¶ Lack Of Medical Experience Typical Of U.S. Surgeon General
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Nesheiwat lacked the career experience in medicine, public health, and policymaking typical of a qualified appointee for Surgeon General of the United States. Trump nominated Nesheiwat, according to the New York Times, after watching her regular appearances on Fox News programs as a medical correspondent. Nesheiwat also had close family ties to high-level staffers already in Trump’s orbit: her older sister Julia was Trump’s homeland security advisor during his first term, and her brother-in-law was Michael Waltz, a Florida congressman and Trump’s nominee for national security advisor in his second term. Nesheiwat’s medical career prior to her nomination was largely limited to her tenure at the for-profit urgent care franchise CityMD. For-profit urgent care clinics like CityMD have been implicated in past studies for treating complex patients without access to medical records kept by primary care physicians. Prior to her career at CityMD, Nesheiwat worked for a brief time at a rural hospital in Arkansas, where she also appeared on a local TV program “Family Health Today.” |
¶ Nesheiwat Lacked Experience In Public Health, Policy, Research Institutions, Hospitals, And Medical Schools Typical Of Surgeons General
¶ Nesheiwat Spent Much Of Her Career At CityMD, The For-Profit Chain Of Urgent Care Clinics In New York City
Nesheiwat Spent Much Of Her Career At CityMD, The For-Profit Chain Of Urgent Care Clinics In New York City. According to the New York Times, “When President-elect Donald J. Trump announced he would nominate Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be ‘the nation’s doctor,’ as the office is sometimes called, he was making an unorthodox pick. Traditionally, the surgeon general has been selected from an impressive pool of public health officials, policy experts, renowned physicians or accomplished plague fighters. Dr. Nesheiwat spent her career far removed from major research institutions, hospitals or medical schools. Instead, she was a working urgent-care doctor who has spent much of her professional life at CityMD, a for-profit chain of clinics that have sprung up across New York City over the last 15 years. And near the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Nesheiwat began regularly appearing on Fox News as a medical contributor.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ Doctors And Healthcare Experts Raised Concerns About Urgent Care Clinics Like CityMD, Emphasizing They Could Undermine Primary Care Doctors And The Importance Of Ongoing Wellness And Prevention
Doctors And Healthcare Experts Raised Concerns About Urgent Care Clinics Like CityMD, Emphasizing They Could Undermine Primary Care Doctors And The Importance Of Ongoing Wellness And Prevention. According to the New York Times, “CityMD had been founded by a small group of doctors just two years earlier. But over the next decade it would have a dramatic impact on how medical care is delivered in New York City. Its brightly lit storefront clinics were open late, 365 days a year, and walk-ins were encouraged. Many New Yorkers found the clinics welcoming and convenient when they needed to get coughs checked out, antibiotics prescribed and cuts and sprains treated. Some doctors and health-care experts have raised concerns about urgent care clinics, noting that they could undermine the role of primary care doctors and efforts to focus on wellness and prevention.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
In A 2015 Research Study, Many Medical Professionals Told Researchers They Viewed Urgent Care Clinics As A Threat To The Continuity Of Care, Claiming That Many Urgent Care Facilities Treated Complex Patients Without Access To Their Medical Histories Kept By Their Primary Care Physicians. According to a report compiled by the New York United Hospital Fund, “Continuity of care has been described as a ‘Triple Aim home run,’ helping bring about better health, improved health care quality, and lower costs (Gupta and Bodenheimer 2013). Many patients place high value on continuity of care, particularly those who are older or have multiple chronic conditions—i.e., those most vulnerable to serious illness, whose care incurs the highest costs. For these people especially, it is a continuing relationship with a caring professional that provides the needed context for shared decision-making and responsibility for maintaining and improving health. Convenient care, with its episodic nature, poses the risk of fragmenting and disrupting such relationships. […] Third, even if convenient care providers have the commitment and capacity to coordinate with the rest of the health system, the primary care doctors and specialists to whom they are reaching out must be responsive. Several interviewees were uncertain whether the physicians receiving convenient care information ever looked at that patient data, or whether the data would be incorporated into the patient’s electronic medical record. One urgent care provider described calling the primary care doctor of a patient whose injury required transfer to a hospital, and the primary care doctor refusing to see the patient because she had opted to visit urgent care instead. Finally, several physicians and payers we interviewed expressed misgivings about clinical assessments done in convenient care without the benefit of the patient’s full medical history—particularly because patients often make recall mistakes.” [United Hospital Fund, “Convenient Care, Retail Clinics and Urgent Care Centers in New York, 2/2015]
¶ Prior To Her Career At CityMD, Nesheiwat Completed Her Residency In Arkansas, Where She Then Worked At A Rural Hospital And Appeared On A Local TV Program Called “Family Health Today”
Prior To Her Career At CityMD, Nesheiwat Completed Her Residency In Arkansas, Where She Then Worked At A Rural Hospital And Appeared On A Local TV Program Called “Family Health Today.” According to the New York Times, “Dr. Nesheiwat, 48, attended the University of South Florida and went to medical school at the American University of the Caribbean on the island of St. Maarten. She did her residency in family medicine in Arkansas, working for a time at a tiny rural hospital in Eureka Springs, a town of Victorian houses nestled in a steep valley in the Ozarks. She treated motorcyclists with traumatic injuries, sometimes stabilizing them before a helicopter flew them to a larger hospital. In Arkansas, she became a local TV personality as the host of a show called ‘Family Health Today.’ She would appear on air still dressed in her scrubs, she recounts in her book. She also began going on medical missions, traveling to Haiti following the 2010 earthquake and then to Joplin, Mo., after the devastating 2011 tornado. By 2012, she had moved to New York and taken a job at a CityMD urgent care clinic in Times Square. ‘It was nonstop trauma and drama,’ she writes.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ In A Profile Published After Her Selection, The New York Times Noted That Nesheiwat Did Not Have The Experience In Medicine, Public Health, Research Institutions, Policy, Hospitals, Or Medical Schools That Previous Surgeons General Have Had
