INDIANAPOLIS – During a Fox News interview yesterday, Rep. Braun told the same lie he told on the debate stage just hours earlier on Tuesday night, claiming that he did not in fact support the ongoing lawsuit spearheaded by the Department of Justice that aims to dismantle coverage protections for Hoosiers with pre-existing conditions.
Rep. Braun’s comments over the past two days fly in the face of remarks he’s made going back to August, when he told POLITICO that he supports the DOJ’s lawsuit. Several fact checks have confirmed his stance, and Howey Politics Indiana said as recently as today that Rep. Braun still supported the lawsuit. But in front of larger audiences at Tuesday night’s debate and on Fox News, he attempted to whitewash his record, claiming that he didn’t support the lawsuit or any health care proposal that doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions. He has currently backed three.
Rep. Braun’s attempt to hide his steadfast support for the DOJ’s lawsuit speaks volumes about how toxic stripping coverage protections from 1.1 million Hoosiers under 65 with a pre-existing condition would be. His comments to Fox News seem more like an attempt to whitewash his position than an actual change of heart, however, given that he could have corrected the record or denounced the lawsuit at any point over the last several months. His website also still insists that Rep. Braun wants to repeal “every word and regulation” of the health care system, which would include protections for Hoosiers with pre-existing conditions.
“Rep. Braun can continue to lie about his position, but it’s been very clear he supports the GOP’s efforts to strip protections away from Hoosiers with pre-existing conditions. There’s no reason Hoosiers should trust that this is anything other than an attempt to hide his toxic stance in the last week of the election,” said Michael Feldman, spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party. “Hoosiers worried about their health care know the truth: They can’t trust Rep. Braun not to do everything he can to strip away protections for pre-existing conditions if elected.”
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