Gov. Ron DeSantis Requests Investigation Of Covid-Vaccine Manufacturers & CDC

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has filed a petition asking the state’s Supreme Court to authorize an investigation of “any wrongdoing” related to Covid-19 vaccines in Florida, his latest move to stoke fear and cast doubt about the safety and the effectiveness of vaccines.

The governor requested the empaneling of a grand jury to look into pharmaceutical companies, their executives and medical association.

DeSantis also announced he was launching a public health integrity committee to counter the current work of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Republican governor accused the CDC of failing to provide useful information, and said it’s serving to “advance narratives rather than do evidence-based medicine.”

During the panel, the Florida governor’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, listed examples of the vaccine causing myocarditis and inflammation of the heart and called for more data from pharmaceutical companies so that independent researchers can assess potential side effects.

“We will answer this question. It is a question that I am sure keeps the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna up late at night, hoping no one ever looks. But we’re going to look here in Florida,” Ladapo said.

DeSantis, who was easily reelected in November, has scored political points with right-wings voters with an anti-vaccine stance. This summer, he was the last governor to authorize providers to offer vaccines to children under five.

The governor is the top name on the list of potential GOP candidates looking at running for president in 2024. If he runs, he would face former President Donald Trump in the primaries.