Over the past couple weeks, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, Jr. has really gotten himself in the news regarding the COVID-19 crisis. For instance, see:
- “Trump Uber-fan” Liberty U. President Jerry Falwell, Jr.’s Wildly Reckless Behavior Unsurprisingly Has VERY BAD Consequences
- Video: Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Says “Most of the Press Reports Have Been False, Liberty Did *Not* Reopen”
- Gov. Northam Quotes 1 Corinthians; Liberty U. Responds With Exodus 20:16
- Lynchburg Mayor Treney Tweedy: “I was very surprised and disappointed to later learn of President Falwell’s most recent decision to allow students back on campus”
- “Dear Liberty University board: Please stop Jerry Falwell Jr. before it’s too late”
- Video: Liberty U President Jerry Falwell Goes on “Fox & Friends” (Natch), Claims Coronavirus “Their Next Attempt to Get Trump”
- Liberty University: Virginia’s Coronavirus Petri Dish?
Well, now Falwell’s at it again, with a segment earlier this afternoon on right-wing talk radio (see below) – with Falwell, Jr. starting at around 3:15. Among other, er, “interesting” things, Falwell says:
- “We had a reporter on March 29, New York Times, they rushed out a story, poorly investigated, materially false...the headline was mysteriously erased soon after but we have a screen shot of it…She gave us on a Sunday afternoon about an hour to respond to a bunch of false and misleading stories that…Liberty had not honored its promise to remain closed…we DID close after spring break…This NY Times reporter reported that a local doctor, who had no official role at Liberty, told her there were 12 students on campus at Liberty, brought COVID symptoms back from spring break – completely false. The doctor immediately issued a correction…Nobody on campus has it, nobody has symptoms.”
- “This reporter and her photographer, and a reporter from Pro-Publica…it’s a George Soros publication, they also came on campus. And we had signs on every entrance, no trespassing…some of these publications actually put the pictures of the no trespassing signs on their websites as they were trespassing. So we actually went to the local magistrate, we’ve sworn out warrants for their arrests…misdemeanor warrants…[They] put our students at risk.”
- “We feel like we’re not only going to file defamation suits, but we also have sworn warrants out for their arrest for trespassing.”
- “Even today, they still haven’t corrected their story…They still today doubled down with another article and lied some more. It’s going to be an ugly legal fight, I’m sorry to say…[but] they forced us into a corner…They go after the one school…that’s not liberal, that’s conservative and Christian. They use this virus as an excuse to politicize and to attack Christians and to attack conservatives, and that’s the really sad part.”
- “They’re going to be hit with defamation suits…It’s time for them to learn a lesson…I just don’t feel like I have any choice.”
Yep, apparently Falwell’s not kidding. As Ben “Not Larry Sabato” Tribbett tweeted (note: he was the first one to tweet about this, as far as I’m aware, so “hat tip” to Ben!), “Every time it appears Jerry Falwell Jr might not win a round in #vAhole he comes out with a new stunt to keep his winning steak alive. This comes just hours before voting opens on the championship round match between Jerry and @AmandaChaseVA.”