Johnson’s prioritizes pushing COVID misinformation to distract from self-serving agenda
MADISON, Wis. — As Ron Johnson continues to try and distract from his self-serving agenda of enriching himself and his largest donors, he is yet again being called out by independent fact checkers for spreading dangerous and false misinformation about COVID-19 that only serves to endanger lives, prolong the pandemic, and hinder Wisconsin’s economic recovery.
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PolitiFact: Johnson falsely says unvaccinated people around the world are being put into ‘internment camps’
In a Dec. 8, 2021 appearance on Janesville radio station WCLO, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson ran through his familiar talking points when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine, including that adverse effects of the vaccine are being reported to the nation’s tracking system, that vaccinated people can still spread the virus, and reiterating that he has chosen not to be vaccinated.
Then he added this jaw-dropper:
“I’m going to actually utilize my own freedom, my own health autonomy, and I’m going to choose not to get the vaccine, and now we are demonizing those people. Around the world, they’re putting them basically into internment camps,” Johnson said. “What is going on?”
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Our ruling
Johnson claimed that “around the world,” people who refused to get vaccinated were being placed “basically into internment camps.”
Such camps throughout history have been used to corral those whom nations deem political prisoners or enemies, forcing people to live there for years. In comparison, the quarantine facility Johnson cited is for Australian residents returning home from abroad who stay there for two weeks, then get to go home.
In addition, Johnson spoke generally of those who are not vaccinated being sent to camps, but the example he cited was a facility for travelers. And while he said the practice was occurring “around the world,” he was only able to provide one such example.
We rate this claim Pants on Fire.