In A Profile Published After Her Selection, The New York Times Noted That Nesheiwat Did Not Have The Experience In Medicine, Public Health, Research Institutions, Policy, Hospitals, Or Medical Schools That Previous Surgeons General Have Had. According to the New York Times, “When President-elect Donald J. Trump announced he would nominate Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be ‘the nation’s doctor,’ as the office is sometimes called, he was making an unorthodox pick. Traditionally, the surgeon general has been selected from an impressive pool of public health officials, policy experts, renowned physicians or accomplished plague fighters. Dr. Nesheiwat spent her career far removed from major research institutions, hospitals or medical schools. Instead, she was a working urgent-care doctor who has spent much of her professional life at CityMD, a for-profit chain of clinics that have sprung up across New York City over the last 15 years. And near the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Nesheiwat began regularly appearing on Fox News as a medical contributor.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ Nesheiwat had Familial Ties To High-Level Trump Staff, And Trump Reportedly Selected Nesheiwat After Watching Her Medical Segments On Fox News
¶ Janette Nesheiwat’s Sister Julia Was Trump’s Homeland Security Advisor During His First Term, And Was Married To Michael Waltz, Trump’s Nominee For National Security Advisor In His Second Term
Janette Nesheiwat’s Sister Julia Served As Trump’s Homeland Security Advisor During His First Term. According to the New York Times, “Julia Nesheiwat went on to serve as homeland security adviser to Mr. Trump during his first term as president. Before that, she had been an Army intelligence officer and later served as a deputy special presidential envoy who worked on securing the release of hostages held worldwide. She is married to Michael Waltz, a Florida congressman whom Mr. Trump recently picked to be his national security adviser.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
Janette Nesheiwat’s Sister Julia Was Married To Michael Waltz, A Florida Congressman Who Was Selected As Trump’s National Security Advisor. According to the New York Times, “Julia Nesheiwat went on to serve as homeland security adviser to Mr. Trump during his first term as president. Before that, she had been an Army intelligence officer and later served as a deputy special presidential envoy who worked on securing the release of hostages held worldwide. She is married to Michael Waltz, a Florida congressman whom Mr. Trump recently picked to be his national security adviser.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ In 2023, Donald Trump Recorded A “Happy Birthday” Message For Janette Nesheiwat With Her Older Sister Julia Sitting By His Side
2023: Trump Recorded A “Happy Birthday” Message For Janette Nesheiwat While Seated Next To Julia Nesheiwat. According to the New York Times, “Until the pandemic, she was one more doctor in a city full of them. But she built a public profile through her appearances on Fox News, starting in 2020, where she has weighed in, for example, on studies about cancer and Brett Favre’s Parkinson’s diagnosis. ‘Almost every day, I have a patient who recognizes me from Fox,’ she said earlier this year. […] At some point, she made it onto Mr. Trump’s radar. ‘Dr. Janette, I’m a big fan of yours,’ Mr. Trump said in a video message to Dr. Nesheiwat around the time of her birthday last year. ‘You do a fantastic job letting us know what’s happening with health.’ In the video, Mr. Trump is seated next to Dr. Nesheiwat’s older sister, Julia, his former homeland security adviser.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
August 2023: Nesheiwat Posted A Video Of A Happy Birthday Message From Donald Trump, Recorded With Her Sister Julia Nesheiwat Sitting By His Side. According to Nesheiwat’s Twitter, “What an awe-inspiring birthday! My deepest gratitude for the overflowing love, and heartfelt messages. My heart is full! ❤️ A salute to President Donald Trump for gracing me with a birthday message Thank you @realDonaldTrump”
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 8/25/23]
¶ Trump Reportedly Became Aware Of Nesheiwat Through Her Appearances As A Medical Correspondent On Tucker Carlson’s Fox News Show And Other Shows On The Network
Nesheiwat Built A Public Profile During The COVID-19 Pandemic Though Appearances On Fox News As A Correspondent On Tucker Carlson’s Show, Among Others On The Network. According to the New York Times, “Until the pandemic, she was one more doctor in a city full of them. But she built a public profile through her appearances on Fox News, starting in 2020, where she has weighed in, for example, on studies about cancer and Brett Favre’s Parkinson’s diagnosis. ‘Almost every day, I have a patient who recognizes me from Fox,’ she said earlier this year. […] At some point, she made it onto Mr. Trump’s radar. ‘Dr. Janette, I’m a big fan of yours,’ Mr. Trump said in a video message to Dr. Nesheiwat around the time of her birthday last year. ‘You do a fantastic job letting us know what’s happening with health.’ In the video, Mr. Trump is seated next to Dr. Nesheiwat’s older sister, Julia, his former homeland security adviser.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
Trump Reportedly Became Acquainted With Nesheiwat Through Her Fox News Appearances And Wished Her A Happy Birthday In A Video Message In 2023. According to the New York Times, “Until the pandemic, she was one more doctor in a city full of them. But she built a public profile through her appearances on Fox News, starting in 2020, where she has weighed in, for example, on studies about cancer and Brett Favre’s Parkinson’s diagnosis. ‘Almost every day, I have a patient who recognizes me from Fox,’ she said earlier this year. […] At some point, she made it onto Mr. Trump’s radar. ‘Dr. Janette, I’m a big fan of yours,’ Mr. Trump said in a video message to Dr. Nesheiwat around the time of her birthday last year. ‘You do a fantastic job letting us know what’s happening with health.’ In the video, Mr. Trump is seated next to Dr. Nesheiwat’s older sister, Julia, his former homeland security adviser.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ Shooting Death Of Father And Opposition To Gun Safety
