Top vax official who received muzzle in the mail sent it to herself, a new investigation finds
Dani Repass
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According to a state investigation, Tennessee’s former top vaccination official purchased and mailed herself a dog muzzle that she previously claimed someone had sent in order to intimidate her.
“On July 20, 2021, [the Department of Safety and Homeland Security] received the results of this subpoena from Amazon which showed that the account which the muzzle had been purchased on was in Dr. Fiscus’s name and had been opened in March 2021,” the DSHS report said. The report concluded that “purchases from both Amazon accounts were charged to the same American Express credit card in the name of Dr. Michelle D. Fiscus.”
Fiscus, who was fired in July due to her “failure to maintain good working relationships,” received the muzzle in the mail just days before her termination. Prior to her firing, Fiscus had been attempting to roll out the Covid vaccine to teenagers, causing criticism among Republican lawmakers. After Fiscus received the muzzle, she and her husband pointed the finger at Republicans.
“Someone wanted to send a message to tell her to stop talking. They thought it would be a threat to her,” Brad Fiscus said in a statement to reporters. “It was an obvious sign.”
Fiscus has also discussed the incident online, on her Twitter account.
“Dear Future Me, It’s March ‘20 and guess what! By mid-August ‘21 you will have been sent a dog muzzle, been fired from your job for sharing a TN law with doctors, sold your house, and decided to move to VA, all because Tennessee sides with Covid. No [sic] I’m not drunk. Brace yourself,” Fiscus wrote in the first of several tweets about the muzzle and her termination.
“So bad. Yet another ‘no, we don’t need to ask health experts’ decision…BTW, TN State Museum is collecting things from the pandemic. That’s where my muzzle is going to go…” Fiscus wrote in another tweet.
“Regarding the muzzle: I ASKED Homeland Security to investigate the origin. Just provided a redacted HS report by Axios Nashville. Report says a second account was made under my name in WA? Waiting on unredacted report. Hold tight. No, I didn’t send it to myself,” Fiscus wrote in a third tweet after reports came out.
Users online were not convinced by Fiscus’ statements, though.
“Amex card was tied back to you. Lol,” Kenneth Webb wrote in a tweet.
“RIP: the career of Dr. Michelle Fiscus after she tried to pull off the classic Jussie Smollett hoax,” Emerald Robinson said in a tweet.
“Dr. Ficus [sic] has moved on now to the ‘I did not have sexual relations with that woman,’ stage of defense,” Sadie Luck wrote in a tweet.
“So I’m sure you have filed a police report about the credit card fraud? Or naw [sic]…because even you know filing a false police report is a crime,” a user called NH said in a tweet.
Dr. Fiscus has not responded to the Independent Chronicle’s request for comment.