Maryland Delegate Dan Cox, from Frederick County, has been garnering attention in recent weeks for his coronavirus-related protests.
In fact, Cox claims state leaders threatened him with arrest for leading a protest against the governor’s stay at home orders last weekend.
Now, his recent Twitter activity is bringing the Republican some renewed attention.
In a post made on Sunday, Cox quoted a tweet from an Australian reporter and wrote “#ArrestBillGates gains worldwide momentum.”
#ArrestBillGates gains worldwide momentum. https://t.co/zoFrNX7Wla
— Dan Cox 🇺🇸 – Maryland House of Delegates (@DelegateCox) May 10, 2020
The Microsoft founder, whose Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been pumping money into efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, has at the same time become the focus of conspiracy theories because of those efforts, as well as previous statements he has made about the world’s readiness for a pandemic well before the coronavirus.
Cox’s tweet generated criticism as it went viral.
If you want to be a respected leader, you must lead intelligently.
This Maryland state legislator is doing the exact opposite of that. https://t.co/TpZirOGxDS
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) May 11, 2020
This is a sitting (Republican) member of the Maryland state legislature https://t.co/z2qSnGefbD
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) May 11, 2020
This @delegatecox tweet is spectacularly irresponsible. Just shocking. https://t.co/jCK33XNgEq
— Walter Olson (@WalterOlsonMd) May 11, 2020
WTOP reached out to the delegate for comment and will update this story with any response.
Cox is also among a trio of Republicans who have filed suit against Gov. Larry Hogan, also a Republican, arguing along with a group of churches and businesses that the state’s emergency stay-at-home orders violate first amendment protections of free speech and religion.
He is serving as both a plaintiff and a lawyer for the plaintiffs.
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