Maryland Del. Cox appears to promote Bill Gates coronavirus conspiracy theory

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.”

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.

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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John Domen

John started working at WTOP in 2016 after having grown up in Maryland listening to the station as a child. While he got his on-air start at small stations in Pennsylvania and Delaware, he's spent most of his career in the D.C. area, having been heard on several local stations before coming to WTOP.

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