"Reckless Betrayal of Public Trust": Birx Violated Own Travel Advisory During Thanksgiving

As the virus pandemic aggressively spread across the country ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Dr. Deborah Birx, a top member of the White House coronavirus task force, warned Americans to “be vigilant” and limit celebrations to “your immediate household.”

Apparently, Birx neglected to follow her own guidelines as she traveled to her beach home on Fenwick Island in Delaware, the day after Thanksgiving, according to AP News. There, she spent time with family from other households.

Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, Birx was one of the leading health officials advising Americans to stay home this year to prevent the spread.

AP reported that one of her extended family members blew the whistle on Birx’s travels. AP cited Kathleen Flynn, whose brother is Birx’s daughter’s husband, revealed Birx’s trip “out of concern for her own parents.”

“She cavalierly violated her own guidance,” Flynn told AP.

Birx later admitted she spent two days at the beach town and dined with her family but explained her purpose behind the trip was to prepare her beach home for sale.

“I did not go to Delaware for the purpose of celebrating Thanksgiving,” Birx said in her statement, adding that her family shared a meal together while in Delaware.

While in Delaware, she was bold enough to interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation,” in which she said some Americans “went across the country or even into the next state” for Thanksgiving.

“Some people may have made mistakes over the Thanksgiving time period,” Birx said.

She also said those who traveled over the holidays should assume they were infected.

The news of Birx breaking her own coronavirus travel advisory did not sit well with many, and it also exposes a two-tiered system where elites don’t have to follow the rules while everyone else remains in lockdown.

“Another rules for thee but not for me! Tsk tsk,” Fox News Channel host Janice Dean tweeted.

Another rules for thee but not for me! Tsk tsk. https://t.co/HUie8djYTn

— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) December 20, 2020

“This is a reckless betrayal of public trust,” virologist Angela Rasmussen tweeted.

It is astonishing to me that Dr. Birx thinks a multi-generational Thanksgiving gathering is okay for her—even after publicly urging Americans not to do this—because the trip wasn’t primarily for Thanksgiving. This is a reckless betrayal of public trust.https://t.co/SqJxsbMuJQ

— Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) December 20, 2020