Virginia Nurse Fired After Urging Attacks on ICE Agents
Malinda Rose Cook was fired Tuesday after videos urged drugging and poisoning Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, VCU Health said.
Overview
Virginia Commonwealth University Health terminated Malinda Rose Cook on Tuesday after videos circulated from a now-deleted account called Redheadredemption that urged drugging ICE agents with succinylcholine, Ex-Lax and poison ivy, VCU Health said.
The posts prompted VCU Health to place the employee on administrative leave and open an investigation because the content "did not reflect the integrity or values" of the health system, the hospital said.
VCU Health said it fulfilled its reporting requirements under Virginia state law and removed Cook from its staff directory, while the hospital declined further comment when asked about potential criminal referrals.
The episodes come amid heightened scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement and follow other disciplinary actions, including Florida nurse Lexie Lawler being barred from practice and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier seeking revocation of Erik Martindale's nursing license.
State nursing boards and law enforcement agencies are monitoring the matter and VCU Health's investigation could lead to licensing sanctions or criminal probes, although officials gave no timetable for any potential charges.
Analysis
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Sources (3)
FAQ
She suggested injecting ICE agents with succinylcholine (a muscle paralytic), spraying them with poison ivy-infused water, spiking their drinks with Ex-Lax, and other poisoning tactics.
VCU Health placed Malinda Rose Cook on administrative leave, conducted an investigation, terminated her employment, fulfilled Virginia state law reporting requirements, and removed her from the staff directory.
Succinylcholine is a powerful muscle paralytic used in anesthesia; Cook urged medical providers to prepare syringes with saline or succinylcholine to inject ICE agents.
Legal analyst Russ Stone indicated prosecutors could charge her with solicitation to commit a felony; state nursing boards and law enforcement are monitoring, potentially leading to licensing sanctions or criminal probes.
It follows cases like Florida nurse Alexis Lawler, who was fired and had her nursing license emergency suspended for inflammatory posts, and efforts to revoke Erik Martindale's license.
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