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The Nation correspondent Jeet Heer raised eyebrows on Monday with his tweet "dunking" on the late Rep. Ron Wright, R-Texas, following his death from COVID-19.
Wright's office announced Monday that he had died over the weekend at the age of 67 two weeks after he and his wife Susan were hospitalized after testing positive for the virus.
The congressman, who had battled lung cancer for years, announced Jan. 21 that he was experiencing "minor" COVID-19 symptoms and had been admitted to Baylor Hospital in Dallas.
REPUBLICAN TEXAS REP. RON WRIGHT DEAD AT 67 AFTER BEING HOSPITALIZED WITH COVID-19
Following the announcement of Wright's death, Heer highlighted a tweet posted from the congressman's official account Friday that accused Democrats of "choosing teachers unions and special interests over the well-being of our students."
"The CDC says schools can safely re-open if proper precautions are taken. What are we waiting for?" Wright asked, highlighting headlines from The New York Times and The Washingotn Post about CDC's suggestions on school.
"Wright died of Covid yesterday. He was already hospitalized when he (or more likely his staff) tweeted this out," Heer noted.
Critics called out the journalist, pushing back at his suggestion that a cancer patient dying from COVID was hypocritical or tone-deaf by calling for schools to reopen.
"A 67-year-old who battled lung cancer for two years died of COVID-19 b/c it is especially dangerous for ppl that age w/ serious comorbidities, & his tweet pointing to science on coronavirus & kids + CDC guidance on opening schools is not wrong, hypocritical, nor ripe for dunking," Washington Examiner reporter Jerry Dunleavy reacted.
"He also had lung cancer. So...not exactly a good comparison to healthy teachers," radiologist and National Review contributor Pradheep Shaker chimed in.
"Lot of 4th graders walking around with lung cancer," conservative commentator Stephen Miller quipped.
Heer declined to comment.
Wright is survived by his wife Susan, his children Derek, Justin and Rachel, his brother Gary, and nine grandchildren, according to his office, which said he will be "remembered as a constitutional conservative."
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The Texas lawmaker is the first sitting member of Congress to die after testing positive for coronavirus. Rep.-elect Luke Letlow, R-La., died in late December after contracting coronavirus at the age of 41.
Fox News' Chad Pergrem and Evie Fordham contributed to this report.
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