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In February 1990, 13-year-old Nesheiwat was involved in the shooting death of her father, Zaid “Ben” Nesheiwat. Police described the shooting as accidental, according to local news accounts. Janette Nesheiwat told police she reached into a fishing tackle box in her father’s room to find a pair of scissors. The box toppled off the shelf it was on, causing a loaded gun to fall from the box and discharge. The bullet struck her father in the head. Janette Nesheiwat said she obtained ice and towels to cover her father’s wound, then called 911. Her nine-year-old sister Jaclyn said she entered the room at some point and moved the gun onto her father’s nightstand. Police arrived to find Zaid “Ben” Nesheiwat lying on his back on his bed with his arms crossed and pillows and towels surrounding his head. He died the following day at an Orlando hospital. Local police said they believed his death to be a “freak accident.” Later, as she gained a following as a TV personality, Janette Nesheiwat referenced her father’s death on a few occasions without describing how her father died or that he was shot. In November 2024, Trump announced he would nominate Nesheiwat as Surgeon General. In a profile following the announcement, The New York Times detailed her father’s shooting death and its impact on Nesheiwat’s career. In the piece, the Times speculated as to whether Nesheiwat’s personal experience with an accidental gun death would affect her approach to gun violence as a public health crisis. On several occasions throughout the Biden presidency, Nesheiwat criticized Biden’s calls for gun safety legislation following mass shootings and instead argued that factors like mental health, child sexual trauma, and a lack of self-esteem were more responsible for gun violence than access to guns. |
¶ Nesheiwat Opposed Gun Safety Efforts And Claimed Shootings Were Caused By Mental Health Issues And Not Guns
¶ In 2022, Nesheiwat Attacked President Biden For Calling For Gun Safety Legislation In Remarks Following An Elementary School Shooting In Uvalde, Texas, That Killed 19 Children And Two Teachers
May 24, 2022: A Gunman Shot And Killed 19 Children And 2 Teachers And Injured 17 Others In A Mass Shooting At Robb Elementary School In Uvalde, Texas. According to the New York Times, “On May 24, 2022, a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, shook the nation. With just two days left in the school year, a former student armed with an AR-15 style assault rifle took the lives of 19 students and two teachers, physically injured at least 17 others, and left countless families, friends, and a community grief-stricken for their unimaginable loss. In the aftermath of the tragedy, there was significant public criticism of the law enforcement response to the shooting.” [New York Times, 1/18/24]
May 24, 2022: In An Address Following The Mass Shooting In Uvalde, President Biden Urged Action On Gun Safety And Emphasized The Shooting Was Committed By An 18-Year-Old With Legally Purchased Assault Rifles. According to a transcript of Biden’s remarks published by the White House, “THE PRESIDENT: Good evening, fellow Americans. I had hoped, when I became President, I would not have to do this again. Another massacre. Uvalde, Texas. An elementary school. Beautiful, innocent second, third, fourth graders. And how many scores of little children who witnessed what happened see their friends die as if they’re on a battlefield, for God’s sake. […] As a nation, we have to ask: When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name will we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done. […] And don’t tell me we can’t have an impact on this carnage. I spent my career as a senator and as Vice President working to pass commonsense gun laws. We can’t and won’t prevent every tragedy. But we know they work and have a positive impact. When we passed the assault weapons ban, mass shootings went down. When the law expired, mass shootings tripled. The idea that an 18-year-old kid can walk into a gun store and buy two assault weapons is just wrong. What in God’s name do you need an assault weapon for except to kill someone?” [The White House, “Remarks by President Bidn on the School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas,” 5/24/22]
May 24, 2022: Janette Nesheiwat Attacked President Biden For Addressing Gun Safety In A Speech, Writing “Worst Presidential Speech. Address The Mental Illness And The Precious Children Lost! Not Guns!” According to Janette Nesheiwat’s Twitter, “Worst Presidential Speech. Address the mental illness and the precious children lost! Not guns!”
[Twitter, @DrJanette, 5/24/22]
¶ In July 2022, Nesheiwat Suggested That A Suspect In A Mass Shooting In Highland Park, Illinois Had A History Of Mental Illness And That Shootings Were Caused Not By Guns But By Trauma, Insecurity
July 2022: Janette Nesheiwat Suggested That A Suspect In A Mass Shooting In Highland Park, Illinois Had A History Of Mental Illness. In a video posted to her Twitter, Janette Nesheiwat said, “Hey guys, back in the studio tonight. We’re gonna talk about the Highland Park mass shooting. Was this preventable, and why did it happen? Especially knowing that this shooter had a history of possible mental illness and run-ins with the police.”
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 7/5/22]
2022: In A Fox News Appearance, Nesheiwat Suggested The Root Cause Of Mass Shootings Was Not Guns But Neglect, Sexual/Physical Abuse, Trauma, And Insecurity. According to Nesheiwat’s Twitter, “Gun violence. Get to the core root of the problem of these mass shooters. It stems from neglect, sexual physical abuse, repeated exposure to trauma, insecurity, low self-esteem, feeling of inadequacy result in rage, resentment, psychosis. No coping skills lead to fatal outcomes.”
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 7/11/22]
¶ March 1, 2022: Nesheiwat Attacked President Biden On Twitter For Suggesting Gun Manufacturers Should Be Sued, And Again Emphasized Mental Health Support As A Solution For Gun Violence
March 1, 2022: Nesheiwat Attacked President Biden On Twitter For Apparently Suggesting Gun Manufacturers Should Be Sued. According to Nesheiwat’s Twitter, “@POTUS Suing gun manufacturers is not the answer. Having strong DA’s Keeping criminals off the streets & mental health support is a better plan. Btw tobacco companies were sued.”
