Allegations that U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, fired a staffer in retaliation after the staffer sought to protect himself and others during the pandemic are true, another former staffer said in sworn statements filed Friday.<\/p>\n
Those sworn statements come from Joshua Hosler, former chair of the El Paso County Republican Party and former district director for Lamborn.<\/p>\n
Attorney Les Alderman filed them in federal court as part of Brandon Pope\u2019s lawsuit against the eight-term congressman. Not only does the lawsuit allege\u00a0 Pope was impropertly fired, but it also claims Lamborn showed a \u201cdisregard for the rules\u201d of Congress and a \u201crecklessly self-serving approach to his position.”<\/p>\n
Lamborn has denied the allegations and requested that the lawsuit be moved from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to the District of Colorado. A representative for Lamborn did not immediately offer a comment in response to Hosler’s sworn statements.<\/p>\n
In his sworn statements to Alderman, Hosler — who declined to comment for this article — said Pope was under his direct supervision and served as a model employee. Pope voiced his concerns about Lamborn\u2019s office\u2019s \u201ccareless approach\u201d to the pandemic frequently from March 2020 until he was fired by Chief of Staff Dale Anderson that December.<\/p>\n
Throughout that time Lamborn referred to the pandemic as a hoax \u201cfabricated to derail then-President Donald Trump\u2019s reelection bid\u201d and Anderson called those concerned about the virus \u201cliberal sissies\u201d who were overreacting, Hosler said in the sworn statement.<\/p>\n
Pope had suggested, Hosler said, that Lamborn\u2019s offices should not be fully staffed, that immunocompromised employees should be allowed to work from home and that the office should use partitions to keep staffers safe.<\/p>\n
As Pope voiced his concerns, Hosler said Anderson — who has not responded to multiple requests for comment — began to call the staffer \u201cabrasive\u201d and \u201cbelligerent,\u201d and accused him of having an \u201cattitude problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately Lamborn and several of his staff members in Washington, D.C., tested positive for COVID-19.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was driving Congressman Lamborn when he learned that his Deputy Chief of Staff had tested positive for COVID-19 and that additional staffers were symptomatic,\u201d Hosler said. \u201cUpon learning this, the Congressman spoke to a physician within the Office of the Attending Physician, but the Congressman misrepresented the facts and falsely told the OAP physician that he had not been in close contact with his staff in D.C. over the previous several days.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition, after multiple people tested positive in October, Hosler said Anderson sent staff members home and told them not to tell anybody — including family members, friends or roommates — that they had been in contact with people who had contracted the virus.<\/p>\n
Pope strongly objected, Hosler said, but Anderson ignored him.<\/p>\n
Later that month, Hosler said he began exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 and quarantined himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongressman Lamborn was upset that I was working from home, and he insisted that I try to fast-track my test results, because my absence was somehow interfering with his schedule and travel plans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Anderson fired Pope in December, Hosler said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Mr. Pope had been a great employee, I believe that Representative Lamborn and Chief of Staff Anderson terminated Mr. Pope because he opposed the Office\u2019s reckless approach to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Office\u2019s refusal to implement common-sense safety precautions,\u201d Hosler said in the court documents.<\/p>\n
Hosler resigned from Lamborn\u2019s staff in January.<\/p>\n
Alongside Hosler\u2019s sworn statements, Alderman also filed a motion opposing Lamborn\u2019s request to relocate the case to Colorado.<\/p>\n
While Hosler’s statements do not mention Pope’s allegations that Lamborn used his office in a self-serving manner, emails between the congressman’s staffers — obtained by The Denver Post — showed staffers were asked to donate money for Christmas gifts and received notes about running personal errands for the congressman\u2019s wife, which is specifically prohibited in the House Ethics manual.<\/p>\n