us a big favor. Ignore all of his return comments. Maybe the internet troll will go away.
Zhombre
November 10, 2021 at 8:06 pm
I will ignore yours instead, troll.
Ocean Joe
November 10, 2021 at 8:00 pm
An excellent, highly entertaining bundle of comments, only let down is to see my friend Tom, who once labelled one of my lefty friends “rain man’s cousin” finally show the ravages of age on a once keen, likely member in good standing of the John Birch society mind.
Ladapo is the Florida version of Scott Atlas, nothing more, a hired hack here to spread the good news of denialism and stupidity. Maddow may be a bit of an ignorant whore but she hit some paydirt. Is this guy actually a doctor?
PeterH
November 10, 2021 at 8:16 pm
Maddow would never present such a reporting expose without first clearing her findings with MSNBC attorneys.
If the Governor’s office wishes to contradict Maddow’s discoveries….. they are more than welcome to present their own evidence of vetting.
We’re waiting DeSantis! Where’s the beef? Where is your evidence that MSNBC is lying?
Tom
November 10, 2021 at 11:25 pm
Have no idea who or what you are referring to Ocean 11.
Feel free to clarify if you choose. You normally just make general comments and hide.
Why don’t you make and defend your statements instead of concern with mine.
Glad I have you overwhelmed in thought. LMAO.
Tom
November 10, 2021 at 11:52 pm
Btw, I heard of john birch, john birch was not a friend of mine, but ocean you are no john birch society member.
LOL
zhombre
November 11, 2021 at 8:47 am
SEE FOR YOURSELF, JOE.
https://scholar.harvard.edu/jladapo/files/curriculum_vitae_-_joseph_ladapo.pdf
Tom
November 10, 2021 at 11:33 pm
Weasel peter h, you have no credibility pal. You are associated with a predator Lincoln group. Total losers. $500,000 wasted in VA by Lincoln.
You and Lincoln got stepped on.
Just a joke, VA was a game changer.
Extrapolate VA and NJ vote data, It’s over for Dums. 50 House seats net for GOP.
As if Gov DeSantis has to answer or justify to you. You are a fool, DeSantis suffers fools like u gladly.
Maddow is a joke. Conspiracy queen.
You are pathetic.
LMAO.
just sayin
November 15, 2021 at 9:34 am
Why is MSNBC doing deep dives on state agency heads? Do they do this in any other state? This is oppo research under the guise of journalism.
zhombre
November 15, 2021 at 9:39 am
Because he works for DeSantis.
Comments are closed.