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 3/1/22]
¶ Nesheiwat Reportedly Knocked Over A Fishing Tackle Box, Causing A Gun To Fall Out And Discharge, Killing Her Father
February 1990: Nesheiwat Reportedly Knocked Over A Fishing Tackle Box Causing A Gun To Fall Out And Fire, Striking Her Father, Zaid “Ben” Nesheiwat In The Head And Killing Him. According to The New York Times, “Needing a pair of scissors, a 13-year-old girl went into the bedroom where her father was sleeping and reached for a fishing tackle box on a shelf above the bed. But in the darkened room, she accidentally knocked it over. ‘Something fell out of it and there was a loud noise,’ she recounted to the police. ‘I saw blood on my father’s ear.’ On the floor was a .380 caliber handgun that had fallen with the tackle box and discharged. The girl’s father had been shot through the head. The local newspaper said the police believed it was a ‘freak accident.’ That terrible family trauma, which unfolded in the small Florida town of Umatilla in February 1990, set the girl on a new trajectory. It was because of this event, she has said, that she grew up to become a doctor. Saving lives, she thought, would help her cope with the pain and sense of helplessness she felt from her father’s death. […] As she has emerged as a public figure, Dr. Nesheiwat has periodically referenced her father’s death — and the strength her mother displayed raising her and four siblings. To her 80,000 followers on X, she reflected on how her mother would take them to the ocean to cheer them up after ‘dad passed away in an accident.’” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ Nesheiwat And Her Sister Described The Sequence Of Events That Led To Her Father’s Death To Police
1990: Janette Nesheiwat, 13, Told Police She Opened A Tackle Box In Her Father’s Room To Look For A Pair Of Scissors, But She Accidentally Tipped The Box Over, And A Gun Fell Out And Shot Into Her Father Zaid “Ben” Nesheiwat’s Head. According to The New York Times, “The Orlando Sentinel, published not far from the small city where the Nesheiwat family lived, provided further details. A small news item published on Feb. 25, 1990, describes how a 13-year-old girl upended a tackle box, causing a gun to fall out and discharge. A single bullet hit the girl’s father, Ben Nesheiwat, in the head; he was declared dead the following day in an Orlando hospital. A police report obtained by The New York Times contains the account that 13-year-old Janette gave an officer who responded to a 911 call. ‘I was in Father’s bedroom at about 7:15 a.m. getting some scissors,’ she said, according to the incident report. ‘I opened the fishing tackle box and the whole thing tipped over.’ Before calling 911, she added, she went to the bathroom to get a towel and then ice, which she put on her father’s head. When the police arrived, they found the dying man, Ziad ‘Ben’ Nesheiwat, lying on top of the sheets, his head surrounded by pillows, and his arms crossed over his chest, right over left. One police officer who responded to the scene described the case in his report as an ‘accidental shooting.’” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ Nesheiwat’s Sister Jaclyn Nesheiwat, Then 9, Told Police She Found The Gun On The Bedroom Floor After The Shooting, Picked It Up, And Placed It On The Nightstand, Where Officers Found It
Nesheiwat’s Sister Jaclyn Nesheiwat, Then 9, Told Police She Found The Gun On The Bedroom Floor After The Shooting, And That She Picked It Up And Placed It On The Nightstand, Where Officers Found It. According to The New York Times, “The police reports indicate that the officers on the scene interviewed Janette, who was crying outside on the porch when they arrived, and two of her siblings. One of her sisters, Jaclyn, then 9, also gave the police a written statement, explaining that when she walked into her father’s room, after the gunshot, she found a gun on the floor. She placed it on the night stand, where police officers found it. ‘We tried to wake him up but he couldn’t,’ Jaclyn wrote. One of the officers who responded that February day, Dale Swanton, long since retired and now 91, instantly remembered the case when reached by phone this week, despite nearly 35 years having passed. ‘The gun fell down and shot him — that’s what they said,’ he recalled. His wife, Christy Swanton, happened to be the dispatcher who took the 911 call that morning, which was placed by Janette and her brother, Daniel. Ms. Swanton recalled that her husband and others had been trying to make sense of the mechanics of the shooting.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ Nesheiwat Told Police She Put A Towel And Ice Over Her Father’s Head And Called 911, And A Police Report Said Ben Nesheiwat Was Found Dying On His Bed With His Arms Crossed And His Head Surrounded By Towels And Pillows
Janette Nesheiwat Told Police She Put A Towel And Ice Over Her Father’s Head After He Was Shot, Then Called 911. According to The New York Times, “The Orlando Sentinel, published not far from the small city where the Nesheiwat family lived, provided further details. A small news item published on Feb. 25, 1990, describes how a 13-year-old girl upended a tackle box, causing a gun to fall out and discharge. A single bullet hit the girl’s father, Ben Nesheiwat, in the head; he was declared dead the following day in an Orlando hospital. A police report obtained by The New York Times contains the account that 13-year-old Janette gave an officer who responded to a 911 call. ‘I was in Father’s bedroom at about 7:15 a.m. getting some scissors,’ she said, according to the incident report. ‘I opened the fishing tackle box and the whole thing tipped over.’ Before calling 911, she added, she went to the bathroom to get a towel and then ice, which she put on her father’s head. When the police arrived, they found the dying man, Ziad ‘Ben’ Nesheiwat, lying on top of the sheets, his head surrounded by pillows, and his arms crossed over his chest, right over left. One police officer who responded to the scene described the case in his report as an ‘accidental shooting.’” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
