No one has accused Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) of being an intellectual giant, but the extent of her ignorance surprises those who pay close attention to her voice.
As a regular purveyor of QAnon conspiracy theories and anti-union propaganda, Rep. Green has built a reputation as one of the most misrepresentative lawmakers in Congress, but his latest stunt has sparked social media outrage. Observers have questioned whether his recent misrepresentation violated US privacy laws. Ignorance or a deliberate attempt to avoid questions about his own vaccination status.
The controversy began yesterday in an exchange with CBS News’ Aaron Navarro when Greene asked the Georgia lawmaker about his reaction to the news that the GOP Minority Whip, Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA), had finally After this result on Sunday, I got the vaccine for COVID. The shots were “safe and effective.”
“Two questions: Have you been vaccinated, and do you disagree with the Republican whip?” Navarro asked, demanding the congressman’s attention.
Greene avoided the question in a way that implied his understanding of the HIPAA statute was too limited, absent, or deliberately misidentified to avoid scrutiny.
“Well — your — your first question is a violation of my HIPAA rights,” Green responded to Navarro.
“You see, with HIPAA rights – uh – we don’t have to disclose our medical records, and that includes our vaccine records,” he continued.
Q. Have you been vaccinated?
GREENE: Your first question is a violation of my HIPAA rights. pic.twitter.com/JuHDovV2mC— Acyn (@Acyn) July 20, 2021
Journalist Aaron Keller in Law & Crime pointed out the website’s problems with Green’s use of the HIPAA Act for refusing to disclose his immunization status.
“First, he claims that the ‘question’ itself is a ‘violation’ of HIPAA. No,” Keller wrote.
HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, applies to what the Department of Health and Human Services designates as ‘protected entities’ – and to certain organizations and people who do business with those entities. As most journalists know, the press is not a covered entity under HIPAA,” he continued.
“Green’s comment — which again claims that the ‘question’ itself violates HIPAA — is completely false. Journalists are prohibited by HIPAA from asking about someone’s health or immunization status. is not prohibited, withheld, or restricted. It is up to the individual who is asked the question to decide whether to respond. HIPAA does not prohibit journalists from doing so. asking questions about. Indeed, if it does, the law is that the First Amendment will almost certainly face a stiff challenge.”
Keller also criticized Green’s claim that HIPAA allows him to refuse to disclose his private medical information.
“People are required to disclose medical information all the time. HIPAA does not…