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Who is Doug Lamborn? Congressman sued for exposing ex-aide to Covid-19, making staff run errands for family

The ex-aide also claimed Lamborn allowed his son to live in the basement of the US Capitol for weeks

A former aide to Colorado representative Doug Lamborn has sued the Congressman in a Washington DC court for firing him. The staffer, Brandon Pope, has accused his former boss of "recklessly self-serving approach to his position", leading Pope to fall ill with Covid-19. 

Apart from the virus, Pope has also claimed Lamborn misused his office by getting staffers to run personal errands and allowing his son to live in the basement of the US Capitol. The wide-ranging claims made by Pope have been called "unsubstantiated" by Lamborn. In a short statement, he said, "The workplace safety allegations made by Mr. Pope are unsubstantiated and did not result in the termination of his employment. Congressman Lamborn looks forward to full vindication as all facts come to light."

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Pope was fired in December 2020 and has now filed a civil action in the DC District Court. Apart from a trial by jury, Pope is also seeking monetary damages and "compensatory damages for any emotional pain", but does not state what the amount is. 

Who is Doug Lamborn?

The Colorado politician is a well-known attorney who hails from Leavenworth, Kansas. Lamborn graduated from Lansing High School, before attending the University of Kansas. He graduated in 1978 with a BS in journalism, and then went on to obtain a JD from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1985. He then moved to Colorado Springs, where he set up a private practice focusing on business and real estate law. Lamborn has been married for over 45 years to Jeanie and the couple has five children together. Not much is known about his personal life. 

In 1995, he shifted his focus to politics and was successfully elected to the Colorado State House of Representatives. He served two, two-year terms before being elected to the State Senate in 1998. A year prior to that, in 1997, he was elected Republican House Whip. While in the Senate, Lamborn also served as Senate President Pro-Tempore in 1999. As a staunch Republican, Lamborn oversaw laws that eliminated and reduced state services to illegal immigrants, banned late-term abortions, allowed public schools to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and even introduced a massive tax cut. 

In 2006, he successfully ran for the US House of Representatives to represent Colorado's Fifth District. According to his website, "Because of the district's military and veteran concentration, Doug serves as a high-ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee and a former member for ten years of the Veterans Affairs Committee." Another biography claims he was "named the Most Conservative Member of Congress by the National Journal in 2009, 2010, and 2011."

Unlike some of his other colleagues, Lamborn has pretty much remained out of the media's eye during his tenure in Congress. The lawsuit by Pope is the first major 'scandal' Lamborn has been implicated in. 

Accusations by Pope

The lawsuit by Pope makes several accusations against Lamborn. At the heart of the issue is his handling of Covid-19. Pope claims Lamborn repeatedly called the virus a "hoax", and kept his office open, requiring staff to come in person and work without social distancing at the height of the pandemic. The lawsuit alleges that two of Lamborn's staff tested positive for the virus in October 2020, but Lamborn lied about not being in contact with them. Pope claims that he’d been sleeping in his DC office in close proximity to those staffers.

Even when Lamborn tested positive for Covid-19 in November, he reportedly did not alter his behavior and even told a staffer who was wearing a mask, "Well, I don’t care about you guys getting it." Lamborn also refused to mask up, further putting everyone at his office at risk. Eventually, even Pope contracted the virus. When he attempted to "protect employees from unsafe conditions in the workplace," Pope was fired in December. 

Along with those allegations, Pope also claims Lamborn used his staff to run personal errands, including "loading furniture to be moved to their vacation home, picking up personal mail and carrying personal legal documents." Pope claims, "Staff were also made to believe that accepting invitations for family events, including meals with the Lamborn family, was required in order to remain employed." He also alleged that staff was "compelled" to give Christmas and birthday gifts to Lamborn and his wife.

'Peak Republican' says Twitter

The lawsuit quickly made its way to social media and was met with a lot of fury and anger. One person tweeted, "They're all dicks. Seriously. Read this. Peak Republican". Another responded, "Holy wow. A lawsuit against Colorado GOP Rep. Doug Lamborn by an ex-aide is completely wacko, yet given today's GOP all the accusations in it ring absolutely true. Be very curious to see where this goes. His district is R+14 so blood red."

"The GOP is morally corrupt & I pray his aide’s lawsuit prevails. Lamborn feels entitled to beg Christmas gifts & have his office staff run errands. No meaningful work by these GOP legislators, just perks & grift for their own comfort" slammed another. One person replied, "If you know Lamborn, you know these claims aren’t much of a stretch."

It is unclear if Pope has also filed a complaint with The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights. The office is tasked with overseeing complaints filed under the Congressional Accountability Act, which Pope has accused Lamborn of violating. No details about when the case will be heard are available at present.