A Police Report Said That Zaid “Ben” Nesheiwat Was Found Dying In His Bed From A Gunshot Wound To The Head, Arms Crossed Over His Chest, And His Head Surrounded By Pillows. According to The New York Times, “The Orlando Sentinel, published not far from the small city where the Nesheiwat family lived, provided further details. A small news item published on Feb. 25, 1990, describes how a 13-year-old girl upended a tackle box, causing a gun to fall out and discharge. A single bullet hit the girl’s father, Ben Nesheiwat, in the head; he was declared dead the following day in an Orlando hospital. A police report obtained by The New York Times contains the account that 13-year-old Janette gave an officer who responded to a 911 call. ‘I was in Father’s bedroom at about 7:15 a.m. getting some scissors,’ she said, according to the incident report. ‘I opened the fishing tackle box and the whole thing tipped over.’ Before calling 911, she added, she went to the bathroom to get a towel and then ice, which she put on her father’s head. When the police arrived, they found the dying man, Ziad ‘Ben’ Nesheiwat, lying on top of the sheets, his head surrounded by pillows, and his arms crossed over his chest, right over left. One police officer who responded to the scene described the case in his report as an ‘accidental shooting.’” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ Ben Nesheiwat Was Declared Dead The Day After The Shooting At An Orlando Hospital
Zaid “Ben” Nesheiwat Was Declared Dead The Day After The Shooting At An Orlando Hospital. According to The New York Times, “The Orlando Sentinel, published not far from the small city where the Nesheiwat family lived, provided further details. A small news item published on Feb. 25, 1990, describes how a 13-year-old girl upended a tackle box, causing a gun to fall out and discharge. A single bullet hit the girl’s father, Ben Nesheiwat, in the head; he was declared dead the following day in an Orlando hospital. A police report obtained by The New York Times contains the account that 13-year-old Janette gave an officer who responded to a 911 call. ‘I was in Father’s bedroom at about 7:15 a.m. getting some scissors,’ she said, according to the incident report. ‘I opened the fishing tackle box and the whole thing tipped over.’ Before calling 911, she added, she went to the bathroom to get a towel and then ice, which she put on her father’s head. When the police arrived, they found the dying man, Ziad ‘Ben’ Nesheiwat, lying on top of the sheets, his head surrounded by pillows, and his arms crossed over his chest, right over left. One police officer who responded to the scene described the case in his report as an ‘accidental shooting.’” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ Police Described The Shooting Involving Nesheiwat And Her Father As Accidental
1990: The Orlando Sentinel Reported That Police Thought The Shooting Of Ben Nesheiwat Was A “Freak Accident.” According to the Orlando Sentinel, “WOUNDED MAN DIES. A 44-year-old chemist died Saturday, a day after a shooting that police suspect was a freak accident. Police said Ben Nesheiwat, who worked for Lake County, was asleep in his house about 7 a.m. Friday when his 13-year-old daughter walked into his room to fetch a pair of scissors from a tackle box on a shelf above the bed. Also in the tackle box was a .380-caliber handgun, police Chief Steve Foster said. The box fell when the girl tried to grab the scissors, Foster said. The gun fell out, hitting a nightstand next to the bed. A single shot hit Nesheiwat in the head. He died early Saturday at an Orlando hospital.” [Orlando Sentinel, 2/25/90]
1990: One Police Officer Who Responded To Janette Nesheiwat’s 911 Call After Her Father Was Shot Dead Described The Case As An “Accidental Shooting” In His Police Report. According to the New York Times, “The Orlando Sentinel, published not far from the small city where the Nesheiwat family lived, provided further details. A small news item published on Feb. 25, 1990, describes how a 13-year-old girl upended a tackle box, causing a gun to fall out and discharge. A single bullet hit the girl’s father, Ben Nesheiwat, in the head; he was declared dead the following day in an Orlando hospital. A police report obtained by The New York Times contains the account that 13-year-old Janette gave an officer who responded to a 911 call. ‘I was in Father’s bedroom at about 7:15 a.m. getting some scissors,’ she said, according to the incident report. ‘I opened the fishing tackle box and the whole thing tipped over.’ Before calling 911, she added, she went to the bathroom to get a towel and then ice, which she put on her father’s head. When the police arrived, they found the dying man, Ziad ‘Ben’ Nesheiwat, lying on top of the sheets, his head surrounded by pillows, and his arms crossed over his chest, right over left. One police officer who responded to the scene described the case in his report as an ‘accidental shooting.’” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
A Local Newspaper Reported The Police Believed The Shooting To Be A “Freak Accident.” According to the New York Times, “Needing a pair of scissors, a 13-year-old girl went into the bedroom where her father was sleeping and reached for a fishing tackle box on a shelf above the bed. But in the darkened room, she accidentally knocked it over. ‘Something fell out of it and there was a loud noise,’ she recounted to the police. ‘I saw blood on my father’s ear.’ On the floor was a .380 caliber handgun that had fallen with the tackle box and discharged. The girl’s father had been shot through the head. The local newspaper said the police believed it was a ‘freak accident.’ That terrible family trauma, which unfolded in the small Florida town of Umatilla in February 1990, set the girl on a new trajectory. It was because of this event, she has said, that she grew up to become a doctor. Saving lives, she thought, would help her cope with the pain and sense of helplessness she felt from her father’s death. Now she is poised to become the next surgeon general.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ Nesheiwat And Trump Transition Spokesmen Appeared To Obscure The Details Of How Ben Nesheiwat Died
¶ Nesheiwat Wrote That Her Father’s Death Inspired Her To Pursue A Career In Medicine But Did Not Mention In The Book How Her Father Died Or Her Role In His Death
Nesheiwat Said Her Father’s Death Inspired Her To Become A Medical Professional. According to the New York Times, “That terrible family trauma, which unfolded in the small Florida town of Umatilla in February 1990, set the girl on a new trajectory. It was because of this event, she has said, that she grew up to become a doctor. Saving lives, she thought, would help her cope with the pain and sense of helplessness she felt from her father’s death. Now she is poised to become the next surgeon general. When President-elect Donald J. Trump announced he would nominate Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be ‘the nation’s doctor,’ as the office is sometimes called, he was making an unorthodox pick. Traditionally, the surgeon general has been selected from an impressive pool of public health officials, policy experts, renowned physicians or accomplished plague fighters.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
