'Menace to public health': Conservative publication shredded by ex-employee for peddling pandemic misinformation

Right-wing publication The Federalist last week drew condemnation from medical experts when it published an editorial written by an unlicensed dermatologist that encouraged people to deliberately expose themselves to coronavirus as a way to bring about the pandemic's end more quickly.

Conservative writer Robert Tracinski, who worked as a writer at The Federalist for five years, has written a scathing editorial at The Bulwark in which he calls out his former employer for endangering Americans' health by publishing misinformation about COVID-19.

"In the past few years, [The Federalist] has transformed from a fresh and vibrant platform representing a diverse spectrum of ideas on the right to a conspiracy-mongering partisan rag that has now become a menace to public health," he writes.

Tracinski then calls out Federalist publisher Ben Domenech, who is the husband of "The View's" Meghan McCain, for continuing to downplay the threat of the disease at the same time his wife announced that she is self-quarantining to protect their unborn child.

"This sure looks like a case of one message for the rubes, and another message for yourself," he writes. "Is that a low blow? I’m sorry to cause Ben pain by making this personal, but at this very moment there are people gasping out their last breaths, alone and in pain, connected to a ventilator if they can still get one. If people listen to Ben and The Federalist—and they will—then there will be many more people who meet that horrific end."

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