After refusing to wear a mask during a meeting with Florida Democratic Sen. Tina Polsky—who has breast cancer—Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new anti-science surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, attempted to explain himself via Twitter, but only after lawmakers called for a withdrawal of his nomination. 

Ladapo, a cardiovascular specialist and lover of hydroxychloroquine, says he can’t “communicate clearly and effectively” with his mouth covered. So, I guess he was mute during all the time he worked at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, where he supposedly cared for patients. The last time I checked, you need to wear a mask in a hospital around sick people. Did Ladapo miss that class at Harvard Medical School?

“Having a conversation with someone while wearing a mask is not something I find productive, especially when other options exist,” Ladapo said in his first public remarks following his meeting with Sen. Polsky. “It is important to me to communicate clearly and effectively with people. I can’t do that when half of my face is covered. “

Of course, Ladapo’s statement didn’t provide an apology, just an excuse. Why wear a mask? It’s not as if COVID-19 has killed 58,000 people in Florida. And, there’s always “thoughts and prayers,” the go-to for the GOP. Here’s Ladapo’s version: 

“I am genuinely saddened by Senator Polsky’s recent diagnosis of breast cancer, and I pray for her and her family and wish them God’s blessings and strength,” Ladapo tweeted. 

In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, Ladapo repeatedly called the pandemic “Covid mania,” saying it has “wreaked havoc on science and its influence on policy,” and disparaged the use of masks, mandates for children, vaccine passports, and lockdowns.

“Vaccines are up to the person. There’s nothing special about them compared to any other preventive measure,” he said just after being named to the position. “The state should be promoting good health, and vaccination isn’t the only path to that. It’s been treated almost like a religion. It’s just senseless. There are lots of good pathways to health.”

His alternative to the COVID-19 vaccine is that people should be encouraged to lose weight, exercise more, and eat healthier.

“After lockdowns, overall mortality increased. Lockdowns are bad. Lots of reasons why they’re bad, that’s just one really good one,” he said.

Senate President Wilton Simpson, a Republican no less, obliterated Ladapo (without using his name directly) after the doctor refused to mask up for the senator. 

“It shouldn’t take a cancer diagnosis for people to respect each other’s level of comfort with social interactions during a pandemic,” he said. “What occurred in Senator Polsky’s office was unprofessional and will not be tolerated in the Senate.”

Polsky told CNN she was thrilled to know that she had the support of the entire Senate body on the issue. 

“We have political differences, [but] we do really believe each other and respect each other, and decorum and professionalism has always been at the heart of the Senate, and I’m really proud to be part of that,” she added. “I really thank the Senate president for having my back on this one.” 

Senate Democrats are going after Ladapo, calling on DeSantis to withdraw his nomination or for the state Senate to reject it. 

“I don’t want to see him sitting there as surgeon general this whole time without a proper nomination process, or his nomination should just be pulled,” Polsky told MSNBC on Monday. “This man is not fit to serve as our surgeon general. He certainly didn’t care about my health, so I don’t know how he’s going to care about the public health of 21 million Floridians.”

Sadly, for the people of Florida, Ladapo can stay in his position for up to two years, even if the Senate doesn’t confirm him.