Judith Collins Calls Out Ashley Bloomfield

Judith Collins has said what many of us are thinking about Ashley Bloomfield and his persistent obfuscations followed by abject apologies when he’s busted:

National leader Judith Collins has dubbed Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield a “deified”, “one-trick pony” who’s “good at standing up and talking about COVID”.

Her comments came after Dr Bloomfield apologised to Parliament’s Health Select Committee for telling MPs he hadn’t discussed the transfer of an ill United Nations worker from COVID-ravaged Fiji to New Zealand with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) officials.

In a letter to committee chair Labour MP Liz Craig, Dr Bloomfield said he had in fact exchanged text messages with Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Chris Seed about the Fijian, who was taken to Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital suffering a serious bout of COVID-19.

Newshub

The Government would have us all believe that this was a decision made by the DHB without ANY interference, and they just happened to reverse their decision.

That Helen Clark, a former Labour PM and UNDP Administrator lobbying the Foreign Minister had no influence whatsoever.

That the Secretary of Foreign Affairs AND the Director-General of Health texting on it had no influence whatsoever.

And that the Director-General of Health, just two hours, later saying it was “all sorted” and was unrelated to any of the above.

And that Ashley Bloomfield just “forgot” he’d been messaging about it all.

Dr Bloomfield said he forgot about the brief exchange when questioned about the case by the committee, and would correct the record.

National’s COVID-19 response spokesperson Chris Bishop, who sits on the committee, is calling for Dr Bloomfield to be brought before MPs again this week for further questions “on this serious matter” – and he has the support of his boss.

“I never like to criticise public servants because it’s very hard for them to fight back,” Collins [on] Magic Talk, speaking about Dr Bloomfield. “But he’s quite clearly drunk the kool-aid and we can see it with some of the things that have gone on.”

The Director-General of Health has been widely praised for his communication throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, frequently taking the podium next to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to deliver the latest developments.

But Collins says that’s all he’s good for.

“In my opinion, having been a minister dealing with chief executives, this guy is good at standing up and talking about COVID,” she told Magic Talk. “I just think that Ashley Bloomfield is probably a one-trick pony.”

Collins isn’t calling for Dr Bloomfield’s resignation… yet.

“I’m not at that stage yet but I think he does need to do an awful lot to justify his position and the deification that has occurred,” she said.

“Look, he was very good at standing up and talking to people, but when we were told by this Government – and he was standing there with it – that there is one source of truth, that was clearly entirely false.”

Newshub

Calling it how she sees it. No bulldust. Just the facts. Bloomfield lied and it’s not the only time he’s done it either.  How many chances does he get to perform snow jobs at select committees?

I’ll bet you a dollar to a knob of goat poo that Ashley Bloomfield only “remembered” his text exchange because someone put an inconvenient OIA request in and he realised he was busted, so he got in early with his abject apology.

I can’t help but wonder how big an outcry would have ensued had Judith Collins called Jacinda Ardern a one-trick pony.

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