A veteran conservative activist is calling for an emergency investigation into what he describes as the "legally actionable willful misconduct" by federal prison officials who have refused to provide doctor-prescribed medications to former Republican Rep. Steve Stockman, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 just days ago.
Richard Viguerie, who runs ConservativeHQ, is promoting a petition to President Trump to pardon the conservative former Texas congressman.
Stockman, who already suffers from a number of health conditions putting him in severe danger with a coronavirus diagnosis, was "being deprived medicine and hospital treatment to save his life," Viguerie said.
The former congressman has diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis and asthma. Every other inmate over 60 who has diabetes in his federal prison in Beaumont, Texas, already has been freed on home arrest.
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Stockman was taken to a hospital emergency room late Friday after his diagnosis, and a doctor prescribed hydroxychloroquine and other medicines.
"Steve was returned to prison, which has refused to fill his prescription for hydroxychloroquine. Also, since February the prison has denied him zinc, which has known benefits in the prevention or treatment of COVID-19," Viguerie said. "Surely, if this were the wife or close family member of Beaumont Warden F.J. Garrido, the prescription would be filled within hours to save their lives."
Viguerie said the prison's refusal to fill Stockman's prescription "seems like legally actionable willful misconduct."
"And, rogue Warden Garrido seems to know how to perform miracles. Early last week, the count of active COVID-19 infections at his Beaumont prison was 514, but by the time of the KFDM news broadcast linked above, the number had miraculously decreased to just 28."
He pleaded with concerned Americans to Garrido at (409) 727 8172 and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Michael Carvajal at (202) 307-3198 "and ask why Steve Stockman is being deprived of potentially life-saving medicine and medical treatment."
Stockman's wife, Patti, said in a statement her husband was given an IV with the antibiotic azithromycin in the ER and an inhaler of Albuterol sulfate.
She confirmed that the prison had provided an antibiotic prescription but "refused to fill hydroxychloroquine. Apparently, the prison doctor doesn't approve of the drug. Nor has the prison filled Steve's long-standing and administered prescription for Zinc – which boosts immunities."
"The last time they filled the prescription was in February, but not again during all the COVID outbreak nationwide. Of course, hydroxychloroquine works hand-in-glove with Zinc in treating COVID. The ER doctor had told Steve that he may read a lot of negative commentaries about the drug, but that they see many COVID patients day-in and day-out, 'and this medication works!' Yet the prison doctor who gives no medication to the suffering inmates knows better," Patti Stockman said.
The Bureau of Prisons did not respond to WND's emailed questions.
Across the nation, federal prison officials have released tens of thousands of inmates because of concerns they would be infected with COVID-19.
An inmate serving 84 years to life for murder recently was released in California. Terebea Williams was convicted of shooting 23-year-old Kevin 'John' Ruska Jr. and shoving him into the trunk of the car, leaving him to die.
Stockman was believed to be on a list for similar release, but his name suddenly was withdrawn at the direction of "high-level bureaucrats in the agency."
He Stockman was controversially convicted of charity fraud after it took four grand juries to return an indictment.
His defense counsel explained that he didn't finish the objectives for which he was raising funds, and the two donors at issue had no problem with that.
Viguerie, L. Brent Bozell III, Jenny Beth Martin and dozens of other prominent conservatives have filed a request with the courts to express their concerns about the precedent set by the case.
Some of Stockman's allies believe he was targeted by the Obama administration for his efforts to clean up Washington. He wanted, for example, to hold IRS executive Lois Lerner accountable for targeting Christian organizations.
Stockman, 63, has served more than two years of a 10-year sentence.
John Griffing, previously published by WND, noted that Stockman's request for home confinement was "inexplicably denied."
"It smells like politics to many of Stockman's supporters – but the reason is irrelevant, since the reversal stands in open defiance of U.S. Attorney General William Barr's memorandum directing federal prisons to 'move with dispatch in using home confinement,' and to move 'vulnerable inmates out of these institutions.'"
He wrote that Stockman's guilt is anything but clear.