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Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, blasted his state's response to the coronavirus and accused Republican politicians of participating in a "death cult" with "callous" decision-making from Gov. Greg Abbott.
"We have a governor who perhaps is looking at the 2022 Republican primary for the office that he now holds, trying to fend off our lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, who on Fox News said there are more important things than living," O'Rourke told MSNBC on Tuesday.
"In other words, let’s get on with the dying, knowing full well that it will be those front-line workers making $7.25 an hour – which is the minimum wage in Texas – it will be African Americans, it will be Latinos and Mexican-Americans who will be doing the dying right here in Texas. This is a death cult – the Texas GOP – only they want you to do the dying, and that's exactly what’s happening in Texas right now.”
TEXAS COUNTY RESIDENTS EXPOSED TO CORONAVIRUS COULD FACE CHARGES IF THEY DON'T QUARANTINE
O'Rourke took aim at Abbott for "inexplicably" refusing to enact a stay-at-home order for Texas or allow Hidalgo County's judge to issue one for that particular area.
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The former presidential candidate has a history of making headline-grabbing comments. For example, O'Rourke previously said during a Democratic debate: "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15."
His latest comments came as Texas faces rising coronavirus cases and criticism over the way it responded to the disease's spread. On Tuesday, the state saw an increase of 9,305 cases, bringing the total to 341,739. Fatalities reached 4,151 — a 131-increase from the day prior.
O'Rourke argued on Tuesday that he would rather Gov. Andrew Cuomo lead Texas than Abbott.
BETO O'ROURKE BLAMES GOP 'DEATH CULT' MENTALITY FOR RISE IN US VIOLENCE
"This is one of the most craven, callous failures of leadership that I've ever witnessed in my life. We don't have a Gov. Cuomo here which we desperately need — someone who's going to be guided by the facts and the science and the truth, and whose sole mission is going to be saving the lives of those that he is elected to serve," O'Rourke said.
As the coronavirus spread, debate has ensued as to which states responded appropriately. While Dr. Anthony Fauci has also praised New York, Cuomo has come under sustained fire for his decision to force nursing homes to accept patients who had tested positive for the coronavirus.
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On Tuesday, Abbott urged residents to follow coronavirus guidelines and pledged to continue providing needed resources to places like Hidalgo County.
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