Nesheiwat Referenced Her Father’s Death In Her Memoir As An Inciting Factor In Her Career Path, But Did Not Mention Anywhere In Her Memoir How Her Father Died Or That He Was Shot. According to the New York Times, “His death is mentioned in the very first sentence of her memoir, ‘Beyond the Stethoscope: Miracles in Medicine,’ which will be released this month: ‘When I was 13 years old, I helplessly watched my dear father dying from an accident as blood was spurting everywhere,’ she writes. ‘I couldn’t save his life.’ From this moment, she writes, she yearned to help others. ‘This was the start of my personal journey in life to become a physician and enter the world of healing arts,’ she writes. […] Nowhere in the next 260 pages does she elaborate on how her father died, and she does not mention that he was shot.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
Trump Transition Spokesman Brian Hughes Said Nesheiwat Became A Physician Because Of Her Father’s “Tragic Accidental Death.” According to The New York Times, “‘As she says in her book, she became a physician because of her dad’s tragic accidental death,’ a spokesman for Mr. Trump’s transition team, Brian Hughes, said in a statement. ‘She became a physician to save lives, and that dedication to the lives of her fellow Americans is why President Trump nominated Dr. Nesheiwat to be our next Surgeon General. She and her family miss their father, and hope he’s proud of them.’” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ Nesheiwat Referred To Her Father’s Death As Accidental In A Magazine Profile And A Tweet
2022: Janette Nesheiwat Referred To Her Father’s Death In A Nashville Voyager Profile, But Did Not Mention Any Details Of How He Died. According to the Nashville Voyager, “I grew up in a house with 1 bathroom, 4 girls and 1 boy- that was fun! After my Dad died, It was tough growing up in a family with a widowed mom who worked 2-3 jobs to ensure all 5 of us kids had what we needed to succeed in school and eventually give back to our community. Our strong Christian faith and work ethic definitely made a difference. My mom Hayat, a Jordanian immigrant instilled in us the importance of kindness, hard work, and determination. My mom’s strong work ethic and encouragement led, my sister Captain Julia, a US Army Officer military intelligence officer who served in Iraq, and Afghanistan and was an advisor to the 45th President of the USA.” [Nashville Voyager, 9/26/22]
2022: Janette Nesheiwat Referenced Her Father’s Death In A Tweet, Writing “I Was In Middle School When My Dad Passed Away In An Accident.” According to Nesheiwat’s Twitter, “Growing up in Florida, the ocean brings back a lot of memories. I was in middle school when dad passed away in an accident. My widowed mom would take me & my 5 siblings to the beach to cheer us up. I remember the serene blue sky, the sound of crashing waves, the sand stuck in my ears & the awful jelly fish stings. I learned to always love & cherish people in your life. Don’t hold grudges, don’t go to bed mad, savor every moment God gives you & be kind to others- a smile or kind gesture-you may be the one to make a positive difference in someone’s day.”
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 7/5/22]
¶ Reversal On COVID-19 Vaccines
|
Nesheiwat rose to prominence early in the COVID-19 pandemic as a medical correspondent on Fox News, appearing on Tucker Carlson’s show and other Fox programs to discuss the pandemic. As distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine began in February 2021, Nesheiwat wrote an op-ed praising the vaccine as a “gift from God,” a “miracle,” and “our way out of the pandemic.” She also strongly endorsed precautions to mitigate the spread of the virus, including social distancing and wearing two masks. Crucially, in the 2021 op-ed, Nesheiwat strongly encouraged all populations to receive the vaccine when it became available to them, specifically mentioning children and teens. In a 2022 appearance on Carlson’s program, Nesheiwat directly contradicted her earlier embrace of the vaccine. She railed against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for deciding to add the COVID vaccine to the childhood vaccination schedule, and called the vaccine “dangerous,” despite having specifically encouraged children to receive it a year earlier. Nesheiwat cast doubt on the efficacy of the vaccine and even suggested the CDC stood to profit from adding the vaccine to the childhood schedule. |
¶ Nesheiwat Rose To Prominence Early In The COVID Pandemic As A Medical Correspondent On Fox News Programs
Nesheiwat Claimed To Have Cared For More Than 20,000 COVID-19-Related Patients During The Pandemic As A Provider At CityMD In New York City. According to the New York Times, “When Dr. Nesheiwat joined CityMD, the company had no more than a dozen locations in the city. Today it has more than 150 clinics in the region and logs about five million visits a year, according to Walgreens, which owns a controlling interest in the company. During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, many New Yorkers came to rely on CityMD for Covid tests, and lines sometimes stretched down the block when infections surged. Dr. Nesheiwat rose through the ranks at CityMD to become one of its five medical directors in New York City. But she is very much a working urgent-care doctor, and until Mr. Trump selected her, she was still seeing patients. She claims to have cared for more than 20,000 Covid-19-related patients. At the height of the deadly first wave of the virus in New York, in the spring of 2020, she writes, she once saw 94 patients in a single, grueling shift at the Times Square clinic. By the end of it, her feet were numb.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
Nesheiwat Built A Public Profile During The COVID-19 Pandemic Though Appearances On Fox News As A Correspondent On Tucker Carlson’s Show, Among Others On The Network. According to the New York Times, “Until the pandemic, she was one more doctor in a city full of them. But she built a public profile through her appearances on Fox News, starting in 2020, where she has weighed in, for example, on studies about cancer and Brett Favre’s Parkinson’s diagnosis. ‘Almost every day, I have a patient who recognizes me from Fox,’ she said earlier this year. […] At some point, she made it onto Mr. Trump’s radar. ‘Dr. Janette, I’m a big fan of yours,’ Mr. Trump said in a video message to Dr. Nesheiwat around the time of her birthday last year. ‘You do a fantastic job letting us know what’s happening with health.’ In the video, Mr. Trump is seated next to Dr. Nesheiwat’s older sister, Julia, his former homeland security adviser.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ In A February 2021 Op-Ed, Nesheiwat Championed The COVID Vaccines And Advocated For People To Wear Two Masks At Once
