Falwell Holds One-Man-Stand As Coronavirus Fears, Criticism Rain Down On Liberty U

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 21:  on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump received the number of votes needed to secure the party's nomination. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicked off on July 18. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
President of Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr.(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

After nearly 2,000 students flooded back to Liberty University fresh off of spring break, the school’s president Jerry Falwell is mounting a one-man stand against the governor, local officials and The New York Times.

The doctor who runs Liberty University’s student health service, Dr. Thomas Eppes, told the New York Times that already at least 12 students were displaying symptoms of the virus. The paper reported that three of them were sent to a local hospital for testing, while another eight were urged to self-isolate.

Falwell, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, has dismissed the coronavirus pandemic and accused the media of trying to “fan it up” to destroy the economy, and thus injure Trump’s presidency.

Falwell bashed the Times’ reporting as “false” and “misleading” in a statement, saying that Eppes denied ever providing such information, and that the school isn’t aware of any on-campus students displaying symptoms, much less being tested.

Falwell continued that the school asked four students who had been in New York City, along with three others they were in close contact with, to isolate themselves at a vacant hotel near campus. Two of the students did not comply, choosing to return to their dorms. He said that the students were all “asymptomatic.”

He added that another student, living off-campus, returned to Lynchburg, Virginia, where the school is located, with a cough and fever after traveling internationally to a country with many cases. The student was tested and told to self isolate, though he also chose to return to his residence.

Sounding much like the President he so ardently supports, Falwell said that “such media conduct contributes to the public’s record low approval ratings for news media and earns the label ‘fake news.'”

His office did not immediately respond to TPM’s questions.

Falwell also continued his crusade against government officials, both state and local, some of whom have denounced his decision as “reckless.”

He claims that Gov. Ralph Northam (D), along with Lynchburg Mayor Treney Tweedy and City Manager Bonnie Svrcek “thanked” him for alerting them to his post-spring break plan.

“Both the City and the Governor’s office thanked Liberty for this announcement but later each reversed course and sought to criticize it after reading erroneous news stories and opinion articles,” he said.

Tweedy said last week that she was not aware of Falwell’s “reckless” decision to welcome students back to the dorms, only that he was moving most classes online. Northam’s office told TPM that he was “concerned” after hearing reports of Falwell’s decision, and that staffers contacted Liberty’s president directly.

As of Monday morning, Virginia has 1,020 cases of the virus — over three times the number the state’s public health department reported six days ago.

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. It’s not just UL…UWM has Covid-19 infections too!

    Truth be told…
    It’s not just the Spring Break students that are spreading Covidiot-45 virus…
    It’s also the “Stay-At-Home-But-Instead-Went to the Beach” morons too!

  2. "Of all bad men, religious bad men are the worst." C.S. Lewis

  3. I think Liberty Biberty U. is going to need a shit load of insurance, once the lawsuits hit.

  4. So if the local hospital is having to take Liberty U’s sick students can the hospital then sue Falwell for his reckless actions?
    I’m sure the reason that he’s keeping Liberty U open is that he’s doesn’t want to, or can’t refund 2nd semester tuition. Those pool boys don’t come cheap, and they don’t give refunds.

  5. You’re worried about the economic fallout of the pandemic, are you, you arrogant fool? Wait till they get done suing you. You’ll be bagging groceries for a living. You’re risking those kids’ lives. Not a good look for a guy who runs a school.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

292 more replies

Participants

Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for thebigragu Avatar for chelsea530 Avatar for christianhankel Avatar for stradivarius50t3 Avatar for left_in_washington_state Avatar for karlsgems Avatar for greylady Avatar for sfaw Avatar for khaaannn Avatar for fiftygigs Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for tena Avatar for castor_troy Avatar for coimmigrant Avatar for maximus Avatar for drtv Avatar for zillacop Avatar for occamscoin Avatar for yellowbeard Avatar for rascal_crone Avatar for Thane Avatar for kovie Avatar for WayOutWest

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: