A public health official in Missouri has come under fire for calling opponents of COVID mandates a 'lunatic fringe' and 'irrelevant fools' in a Tuesday email.
Dr. Faisal Khan, the acting health director in St. Louis County, has butted heads with officials and constituents resistant to COVID precautions since he was appointed to the position in February, most notably garnering national attention for flipping the middle finger to anti-mask protesters last summer.
In the Tuesday email, sent to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch by incensed Republican officials, Khan wishes his employees a happy Thanksgiving and thanks them for their efforts amid the COVID-19 pandemic:
'I know that the vast majority of the people in St. Louis County are very thankful to each and every one of you for everything you have done to protect them throughout this once-in-a-century public health emergency,' Khan wrote.
He added: 'Please ignore the lunatic fringe that exists in every society. They were there one hundred years ago and will likely be around 100 years in the future. They are irrelevant fools.'
In the Tuesday email, sent to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch by incensed Republican officials, Khan wishes his employees a happy Thanksgiving, thanks them for their efforts amid the COVID-19 pandemic and calls those against mandates 'irrelevant'
The email came as opponents decried a county requirement that residents wear masks in public and on public transportation, which the Post-Dispatch wrote have been contentious in the state and have been legally challenged by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt.
Councilman Tim Fitch, who has voted against mask requirements in the county, forwarded the offending email to media outlets on Wednesday along with the reply he sent to its recipients:
'I’m stunned that you had to read this from your department leader,' Fitch wrote. 'This is not what I or you should expect from a county government official.'
Neither Fitch nor Khan could be reached by DailyMail.com for comment regarding the controversial email.
Dr. Bob Onder, a Republican state senator who is also a physician, slammed Khan via Twitter over the email:
'This is what unlicensed Faisal Khan thinks about the people who pay his salary,' he wrote on Wednesday.
Dr. Bob Onder, a Republican state senator who is also a physician, slammed Khan via Twitter over the email
'Can I have a badge made that says "irrelevant fool?"' wrote @AndStic
'Those of us who have not locked ourselves indoors for over a year, not lost our ability to interact with other humans and are not suffering mental health crises are the "Lunatic Fringe" Khan can have his definition of good... I choose normal life and happy!' wrote @Powerman2005
Four months ago, Khan (pictured) was criticized for brandishing his middle finger at protestors who attended his announcement of a public health order that mandated mask usage in the council's Clayton chambers
'Can I have a badge made that says "irrelevant fool?"' wrote @AndStic.
'Those of us who have not locked ourselves indoors for over a year, not lost our ability to interact with other humans and are not suffering mental health crises are the "Lunatic Fringe" Khan can have his definition of good... I choose normal life and happy!' wrote @Powerman2005.
St. Louis County Council Chair Rita Days told the Post-Dispatch that the email was 'irresponsible':
'Clearly you’re disregarding and disrespecting the citizens of St. Louis County, again,' she said. 'You’ve gone through this before and you didn’t learn from the last time.'
Four months ago, Khan was criticized for brandishing his middle finger at protestors who attended his announcement of a public health order that mandated mask usage in the council's Clayton chambers.
Later, he accused the counter-protesters of heckling him, making racist comments and 'shoulder-bumping' him after he left, a claim which the Post-Dispatch wrote was not supported by the testimony of police officers at the meeting.
Khan, who is from Pakistan, also criticized Fitch for 'stoking' the crowd by asking him whether his credentials to practice medicine were legitimate.
After the incident, Fitch and other members of county government have called for Khan's removal from his appointed position.
COVID-19 has killed more than 15,000 individuals in the state of Missouri and more than 2,500 individuals in St. Louis County.
In the state, which The Atlantic characterized as 'the next front in the COVID culture war,' just 50.8 percent of residents have been vaccinated against the virus, well below the national average state vaccination rate of 59.1 percent.
In the state, which The Atlantic characterized as 'the next front in the COVID culture war,' just 50.8 percent of residents have been vaccinated against the virus, well below the national average state vaccination rate of 59.1 percent
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