Berin Szóka, the president of TechFreedom — a DC based libertarian think tank linked to billionaire Charles Koch — questioned Monday night whether it would be “poetic justice” for President Donald Trump to die from the coronavirus after speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) two weeks ago.
“Serious question: could there possibly any greater poetic justice in the universe than for Trump to die of the #CPACvirus,” Szóka tweeted Monday night. (RELATED: Trump To Announce Payroll Tax Cut For Workers Affected By Coronavirus)
Screenshot/Twitter
The Washington Post included Szóka, a self-described “neoliberal shill,” as an expert in their “Techology 202 Network” list Monday. Szóka’s group, TechFreedom, has financial links to billionaire Charles Koch, a frequent critic of the Trump administration’s protectionist trade policies on China.
Szóka later deleted the tweet and apologized, claiming that his question did not come from “a place of malice but from deepest concern.”
I’ve deleted the original tweet, not to hide it (screenshots, I know), but because, yes, my critics are right: we shouldn’t ever say anything that could be interpreted as wishing harm on anyone
— Berin Szóka ???? (@BerinSzoka) March 10, 2020
“I’d never wish death upon anyone but I get why people read it that way. For that, I’m sorry,” said Szóka after deleting his original tweet. “Like many, I’ve been distraught at systematic downplaying of this crisis. My tweet came not from a place of malice but from deepest concern. It doesn’t express my organization’s opinion.”
Several GOP lawmakers have self-quarantined after being exposed to an attendee who was infected with the coronavirus at CPAC including, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. Trump’s incoming chief of staff Mark Meadows announced Monday that he would also be quarantined after possibly coming into contact with the CPAC attendee.
