Val Demings dunks on Gov. Ron DeSantis for trying to hide the true numbers of COVID-19 cases in Florida

Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), a contender for Joe Biden's vice-presidential running mate, criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis during the Monday episode of "The View" for trying to avoid coverage of the uptick in COVID-19 cases in the state.

Co-host Sunny Hostin noted that the state has come under fire for the accuracy and transparency of the numbers when a scientist who created the coronavirus reporting dashboard was fired for refusing to make changes to the data to support reopening. Hostin wondered if Demings, like many others, are concerned about the truthfulness of the Florida numbers.

"The surgeon general here in Florida declared a public health emergency on March 1, yet it wasn't until April 3 that the governor issued a state-at-home order," Demings said of DeSantis. "We have had some issues with our response to COVID-19. We know the story about the analyst who was fired, she says because she was being honest about what she was reporting. We certainly see the numbers in Florida, and while they are better than originally predicted, I believe a lot of that is because individuals took responsibility on their own to shelter in place and practice the CDC guidelines."

Demings went on to say that there are some questions about the accuracy of the numbers coming out of Florida nursing homes and other numbers reported.

"Were they accurate?" she asked. "And so we're still keeping an eye on that. We're still trying to make sure as we reopen Florida, and it's unbelievable, but as the numbers rise, prepare for the Republican National Convention. We're still keeping an eye on the numbers to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to give individual families and others accurate information so that they can protect themselves during this very critical time."

In the next segment, she expanded on the RNC convention in Jacksonville and whether they are ready to handle the huge influx of people coming to the city.

"It boils down to, do you have the ability to put the people that you represent first?" she asked. "And as we continue to see numbers go up in Florida, why on Earth would you push to have the convention here and bring tens of thousands of people here and expose them, risk their health? The health, safety and well-being of the American people is the president of the United States' No. 1 responsibility. But obviously he does not know that and does not understand that."

See the discussion below: