LINCOLN, NE — Governor Pete Ricketts' spokesperson, Taylor Gage, generated ire from Democratic politicians and many in the state's medical community after he posted a tweet accusing some area doctors of being politically motivated in expressing their concerns about what is needed to be done to control the coronavirus in Nebraska.

On Sunday, Gage posted screen grabs from 3 doctors who had retweeted congratulations to Joe Biden, and then said in his tweet "Many of the folks leading the social media campaign targeting @GovRicketts also seem to share similar political views."

 

Gage did not directly respond to the criticism, issuing a statement saying everyone has a right to express their opinions. At his press conference on Monday, Gov. Ricketts faced a series of questions regarding Gage.

“With social media, people put ideas out there, and those idea can challenge people’s beliefs,” Ricketts said. “Everyone has that right to do so.”

When asked if his own political leanings affected his reaction to COVID-19, Ricketts held firm.

“President Trump has never called me and told me what to do in regards to the virus,” Ricketts said.

Ricketts introduced new directed health measures on Monday morning, but he stopped short of introducing mask mandates.

“I think mask mandates breed resistance from people,” Ricketts said.

He also said that he was prioritizing feedback from heads of hospitals more than that of doctors and nurses in regards to hospitals’ ever-stretched capacity.

“I think the feedback of CEOs and those managing that capacity is more important,” Ricketts said. “Not that the feedback of those front line workers isn’t important. They are important.”