Former staffer sues over Colorado congressman’s ‘reckless and dangerous approach’ to Covid
A former staffer for U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn is suing the Colorado Republican for allegedly firing him for complaining about his “reckless and dangerous approach to Covid-19” in his congressional offices.The congressman’s lackadaisical response wound up getting Pope, Lamborn and numerous other employees infected with the virus, the lawsuit says.The suit, which was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., and was first reported by NBC Washington, says Lamborn and his chief of staff “often mocked safety protocols such as measures to distance employees from each other and the use of masks, and they minimized COVID-related concerns.””Worse, when Lamborn and other senior members of his staff became infected with COVID-19 in the fall of 2020, Lamborn refused to implement or follow reasonable and responsible COVID-19 protocols, resulting in the widespread transmission of the virus throughout both the District and Washington, D.C. offices,” the suit says.Lamborn’s communication director Cassandra Sebastian denied the allegations to NBC Washington, saying that “The workplace safety allegations made by Mr. Pope are unsubstantiated and did not result in the termination of his employment.”The lawsuit describes Pope as a former Marine captain who served in Afghanistan and who first went to work for Lamborn as a Wounded