¶ Nesheiwat Championed The COVID-19 Vaccine, Calling It A “Gift From God” And “Our Path Out Of The Pandemic,” And Encouraged Everyone, Including Children And Teens, To Get The Vaccine When It Was Available To Them
2021: Janette Nesheiwat Called The COVID Vaccine “Nothing Short Of Miraculous,” A “Gift From God,” And Called It “Our Path Out Of The Pandemic.” According to Janette Nesheiwat in a Fox News op-ed, “But fast forward to a year later, I am optimistic we are on our way to ending the needless loss of lives starting with the nothing short of miraculous coronavirus vaccine and the development of therapeutics. We have many vaccines in existence that treat a variety of non-life threatening diseases but to have a COVID vaccine, i.e. a Pfizer or Moderna mRNA that will actually save you from dying is a gift from God. This is our path out of the pandemic.” [Op-Ed – Janette Nesheiwat, Fox News, 2/23/21]
Nesheiwat Advocated That People Get The COVID Vaccine When It Became Available To Them. According to Janette Nesheiwat in a Fox News op-ed, “We all know what to do: Wear your mask and even consider wearing two masks at the same time – they are more protective according to the CDC. For example, wearing a surgical mask and then a cloth mask over it can reduce transmission of COVID particles by over 90%. Also, practice physical distancing, keep a good distance from others of 6 to 10 feet, wash your hands, get tested and get your vaccine when it’s your turn.” [Op-Ed – Janette Nesheiwat, Fox News, 2/23/21]
Nesheiwat Encouraged Children And Teens To Get The Vaccine When It Became Available After Clinical Trials. According to Janette Nesheiwat in a Fox News op-ed, “And, about that vaccine, when will it be your turn? It depends on your age, occupation and underlying medical conditions. Although demand far surpasses supply right now, the Biden administration says vaccines will be fully available for all by July. Dr. Anthony Fauci says it will be open season by April. Folks, that's just around the corner. Even children and teens will eventually be vaccinated pending ongoing trials that have begun and data to be available by the fall.” [Op-Ed – Janette Nesheiwat, Fox News, 2/23/21]
¶ Nesheiwat Wrote That Any Further COVID Deaths After The Development Of The Vaccine And Therapies “Will Be Our Own Doing”
Nesheiwat Wrote That Any Further COVID Deaths After The Development Of The Vaccine And Therapies “Will Be Our Own Doing.” According to Janette Nesheiwat in a Fox News op-ed, “We also now have COVID care protocols, effective medications that can preserve life, including steroids, antivirals, monoclonal antibody therapy. Moving forward, any additional COVID cases and deaths from the virus will be our own doing. We must not become complacent. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to suppress this insidious disease from spreading.” [Op-Ed – Janette Nesheiwat, Fox News, 2/23/21]
¶ Nesheiwat Advocated That People Wear Two Masks And Socially Distance With Others At A Distance Of 6 To 10 Feet
Nesheiwat Advocated That People Wear Two Masks And Socially Distance With Others At A Distance Of 6 To 10 Feet. According to Janette Nesheiwat in a Fox News op-ed, “Moving forward, any additional COVID cases and deaths from the virus will be our own doing. We must not become complacent. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to suppress this insidious disease from spreading. We all know what to do: Wear your mask and even consider wearing two masks at the same time – they are more protective according to the CDC. For example, wearing a surgical mask and then a cloth mask over it can reduce transmission of COVID particles by over 90%. Also, practice physical distancing, keep a good distance from others of 6 to 10 feet, wash your hands, get tested and get your vaccine when it’s your turn.” [Op-Ed – Janette Nesheiwat, Fox News, 2/23/21]
¶ Nesheiwat Reversed Herself, Calling The Vaccine “Dangerous” And Unnecessary For Children
¶ In 2022, Nesheiwat Strongly Condemned The CDC’s Decision To Place The COVID Vaccine On The Childhood Vaccination Schedule, Called The COVID Vaccine “Dangerous” For Children, And Suggested The CDC Was Profiteering
2022: Nesheiwat Argued That The COVID Vaccine Was “Dangerous” And Unnecessary For Children. and According to the Daily Mail, “Dr Nesheiwat also argued the vaccine is unnecessary, as nearly 86 percent of children have natural immunity, as shown in a 2022 analysis by the CDC. She said: 'And a recent study out of the University of Indiana just found that that natural immunity in children is actually stronger and and lasts longer for protection than compared to adults.' The physician added: 'So we need to keep that in mind, but yet they want to put this vaccine on the schedule. There's no data or evidence that shows it's of benefit... that it can prevent disease, that it can prevent death. 'We need to stop with the fear mongering. We're no longer in a Covid emergency [and] it's time to get back to the basics. 'We are putting these stringent restrictions and guidelines on the lowest risk population, our children. They've already suffered enough.' […] 'That means children will be forced to get this vaccination which is unnecessary, scientifically unjustifiable and dangerous in order to get an education in this country.'” [Daily Mail, 11/25/24]
2022: Nesheiwat Claimed On Tucker Carlson’s Show That The CDC’s Decision To Place The COVID Vaccine On The Childhood Immunization Schedule Did Not Make Sense, And Accused The CDC Of Profiteering. According to the Daily Mail, “A resurfaced clip shows Donald Trump's surgeon general pick Dr Janette Nesheiwat accusing the CDC of forcing unnecessary vaccines on children in a bid to potentially profiteer. The Fox News medical contributor and assistant medical director of CityMD appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight in 2022 to discuss the announcement that the CDC advisory committee voted unanimously to add the Covid shot to the childhood immunization schedule. Asked by Fox News host Tucker Carlson why the CDC would put this on their schedule, Ms Nesheiwat suggested that it did not make sense and it was 'maybe [to] profit.'” [Daily Mail, 11/25/24]
2022: Nesheiwat Strongly Condemned The CDC’s Decision As “Irresponsible And Illogical,” Claiming “There’s No Good Reason To Have A Vaccine That Can’t Stop Disease, Or Can’t Stop Transmission Of Disease.” According to the Daily Mail, “She continued: 'There's no good reason to have a vaccine that can't stop disease, can't stop transmission of disease.' She said while vaccines for Polio and measles 'actually help prevent... paralysis [or] inflammation of your brain,' the Covid vaccine could likely only 'help reduce [the virus] to a sniffle.' The physician called the unanimous decision 'irresponsible and illogical.'” [Daily Mail, 11/25/24]
