Prairie State Wire

Illinois Republican candidate for governor Gary Rabine is calling out Illinois NPR reporter Hannah Meisel after she questioned the gubernatorial candidate’s statements on Covid vaccines.

“Illinois media is lying to the public about the Covid vaccine, protecting Pritzker,” Rabine, one of three GOP candidates currently in the race, wrote on Facebook. “Hannah Meisel is a reporter for government-funded National Public Radio in Springfield. She reported that Covid vaccines are fully-vetted and approved like other vaccines and not, in fact, experimental, which they unequivocally are.

“Covid vaccines are authorized for 'emergency use' and as such were not fully vetted by the FDA like other drugs and vaccines. Vaccines that receive emergency use authorization, but not formal FDA-approval are considered experimental.”

Meisel’s comments came after Rabine took to Twitter and Facebook on July 27 to put pressure on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to eliminate mandatory vaccinations in the state.  

“Following his statements on @MarkMaxwellTV 's @CapConnectIL  claiming people were dying from the COVID vaccine (and his spokesman walking back those statements), GOP gubernatorial candidate Gary Rabine calls the COVID vaccine ‘experimental,’” Meisel tweeted.

Large swaths of the state’s colleges and universities are currently mandating Covid vaccinations prior to the return of the fall session. Pritzker himself is assessing whether to make the vaccine mandatory for state workers.

Illinois currently requires 10 vaccines for incoming school children and college students, but not for COVID.

“Every individual must have the freedom to make their own decision for their health and safety,” Rabine wrote. “This is disgraceful, yet emblematic of a Springfield press corps that sees its job as only showing one side of the story and not holding accountability for their leaders.”