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The Texas Republican Party faced backlash for issuing a statement that mourned the passing of an official without mentioning that he'd died from the coronavirus.
Scott Apley, a member of the State Republican Executive Committee, had mocked vaccines and other COVID-19 safety measures for months on his social media accounts before being admitted to a hospital with pneumonia-like symptoms, and his wife also became infected.
His condition worsened after he was hooked to a ventilator, and he died Wednesday -- five days after sharing anti-vaccine content on Facebook -- but the state GOP he served did not list his cause of death.
The state GOP faced condemnation and shame for obscuring the role COVID-19 played in Apley's death.
@TexasGOP You forgot to mention he died of COVID- which is now a fully preventable death. How many people will you… https://t.co/913gCP0dLD— Rachel Bitecofer 📈🔭🍌 (@Rachel Bitecofer 📈🔭🍌) 1628095874.0
@TexasGOP I feel sorry for his wife and infant child. Maybe it's time Rethuglicans started taking COVID seriously.… https://t.co/kYNIgFus34— D Villella ❄️ (@D Villella ❄️) 1628103968.0
@TexasGOP This is heartbreaking. Please tell us what happened?? he was a young man in the prime of life with no pr… https://t.co/SglnnBWXKY— Shiv Ramdas (@Shiv Ramdas) 1628114173.0
@TexasGOP You should honor him by telling everyone to get vaccinated and to wear a mask so they don't end up on a v… https://t.co/AhTMlqozO3— 🌊🇺🇸The Vaccinated Carrie Sweet🇺🇸🌊 (@🌊🇺🇸The Vaccinated Carrie Sweet🇺🇸🌊) 1628103436.0
@TexasGOP Maybe you'd like to mention that he died of COVID, after spending months refusing to take the vaccine and… https://t.co/YLocBxJOVb— Dr. Ohm 🇺🇲 (@Dr. Ohm 🇺🇲) 1628105095.0
@TexasGOP People need to know this was a COVID death. Might help his memory to know his death saved others. Be like… https://t.co/8PiPPuBBoa— BezierCurve (@BezierCurve) 1628104068.0
@JamesUrbaniak @TexasGOP Incredible, he went so fast. And left behind an infant ffs. There are no backsies with this thing.— Rum Babadook (@Rum Babadook) 1628151274.0
@TexasGOP What a shame that he is one of 53,514 Texans who died of Covid in the past 18 months. Surely, you will ur… https://t.co/8QMWmGNPxG— In a crowd all by yourself (@In a crowd all by yourself) 1628104508.0
@TexasGOP RIP. Love and condolences to his family. Please stop killing your constituents with disinformation, @TexasGOP.— AltHomelandSecurity🇺🇸 (@AltHomelandSecurity🇺🇸) 1628106918.0