Purported text convo shows Rep. Katie Porter berating, firing staffer for unknowingly giving her COVID

Over the summer, California Democratic Rep. Katie Porter announced that she had tested positive for COVID:

Today, I tested positive for COVID-19. I was exposed at work here in CA. I’ll vote proxy this week rather than travel to D.C. I have the usual symptoms, especially a sore throat, so I’m communicating via text—and whiteboard. pic.twitter.com/ljgQFXdLo9

— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) July 11, 2022

I'm sick at home with COVID, but I have a message for my colleagues: Americans should be free to decide for themselves if and when to have children. Politicians shouldn't get to force them. pic.twitter.com/36HX9F0nyO

— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) July 13, 2022

Apparently she contracted COVID after being exposed to the virus by one of her staffers.

And if these purported text messages between Porter and her staffer are anything to go by, Porter is not the sort of person to take something like this in stride:

VIBE CHECK: Rep. Katie Porter fires staffer after both test positive for COVID. Full texts from the Congresswoman firing the staffer via text. Shared with permission from staffer. pic.twitter.com/jbhn2NzrmB

— Dear White Staffers (@DWS________) December 29, 2022

Um, pardon our French, but what in the ever-loving f**k?

"Sorry your friend was murdered but now I have the sniffles."

— nortouQ (@nortouQ) December 29, 2022

Katie Porter’s often held up by liberals as a thoughtful, compassionate, and badass woman of the people. Based on this text convo, that would appear to be a gross mischaracterization of Katie Porter.

Blaming individuals for spreading a highly contagious respiratory virus that will spread anyway was always an error of judgement https://t.co/khKgfW7dv9

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) December 29, 2022

Yikes. Definitely seems @RepKatiePorter used the testing procedure as a pretext to fire the staffer because she was mad she got Covid, and then herself exercised questionable judgment by attending an in-person meeting knowing she had been exposed to Covid. https://t.co/QY1XWXRXzw

— AG (@AGHamilton29) December 29, 2022

How magnificently on-brand for Porter.

Katie Porter actually had COVID first and gave it to the staffer? Now there’s an interesting theory … it’s definitely plausible, given the fact that Katie Porter is a bad person who would blame an underling for her screwup.

Then why did you fire your staffer, a survivor of sexual assault and veteran, because she caught COVID? https://t.co/AHhUbKvirW

— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) December 29, 2022

It’s important to reiterate that this text conversation has not been independently verified. But Rep. Porter could nip these horrendous optics in the bud right now by categorically denying their authenticity or, even better, releasing the full conversation between her and Sasha if it exists.

We’re more than willing to come back and add an update to this post if it turns out the conversation didn’t go down like this. But knowing what we actually know about Katie Porter, well, let’s just say we wouldn’t put anything past her.

Firing someone for getting COVID is psychotic and unhinged behavior.

If Katie Porter is that scared, she should never leave her house.

REMINDER: Most politicians are incredibly fragile, insecure and sad people.

Pathetic. https://t.co/2DpH69owTG

— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) December 29, 2022