¶ In 2022, Nesheiwat Cast Doubt On The Efficacy Of The COVID Vaccine, Saying It “Can’t Stop Disease” And That It Would Only “Help Reduce A Sniffle”
2022: Nesheiwat Said On Tucker Carlson’s Show “There’s No Good Reason To Have A Vaccine That Can’t Stop Disease, Or Can’t Stop Transmission Of Disease.” According to the Daily Mail, “She continued: 'There's no good reason to have a vaccine that can't stop disease, can't stop transmission of disease.' She said while vaccines for Polio and measles 'actually help prevent... paralysis [or] inflammation of your brain,' the Covid vaccine could likely only 'help reduce [the virus] to a sniffle.' The physician called the unanimous decision 'irresponsible and illogical.'” [Daily Mail, 11/25/24]
2022: Nesheiwat Opposed COVID Vaccination During An Appearance On Tucker Carlson, Saying “What Will That Do, Help Reduce A Sniffle?” According to the New York Times, “She initially championed the Covid vaccines, calling them ‘a gift from God’ in a Fox News opinion piece in February 2021. She urged everyone to wear a mask. ‘Even consider wearing two masks at the same time,’ she wrote. But by late 2022, she had started voicing opposition to including Covid vaccines on the childhood vaccine schedule, as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee had just recommended. ‘What will that do, help reduce a sniffle?’ she said during an appearance with Tucker Carlson on Fox. ‘We need to stop with the fear-mongering. We’re no longer in a Covid emergency.’ At some point, she made it onto Mr. Trump’s radar. ‘Dr. Janette, I’m a big fan of yours,’ Mr. Trump said in a video message to Dr. Nesheiwat around the time of her birthday last year. ‘You do a fantastic job letting us know what’s happening with health.’ In the video, Mr. Trump is seated next to Dr. Nesheiwat’s older sister, Julia, his former homeland security adviser.” [New York Times, 12/6/24]
¶ Overturning The 2020 Election
| Nesheiwat was an active Twitter user during the period between Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election and the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol. In a series of tweets and replies, Nesheiwat appeared to approve of Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and the efforts of his supporters to sow doubt and distrust in the outcome. On several occasions, Nesheiwat replied approvingly to Trump’s tweets and those of his “strike force” legal team as they falsely alleged large scale voter fraud. As the attack on the Capitol unfolded, Nesheiwat replied approvingly to a tweet that claimed Donald Trump had “saved America.” |
¶ Nesheiwat Suggested She Approved Of Trump’s Efforts To Overturn The 2020 Election
¶ On January 8, 2021, Nesheiwat Called Democratic Efforts To Impeach Donald Trump For Inciting The January 6 Insurrection A “Waste Of Time”
January 8, 2021: Nesheiwat Called Democratic Efforts To Impeach Donald Trump For Inciting The January 6 Insurrection A “Waste Of Time.” According to Nesheiwat’s Twitter,
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 1/8/21]
¶ On January 7, 2021, Nesheiwat Responded “Wow” To A Statement From Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Who Resigned Following The January 6 Capitol Riot And Appeared To Blame Trump For The Events
January 7, 2021: Nesheiwat Responded “Wow” To A Statement From Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Who Resigned Following The January 6 Capitol Riot And Appeared To Blame Trump For The Events. According to Nesheiwat’s Twitter,
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 1/7/21]
¶ On January 6, 2021, Nesheiwat Tweeted “God Protect This Country” And Responded Approvingly To A Tweet That Said Trump “Saved America”
January 6, 2021: Nesheiwat Tweeted, “God Protect This Country” At 3:37 PM On January 6, 2021. According to Nesheiwat’s Twitter,
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 1/6/21]
January 6, 2021: Nesheiwat Responded Approvingly To A Tweet That Said “President Trump Saved This Country” At 12:19 PM On January 6, 2021. According to Nesheiwat’s Twitter,
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 1/6/21]
¶ On December 16, 2020, Nesheiwat Replied Approvingly To A Tweet From Jenna Ellis, A Lawyer Who Was Working Actively At The Time To Overturn The Results Of The 2020 Election In Favor Of Trump
December 16, 2020: Nesheiwat Replied “Amen” To A Tweet Of A Bible Verse From Jenna Ellis. According to Nesheiwat’s Twitter,
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 12/16/20]
2020: Jenna Ellis Worked On The Legal Team That Worked To Overturn The Results Of The 2020 Election After Trump Lost. According to the New York Times, “On paper, the Trump campaign calls her a senior legal adviser. She has recently appeared alongside Rudolph W. Giuliani and other Trump lawyers — a group Ms. Ellis described as an ‘elite strike force team’ — at public hearings where she amplified the president’s false claims of widespread voter fraud. Ms. Ellis’s work appears to largely be in a public relations capacity. The Trump campaign and its supporters have so far filed about 50 election-related lawsuits. She has not signed her name or appeared in court to argue a single one.” [New York Times, 12/3/20]
¶ On November 13, 2020, Nesheiwat Appeared To Respond Approvingly To A Tweet From Lisa Booth Urging People Not To Believe Election Results Reported By The Media
November 13, 2020: Nesheiwat Appeared To Respond Approvingly To A Tweet From Lisa Booth Urging People Not To Believe Election Results Reported By The Media. According to Nesheiwat’s Twitter,
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 11/13/20]
¶ On November 10, 2020, Nesheiwat Responded Approvingly To Two Donald Trump Tweets Falsely Claiming Fraud In The 2020 Election
November 10, 2020: Nesheiwat Responded “Honesty Is Always The Best Policy” To A Donald Trump Tweet Alleging Election Fraud In Detroit, Michigan. According to Nesheiwat’s Twitter,
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 11/10/20]
November 10, 2020: Nesheiwat Appeared To Respond Approvingly To A Donald Trump Tweet Alleging “Massive Ballot Counting Abuse” In The 2020 Election. According to Nesheiwat’s Twitter,
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 11/10/20]
¶ Nesheiwat Seemed To Agree With Right-Wing Claims Of A Constitutional Crisis About The 2020 Election
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 1/3/21]
[Twitter, @DoctorJanette, 1/3/21]